SB 03.26.10 yat tat tri-gunam avyaktam... cited

Expressions researched:
"avisesam visesavat" |"nityam sad-asad-atmakam" |"pradhanam prakrtim prahur" |"yat tat tri-gunam avyaktam"

SB Canto 3

SB 3.26.10, Translation and Purport:

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.

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.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:

Nitāi: "The unmanifested eternal combination of the three modes is the cause of the manifested state and is called pradhāna. It is called prakṛti when in the manifested stage of existence."

Prabhupāda:

yat tat tri-guṇam avyaktaṁ

nityaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam

pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ prāhur

aviśeṣaṁ viśeṣavat

(SB 3.26.10)

Viśeṣa means varieties, and aviśeṣa means without variety. Just like we have got experience: the earth is there. Now, if... From the earth, you can make so many other things. You can make doll. You can make pot. You can make balls. You can make bricks. You can make house. So many things you can make. So this transformation into forms, that is called viśeṣa, varieties. And when the transformation is not there, that is called aviśeṣa or nirviśeṣa.

So viśeṣavat. The word is used here, viśeṣavat. It appears like viśeṣa, variety, but actually it has no variety. It is the material element. In another place it is said, tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayo yatra tri-sargaḥ amṛṣā. Somebody says, amṛṣā. It is created. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said this creation is going on, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is created at a certain time, and then again it is annihilated. And when annihilated, mixed together, that is avyaktam. And when they are again created into forms, that is called vyaktam. Just like you take a lump of gold and prepare many ornaments. You can make bangles, you can make necklace, earring, and so many things. And again melt it—it becomes lump of gold. So that is the distinction between vyaktam and avyaktam. When they are made into varieties, that is called vyaktam, and when it is again mixed together, then it is called avyaktam.