Devanagari
यत् सामान्यविशेषाभ्यामुपलभ्येत स भ्रम: ।
अन्योन्यापाश्रयात् सर्वमाद्यन्तवदवस्तु यत् ॥ २८ ॥
Verse text
yat sāmānya-viśeṣābhyām
upalabhyeta sa bhramaḥ
anyonyāpāśrayāt sarvam
ādy-antavad avastu yat
Synonyms
yat
—
whatever
;
sāmānya
—
in terms of general cause
;
viśeṣābhyām
—
and specific product
;
upalabhyeta
—
is experienced
;
saḥ
—
that
;
bhramaḥ
—
is illusion
;
anyonya
—
mutual
;
apāśrayāt
—
because of dependence
;
sarvam
—
everything
;
ādi
—
anta — vat — subject to beginning and end
;
avastu
—
unreal
;
yat
—
which .
Translation
Anything experienced in terms of general cause and specific effect must be an illusion, because such causes and effects exist only relative to each other. Indeed, whatever has a beginning and an end is unreal.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
What is experienced as cause and effect is an illusion since they are mutually dependent. Everything has a beginning and end and therefore is unreal.
According to vivarta-vāda (theory of illusion), just as the effect of Brahman, the universe, is unreal, so Brahman as the cause is also unreal. What is perceived as cause and effect is perceived through error since they are mutually dependent, and thus impossible to determine. The meaning is this. Just as one mistakes a rope for a snake out of ignorance, (the rope is the cause and the effect snake, is false), so Brahman is mistaken to be the universe out of ignorance. How can Brahman be the cause, when it is dependent on the effect, the universe, which does not exist?
Purport
The nature of a material cause cannot be perceived without perception of the effect. For example, the burning nature of fire cannot be perceived without observing the effect of fire, such as a burning object or ashes. Similarly, the saturating quality of water cannot be understood without observing the effect, a saturated cloth or paper. The organizational power of a man cannot be understood without observing the effect of his dynamic work, namely a solid institution. In this way, not only do effects depend upon their causes, but the perception of the cause also depends upon observation of the effect. Thus both are defined relatively and have a beginning and an end. The conclusion is that all such material causes and effects are essentially temporary and relative, and consequently illusory.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, although the cause of all causes, has no beginning or end. Therefore He is neither material nor illusory. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s opulences and potencies are absolute reality, beyond the interdependence of material cause and effect.