Shloka 15
प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्
ततो यान्य् अल्पसाराणि तानि सत्त्वान्य् अशेषतः क्षयं यान्ति मुनिश्रेष्ठ पार्थिवान्य् अनुपीडनात्
tato yāny alpasārāṇi tāni sattvāny aśeṣataḥ kṣayaṃ yānti muniśreṣṭha pārthivāny anupīḍanāt
Therefore, O best of sages, all beings of scant strength and substance—especially the earthly—without exception pass into destruction, crushed by the relentless pressure of material existence.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The process and signs of cosmic dissolution (pralaya) at the end of Brahmā’s day.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Kalpa
Concept: Beings of limited strength perish first when cosmic conditions tighten, revealing the dependence of embodied life on higher order.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice humility and non-attachment; invest in dharma and devotion rather than mere bodily or material power.
Vishishtadvaita: Jīvas are real but dependent; their survival and dissolution occur under the Lord’s governance through time and nature.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
It highlights that within the created, material realm, beings with lesser endurance inevitably perish under the ongoing pressures of embodied existence—showing the transient nature of prakṛti.
He states that those of “alpa-sāra” (little strength/essence) are entirely worn down by continual material pressure (anupīḍana), leading them toward decay and destruction.
By implying that the material order produces inevitable kṣaya, the verse supports the Vaishnava view that true refuge lies beyond perishable matter—in the imperishable Supreme Reality, Vishnu, who governs cosmic order.