Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 22
Brahmā’s Day, the Four Pralayas, and the Supreme Shelter Beyond Cause–Effect
लय: प्राकृतिको ह्येष पुरुषाव्यक्तयोर्यदा । शक्तय: सम्प्रलीयन्ते विवशा: कालविद्रुता: ॥ २२ ॥
layaḥ prākṛtiko hy eṣa puruṣāvyaktayor yadā śaktayaḥ sampralīyante vivaśāḥ kāla-vidrutāḥ
This is the annihilation called prākṛtika, during which the energies belonging to the Supreme Person and His unmanifest material nature, disassembled by the force of time, are deprived of their potencies and merge together totally.
FAQs
It describes prākṛtika pralaya as the stage when the material energies (śaktis) withdraw and merge back into their source, being irresistibly driven by Time (kāla), in relation to the Supreme Puruṣa and unmanifest prakṛti.
Parīkṣit is preparing for death through hearing Bhāgavatam; Śukadeva explains pralaya to establish detachment from temporary cosmic manifestations and to focus the listener on the Supreme Person beyond Time and matter.
Recognize that time inevitably dissolves all material arrangements; use that clarity to prioritize bhakti, simplify attachments, and invest daily effort in remembrance of the Supreme rather than temporary gains.