Chapter 125 - The natural re-absorption

Vyāsa said:

1. O excellent brahmins, when the water encroaches upon the abode of seven sages (Great Bear) the entire area of the three worlds becomes a vast sheet of water.

2. Then, O brahmins, the wind arising out of the expiration of Viṣṇu destroys those clouds in the course of hundred years and more.

3-4. Lord Hari, identical with all living beings, the creator of all living beings, the lord without beginning, the primordial cause of the universe who cannot even be contemplated upon, drinks up the whole of the wind. The lord then assumes the form of Brahman, Hari the cause of (everything) lies on the bed of the body of Śeṣa in that vast sheet of water.

5. He is (then) eulogised by Sanaka and other Siddhas abiding in the Janaloka. He is meditated upon by the aspirants of liberation abiding in Brahmaloka.

6. He then employs the divine Yoganidrā (yogic slumber) consisting of Māyā of the Ātman (soul). He is the Supreme lord pondering over himself with the appellation of Vāsudeva.

7. O excellent brahmins, this is called the Naimittika (conditional) Pratisañcara (re-absorption). The Nimitta or condition there is the fact that Hari lies down there after assuming the form of Brahmā.

8. When Sarvātman (the soul of all) is awake, the universe is active. When Acyuta lies down on the bed of Māyā (Illusion) this visible universe vanishes.

9. A thousand sets of four Yugas constitute a day of the lotus-born Brahmā. When the whole universe becomes a vast sheet of water, a period of as much duration is said to be his night.

10. Waking up at the close of the night, Brahmā continues the work of creation. As mentioned to you before, it is Viṣṇu who assumes this form of Brahmā and continues the work of creation.

11. This is annihilation at the end of a Kalpa (or) Intervening annihilation, brahmins. The Naimittika (conditional) annihilation has been described to you. Listen to the other one, the Prākṛta (natural) annihilation.

12-14. O brahmins, a series of annihilations is achieved by means of fire, absence of rain etc. in upper and lower regions. The created ones, Mahat etc. are particularly dissolved. When the process of reabsorption is thus brought about by Kṛṣṇa’s will, the waters at the outset, grasp and destroy smell and other characteristic features of the Earth element. The Earth thus deprived of its smell is then ready for its reabsorption.

15-16. When the Gandhatanmātra (the subtle primary element of smell) is destroyed the Earth dissolves into the Water. The waters fill everything. They move about everywhere with great velocity and loud report. The Lokāloka (? the mountain of that name) is surrounded by water alone, the water with surging waves.

17. The (special) quality of the waters (i.e. taste) is drunk (consumed and destroyed) by the Fire element. When the Rasatanmātra (the subtle primary element of taste) is destroyed, the heated waters perish.

18-19. Then the waters with their taste element dead and destroyed attain the state of fiery element. When the water element has attained the state of fiery element and is enveloped by the fiery element all round, that fire spreads everywhere and takes up the water. Then the fire gradually fills the entire universe.

20. It spreads everywhere, at the sides, above and below along with its rays. The fire-element has its great quality, rūpa (colour), that causes lustre, that is destroyed by Vāyu.

21-23. When the fire element is dissolved, when everything has assumed the form of the wind element, then the rūpatanmātra (the subtle primary element of colour) is destroyed. The fiery element, bereft of its colour subsides and the great wind element begins to blow. When splendour is dissolved in the wind element and the whole world is deprived of light since it has been dissolved in the wind, the wind begins to blow in the ten directions, upwards and sideways.

24-26. Then Ether consumes and destroys the quality of touch, the quality of the wind element. Then the wind-element subsides. The Ether remains uncovered. It is devoid of colour, taste, touch and smell. It has no tangible form. It fills everything. Characterised by the quality of sound it stands enveloping everything.

27-28. Then the Supreme spirit of Ahaṃkāra (Ego) consumes and destroys its quality of sound. The elements and the Indriyas (sense organs) get simultaneously merged in Bhūtādi. This Bhūtādi (Ego) is of the nature of Abhimāna (referring all objects to self). It is Tāmasa (constituted of darkness). The Great Principle, the Cosmic Intellect consumes and destroys Bhūtādi.

29-30. The earth element and the Great Principle are at the extremities of the universe within and without. Thus there are seven Prakṛtis (causes) beginning with the supreme principle, the Cosmic Intellect. All of them get merged among themselves in the reverse order. Similarly this cosmic egg gets merged in water by which it has been enveloped.

31. (The cosmic egg) consisting of seven worlds along with the mountains, the seven continents and oceans is enveloped by water and it is drunk (i.e. destroyed) by the fiery element.

32-34. The Jyoti or fiery layer merges into the gaseous layer; the gaseous layer merges into the Ether; the Bhūtādi or Ego consumes the Ether and the Great Principle or Cosmic Intellect consumes it. O brahmins, the Prakṛti (Nature) consumes the Cosmic Intellect accompanied by all these. O excellent brahmins, that entity wherein there is the equilibrium of all the attributes (guṇas), none of them being enlarged or rendered deficient is called Prakṛti (Nature), Hetu (cause), Pradhāna (the Chief) and Param Kāraṇam (greatest cause). This is the Prakṛti, the whole of which is of the nature of (partly) manifest and (partly) unmanifest.

35-36. The form that is manifest merges, O brahmins, into the unmanifest. That imperishable one is pure and single, eternal and omnipresent. And that is the part, O excellent brahmins, of the supreme soul identical with living beings. It is here that the conceptions of names, classes etc. perish.

37. It is worth knowing. It is of the pure form of existence. It is of the nature of knowledge. It is greater than (the embodied) soul. It is Brahman. It is the greatest abode. It is the greatest soul. It is the greatest lord.

38-39. That Viṣṇu is identical with this (visible world), from whom no one returns. Prakṛti has already been mentioned by me as one of manifest and unmanifest forms. Prakṛti and Puruṣa (i.e. Individual Soul) merge into the supreme Ātman; and the supreme Ātman is the support of all. He is the great Lord.

40-42. He is sung about in the Vedas and the Vedāntas by the name of Viṣṇu.

The Vedic rites are twofold: 1 the Pravṛtta (the active), 2 the Nivṛtta (the refraining one). By means of both of these the lord is worshipped in the form of sacrifice. This lord of sacrifices, the best among Puruṣas, is worshiped by persons by means of (active paths) in Ṛk, Yajus and Sāman.

The lord, with (knowledge) as his soul and form, is worshipped by means of Jñānayoga as well as Nivṛtti Mārgas. Viṣṇu who is worshipped thus bestows the fruit of liberation.

43-45. Whatever thing exists and is mentioned by short, long and predated vowels, and what is beyond the pale of words—all these are identical with Viṣṇu the unchanging. He is both manifest and unmanifest. He is the unchanging Puruṣa. He is the supreme Ātman. He is the universal soul. He is Hari who assumes the universal form.

Prakṛti which is of manifest and unmanifest forms merges into him.

46-49. Puruṣa, O brahmins, merges into the undistorted soul.

O brahmins, the time unit in the form of two parārdhas has been mentioned by me. O great brahmins, it is the day time of Viṣṇu the lord.

When Prakṛti merges into the manifest and when Prakṛti and Puruṣa remain firm therein—it is his night of an equal duration.

Really there is neither day nor night in regard to the eternal supreme soul. It is only figuratively mentioned thus in regard to that lord. Thus O great sages, the Prākṛta Laya (re-absorption) has been mentioned to you.