Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 21
Nondual Vision Beyond Praise and Blame
Dvandva-nivṛtti and Ātma-viveka
न यत् पुरस्तादुत यन्न पश्चा- न्मध्ये च तन्न व्यपदेशमात्रम् । भूतं प्रसिद्धं च परेण यद् यत् तदेव तत् स्यादिति मे मनीषा ॥ २१ ॥
na yat purastād uta yan na paścān madhye ca tan na vyapadeśa-mātram bhūtaṁ prasiddhaṁ ca pareṇa yad yat tad eva tat syād iti me manīṣā
凡过去不存在、未来也不存在之物，即便在其似乎持续之时也无自性，只是表面的名相而已。在我看来，凡由他物所造、所显者，究竟不过就是那“他物”本身。
Although all material products, such as our own bodies, are temporary and thus ultimately false, the material world is a real manifestation of the Lord’s potency. The basic substance, or reality, of this world is the Personality of Godhead Himself, whereas the temporary designations imposed by the conditioned souls are illusion. Thus we consider ourselves American, Russian, British, German, Indian, black, white, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and so forth. In fact, we are the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, but by attempting to exploit the Lord’s inferior material potency we have become entangled in illusion. Everything should be properly defined in terms of the Personality of Godhead, who is the essential reality of this and all other worlds.
FAQs
This verse says that anything not found before, after, or in the middle has no true existence and is only a verbal label; what is actually experienced and also recognized by others is to be accepted as real.
In the Uddhava-gītā teachings, Kṛṣṇa trains Uddhava in clear discrimination (viveka) so he can see through mere conceptual labels and understand reality properly while progressing toward liberation and steady devotion.
Don’t build your identity on labels alone; test beliefs and fears by whether they have consistent reality in experience and time—then anchor your life in what is truly enduring and spiritually meaningful.