SB 3.26.10 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीभगवानुवाच यत्तत्‍त्रिगुणमव्यक्तं नित्यं सदसदात्मकम् । प्रधानं प्रकृतिं प्राहुरविशेषं विशेषवत् ॥ १० ॥

Verse text

śrī-bhagavān uvāca yat tat tri-guṇam avyaktaṁ nityaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ prāhur aviśeṣaṁ viśeṣavat

Synonyms

śrī — bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said ; yat — now further ; tat — that ; tri — guṇam — combination of the three modes ; avyaktam — unmanifested ; nityam — eternal ; sat — asat — ātmakam — consisting of cause and effect ; pradhānam — the pradhāna ; prakṛtim — prakṛti ; prāhuḥ — they call ; aviśeṣam — undifferentiated ; viśeṣa — vat — possessing differentiation .

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The unmanifested eternal combination of the three modes is the cause of the manifest state and is called pradhāna. It is called prakṛti when in the manifested stage of existence.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The Lord said: Prakṛti is called avyakta because, though having variety, it has a state of invisibility when the three guṇas are in balance. It is called pradhāna because, manifesting variety, it is the best, being the shelter of all the visible elements. It is called prakṛti because it is the very cause of all causes and effects. It is eternal. This verse gives the characteristics of prakṛti. The aggregate of the three guṇas is called avyaktam, pradhānam and prakṛti. It is called avyakta (the invisible) because it has an invisible state, though it still possesses particularity, due to the balance of the three guṇas. It is called pradhāna (the chief) because, manifesting variety, it is the best among all partial forms which are its effects, being the shelter of particular elements like mahat-tattva. It is called prakṛti (original form) because it is the cause of the other causes and effects (sad-asat) such as mahat-tattva, being the very svarūpa (ātmā) of what follows. It is eternal since it remains as the final cause, even after universal destruction. Or, there is another meaning. What is indescribable, called pradhāna, because it is superior, is also called prakṛti. Its indescribable nature is given. Though consisting of three guṇas, it is invisible. It becomes visible with guṇas. Though it is composed of cause (asat) and effect (sat), it is eternal. Though it is seen as temporary things such as earth, and has variety such as mahat-tattva, it is also without variety when in the condition of balanced guṇas. What possesses variety as substance becomes invisible, without variety in another form.

Purport

The Lord points out material nature in its subtle stage, which is called pradhāna, and He analyzes this pradhāna. The explanation of pradhāna and prakṛti is that pradhāna is the subtle, undifferentiated sum total of all material elements. Although they are undifferentiated, one can understand that the total material elements are contained therein. When the total material elements are manifested by the interaction of the three modes of material nature, the manifestation is called prakṛti. Impersonalists say that Brahman is without variegatedness and without differentiation. One may say that pradhāna is the Brahman stage, but actually the Brahman stage is not pradhāna. Pradhāna is distinct from Brahman because in Brahman there is no existence of the material modes of nature. One may argue that the mahat-tattva is also different from pradhāna because in the mahat-tattva there are manifestations. The actual explanation of pradhāna, however, is given here: when the cause and effect are not clearly manifested ( avyakta ), the reaction of the total elements does not take place, and that stage of material nature is called pradhāna. Pradhāna is not the time element because in the time element there are actions and reactions, creation and annihilation. Nor is it the jīva, or marginal potency of living entities, or designated, conditioned living entities, because the designations of the living entities are not eternal. One adjective used in this connection is nitya, which indicates eternality. Therefore the condition of material nature immediately previous to its manifestation is called pradhāna.