Arguments against pralaya

Udayana has said that the Veda is not eternal because it is destroyed at the time of final destruction. The Mīmāṃsaka may oppose this argument by saying that there is no final destruction. It is not true that there is a process of creation and destruction, because the world goes on existing and it never comes to an end. The Nyāya position is not logical. We find that every day and night is preceded by another day and night and this process continues endlessly. The admission of final destruction and creation thereafter will mean that when a new creation starts the first day and night is not so preceded. But this goes against the normal rule. Secondly, the admission of final destruction means that there is a certain state when there is total absence of experiences of pleasure and pain. But such a state is not logically possible. There are so many living beings, they are performing so many actions and so many unseen results are produced. No one can specifically determine the time when the unseen results will produce their effects. In fact, the effects of unseen results are being produced at every moment. It is impossible to conceive of a particular time when no experience of pleasure or pain is taking place. Every moment the living beings are having such experiences. If this is true then we will have to admit that creation goes on. There can be no such time in which the world is totally absent. Thus final destruction cannot be admitted.^[1]