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; saṁsupta-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.

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.