368 - Constant dissolution, occasional and total dissolution 

Agni said: 

1-2. The dissolution of beings is of four kinds, such as constant dissolution of all beings (that takes place daily), the dissolution (known as) Brahma, (otherwise known as) naimittika (pralaya), the prakruta pralaya, occurring at the end of a thousand of four yuga¹ periods and the absolute dissolution (of all beings) by the union of all souls in the supreme soul by means of knowledge. 

1. The four yugas--kruta, treta, dvapara and kali are reckoned as equivalent to 1,728,000, 1,296,000, 864,000 and 432,000 years respectively, 

3-5. Ishall describe to you the nature of the naimittika dissolution that occurs at the end of a kalpa² period. When the earth (has become) almost depleted at the end of a thousand of four yuga cycles, there would be a severe drought for hundred years. Then (all) the beings would perish. Then (lord) Vishņu, the lord of the universe, remaining in the seven rays of the Sun, drinks the waters. The water in the oceans, the earth and the nether world and the like gets dried up. 

2. One kalpa is equivalent to a day of Brahmå consisting of one thousand yugas. 

6-8. Then by the divine power (of lord Vishņu), the very same seven rays (of the Sun), nourished by the water, become seven Suns. O Twice-born! They burn the three worlds completely together with the nether world. (The surface of) the earth would (appear) like the back of a tortoise. Then the terrible fire (of dissolution), a manifestation of lord) Rudra, burns the nether worlds below in association with the breath of the serpent Sesa³. Then the all-pervading (fire) burns the (region) from the nether worlds to the surface of the earth and from there to the heaven. 

3. The serpent having thousand hoods on whose body reclines (lord) Vishņu. 

9-11. Then all the three worlds appear like one blazing mass. Then the inhabitants of the two worlds, oppressed by the terrible heat, ascend to the Maharloka and to the Janaloka from Maharloka. After the world is burnt (by the God) (assuming) the form of Rudra, there arise clouds of differentshapes together with lightning from the breath of (lord) Hari (Vishņu). They rain for a hundred years and put down the fire that has arisen. 

12-13. When the water rises upto the region of the seven sages (Great Bear), a hundred storms issue from the breath of (the lord) Vishņu and disperse those clouds. Then after having drunk the wind lord Hari lies down on that mass of water, having assumed the form of Brahmā, extolled by sea-dwelling persons who have gained supernatural powers and by sages. 

14. (Lord) Madhusudana (slayer of demon Madhu; i.e. Vishņu) lies down (on that mass of water) resting in the yogic sleep, which is his divine illusory form, contemplating His own form known as Vasudeva. 

15. He then lies down (in sleep) for a kalpa¹ (period) and after waking up, in the form of Brahma, He creates, O Twice-born! Then (the universe) lies in an unmanifest state in the Prakruti for two parårdha²-s. 

1. See p. 1028 fn. 1 above.

2. Equal to 100,000,000,000,000,000 years. 

16-19. One place is ten times the other place when expansion is made froin one place. Then the eighteenth place would be said to be parärdha. The pråkruta dissolution is known to be twice the parårdha. O Twice-born! When everything is burnt by contact with fire and on account of drought, it is pråkruta dissolution). The modifications of mahat (one of the principles), (get merged into one) losing their separate existence, and get re-absorbed (into prakruti) on account of the will of (lord) Krishņa. Water first swallows the qualities of earth such as smell and the like. Then earth (divested of) its characteristic of smell tends towards dissolution. 

20. Then water having the characteristic of taste remains. It is drunk by light. When it is lost, fire glows on. 

21. Then wind swallows light together with its characteristic of colour and form. When fire is lost, strong wind blows on. 

22. The characteristic of wind, namely touch, is then consumed by ether. 0 Twice-born! When wind is also lost, ether remains without any sound. 

23. (The characteristic) of ether is sound. Ether (together with its characteristic) is swallowed by Bhūtadi (i.e. Ahankara or Ego Principle in which the element of Tamas dominates). Ether born of Ego and Bhūtādi are swallowed by Mahat i.e. Buddhi tattva (the first evolute of Prakruti in Sankhya). 

24-25. Earth gets merged in water, water in light, light in wind, wind in ether and ether in ego. O Twice-born! that (ego) (gets merged) in the principle of mahat and (the principle of) mahat is swallowed by prakruti (nature). The prakruti (consists of two parts) such as manifest and unmanifest. The manifest (part of prakruti) gets merged in the unmanifest. 

26. The purusha (primordial being) is pure and is one undecaying (entity). He is also a part of the Supreme Soul. These prakruti and purusha get merged in the Supreme Soul. There is no determination such as name, species and the like in that lord of all. (That Supreme Soul) is composed only of existence. He is to be known and (is of the form of) knowledge. (All) other souls (are merged) in (such Supreme Soul).