Shloka 3
कलिस्वरूप-वर्णनम् एवं कालमान-प्रस्तावना
मैत्रेय श्रूयतां मत्तो यथावद् उपसंहृतिः कल्पान्ते प्राकृते चैव प्रलये जायते यथा
maitreya śrūyatāṃ matto yathāvad upasaṃhṛtiḥ kalpānte prākṛte caiva pralaye jāyate yathā
O Maitreya, hear from me in proper order the doctrine of re-absorption: how dissolution arises at the end of a Kalpa, and likewise how it comes to pass in the Prākṛta Pralaya.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Doctrine of dissolution (upasaṃhṛti): how naimittika (kalpānta) and prākṛta pralaya occur
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Kalpa
Concept: The sage introduces an ordered account of cosmic re-absorption, distinguishing dissolution at the end of a kalpa from the primordial (prākṛta) dissolution.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Contemplate impermanence and cyclic time to reduce attachment and cultivate steadiness in practice.
Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic manifestation and withdrawal occur by the will of the Supreme, implying a real, dependent universe that is periodically retracted into Him.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
This verse formally introduces the teaching on dissolution, framing pralaya as an orderly, knowable process that unfolds both at the end of a kalpa and in the deeper, primordial (prākṛta) dissolution.
Parāśara begins by promising a sequential (yathāvat) explanation of upasaṃhṛti—indicating a structured account of how the cosmos is withdrawn, mirroring the Purāṇic method of teaching through systematic stages.
Although Vishnu is not named in this verse, the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology treats these cycles of creation and dissolution as operating under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty, with pralaya understood as a return of manifested reality toward its primordial ground.