Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.4.20-21

na yatra vāco na mano na sattvaḿ

tamo rajo vā mahad-ādayo 'mī

na prāṇa-buddhīndriya-devatā vā

na sanniveśaḥ khalu loka-kalpaḥ

na svapna-jāgran na ca tat suṣuptaḿ

na khaḿ jalaḿ bhūr anilo 'gnir arkaḥ

saḿsupta-vac chūnya-vad apratarkyaḿ

tan mūla-bhūtaḿ padam āmananti

SYNONYMS

na — not; yatra — wherein; vācaḥ — speech; na — not; manaḥ — the mind; na — not; sattvam — the mode of goodness; tamaḥ — the mode of ignorance; rajaḥ — the mode of passion; vā — or; mahat — the mahat-tattva; ādayaḥ — and so on; amī — these elements; na — not; prāṇa — the vital air; buddhi — intelligence; indriya — the senses; devatāḥ — and the controlling demigods; vā — or; na — not; sanniveśaḥ — the particular construction; khalu — indeed; loka-kalpaḥ — of the arrangement of the planetary systems; na — not; svapna — sleep; jāgrat — waking condition; na — not; ca — and; tat — that; suṣuptam — deep sleep; na — not; kham — ether; jalam — water; bhūḥ — earth; anilaḥ — air; agniḥ — fire; arkaḥ — the sun; saḿsupta-vat — like one who is fast asleep; śūnya-vat — like a void; apratarkyam — inaccessible to logic; tat — that pradhāna; mūla-bhūtam — serving as the basis; padam — the substance; āmananti — great authorities say.

TRANSLATION

In the unmanifest stage of material nature, called pradhāna, there is no expression of words, no mind and no manifestation of the subtle elements beginning from the mahat, nor are there the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. There is no life air or intelligence, nor any senses or demigods. There is no definite arrangement of planetary systems, nor are there present the different stages of consciousness — sleep, wakefulness and deep sleep. There is no ether, water, earth, air, fire or sun. The situation is just like that of complete sleep, or of voidness. Indeed, it is indescribable. Authorities in spiritual science explain, however, that since pradhāna is the original substance, it is the actual basis of material creation.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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