Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 14
Nimi Questions the Yogendras: Māyā, Cosmic Dissolution, Guru-Śaraṇāgati, Bhakti, and Deity Worship
हृतरूपं तु तमसा वायौ ज्योति: प्रलीयते । हृतस्पर्शोऽवकाशेन वायुर्नभसि लीयते । कालात्मना हृतगुणं नभ आत्मनि लीयते ॥ १४ ॥
hṛta-rūpaṁ tu tamasā vāyau jyotiḥ pralīyate hṛta-sparśo ’vakāśena vāyur nabhasi līyate kālātmanā hṛta-guṇaṁ nabha ātmani līyate
Fire, deprived of its form by darkness, dissolves into the element air. When the air loses its quality of touch by the influence of space, the air merges into that space. When space is deprived of its tangible quality by the Supreme Soul in the form of time, space merges into false ego in the mode of ignorance.
FAQs
This verse describes a stepwise dissolution: fire’s form is overcome and it merges into air; air, losing touch, merges into ether; and ether, when its qualities are withdrawn by time (the Supreme), merges into the Self.
In the Uddhava Gita context, Krishna teaches detachment and liberation by showing that even the cosmos is temporary and ultimately resolves into the Supreme, encouraging Uddhava to fix his consciousness in the Self.
Remembering that all forms and sensations are temporary helps reduce anxiety and attachment, strengthening steady devotion and inner focus on the eternal Self (Bhagavān).