Shloka 2
प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्
ब्राह्मो नैमित्तिकस् तेषां कल्पान्ते प्रतिसंचरः आत्यन्तिकश् च मोक्षाख्यः प्राकृतो द्विपरार्धिकः
brāhmo naimittikas teṣāṃ kalpānte pratisaṃcaraḥ ātyantikaś ca mokṣākhyaḥ prākṛto dviparārdhikaḥ
Among these dissolutions, the Brahmic (brāhma) and the occasional (naimittika) are the re-absorption that occurs at the end of a kalpa; the absolute dissolution is called liberation (mokṣa); and the elemental (prākṛta) dissolution takes place after the completion of two parārdhas.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Timing and nomenclature: brāhma/naimittika at kalpa-end; ātyantika as mokṣa; prākṛta after two parārdhas
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Kalpa
Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda
Concept: Naimittika (brāhma) dissolution occurs at the end of a kalpa, prākṛta after two parārdhas, while ātyantika is mokṣa itself.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Meditate on vast cosmic time to loosen attachment; orient practice toward mokṣa, not merely heavenly longevity.
Vishishtadvaita: Mokṣa (ātyantika) is not mere annihilation but release into the Lord’s eternal order, consistent with the soul’s enduring individuality in qualified non-dualism.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse organizes dissolution into distinct types—cyclical (at kalpa’s end), ultimate (moksha), and elemental (after two parārdhas)—showing that cosmic endings are structured within a larger divine order.
He identifies ātyantika pralaya as “mokṣa,” meaning the final cessation of bondage—an end not merely of a world-cycle, but of the individual’s entanglement with saṃsāra.
By mapping time, dissolution, and liberation into an ordered framework, the teaching implies a supreme governing reality behind cycles—consistent with Vishnu Purana’s view of Vishnu as the ultimate ground of cosmos and release.