Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.10.13
यथेदानीं तथाग्रे च पश्चादप्येतदीदृशम् ॥ १३ ॥
yathedānīṁ tathāgre ca
[yathedaaneem tathaagre cha]
paścād apy etad īdṛśam
[pashchaad apy etad eedrisham]
Word-for-word
yathā
—
as it is
idānīm
—
at present
tathā
—
so it was
agre
—
in the beginning
ca
—
and
paścāt
—
at the end
api
—
also
etat īdṛśam
—
it continues to be the same.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yathedānīṁ tathāgre ca
yathā
as it is
paścād apy etad īdṛśam
idānīm
at present
tathā
so it was
agre
in the beginning
ca
and
paścāt
at the end
api
also
etat īdṛśam
it continues to be the same.
This cosmic manifestation is as it is now, it was the same in the past, and it will continue in the same way in the future.
Purport
There is a systematic schedule for the perpetual manifestation, maintenance and annihilation of the material world, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.8) : bhūta-grāmam imaṁ kṛtsnam avaśaṁ prakṛter vaśāt. As it is created now and as it will be destroyed later on, so also it existed in the past and again will be created, maintained and destroyed in due course of time. Therefore, the systematic activities of the time factor are perpetual and eternal and cannot be stated to be false. The manifestation is temporary and occasional, but it is not false as claimed by the Māyāvādī philosophers.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
As the universe exists now, it existed before devastation, and will exist after devastation.
“Because the universe has a beginning and end, the universe must be unreal. How can an unreal universe be divided?” This cannot be said. This universe existed before the great devastation (agre). After the devastation is over, it will exist. It is not a false object, but temporary.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The verse describes a universe that is not a random stage but an arrangement with a purpose. Our work is not to engineer that purpose but to find our seat within it. The pivot here is cosmic manifestation.
Reflection Questions
- Where have you been demanding outcomes from a system you did not design?
- What would humility actually look like for you in your work this week?
My note
Source: vedabase.io