Sūtra 3.2.37

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Sūtra 3.2.37:

तथान्य-प्रतिषेधात्

tathānya-pratiṣedhāt

tathā – so; anya – of another; pratiṣedhāt – because of the denial.

“It is so, for another is denied.” (37)

Sūtra pagination:
Adhyāya 3:
  Devotional Service;
Pāda 2:
  Glories and Virtues of the Lord;
Adhikaraṇa 17:
  The Lord is the Highest.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s commentary (Govinda-bhāṣya)

Nothing is greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why is that? The sūtra explains, anya-pratiṣedhāt: “for another is denied.”

In the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [3.9] it is said:

यस्मात् परं नापरम् अस्ति किञ्चिद्
यस्मान् नाणीयो न ज्यायो ‘स्ति किञ्चित्

yasmāt paraṃ nāparam asti kiñcid
yasmān nāṇīyo na jyāyo ‘sti kiñcit

“There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and He is greater than the greatest.”

In this way the scriptures deny the existence of anything greater than the Supreme Lord. That is the meaning here.

In Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [3.8] it is said:

वेदाहम् एतं पुरुषम् महन्तम्
आदित्य-वर्णं तमसः परस्तात्
तम् एव विदित्वाति मृत्युम् एति
नान्यः पन्थाः विद्यते ‘यनाय

vedāham etaṃ puruṣam mahantam
āditya-varṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt
tam eva viditvāti mṛtyum eti
nānyaḥ panthāḥ vidyate ‘yanāya

“I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all material conditions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than knowledge of that Supreme Person.”

After thus teaching that no path but knowledge of the Supreme Person leads to liberation, the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [3.9] explains:

यस्मात् परं नापरम् अस्ति

yasmāt paraṃ nāparam asti

“There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person.”

In this way is proved that there is no truth superior to the Supreme Lord.

In Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad [3.10] it is said:

ततो यद् उत्तरतरं
तद् अरूपम् अनामयम्
य एतद् विदुर् अमृतास् ते भवन्त्य्
अथेतरे दुःखम् एवापि यान्ति

tato yad uttarataraṃ
tad arūpam anāmayam
ya etad vidur amṛtās te bhavanty
athetare duḥkham evāpi yānti

“They who know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is greater than the greatest, and has no material body and no faults, become immortal. They who do not know Him suffer.”

In this way the scriptures declare that there is no truth superior to the Lord. In this way the false idea of our opponent is disproved.

In Bhagavad-gītā [7.7], the Supreme Lord Himself declares:

मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्
किञ्चिद् अस्ति धनञ्जय

mattaḥ parataraṃ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya

“O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me.”