Shloka 20
नैमित्तिक-प्राकृत-प्रलयवर्णनम्
Periodic and Elemental Dissolution; Reabsorption into Paramātman
अर्चिर्भिः संवृते तस्मिंस् तिर्यग् ऊर्ध्वम् अधस् तथा ज्योतिषो ऽपि परं रूपं वायुर् अत्ति प्रभाकरम्
arcirbhiḥ saṃvṛte tasmiṃs tiryag ūrdhvam adhas tathā jyotiṣo 'pi paraṃ rūpaṃ vāyur atti prabhākaram
Enveloped there by tongues of flame—spreading sideways, rising upward, and flowing downward—wind itself consumes even the higher, subtler form of light: the radiance of the Sun.
Sage Parāśara (in dialogue with Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Further retraction: wind consumes the subtler form of light after fire has pervaded all directions
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: technical, sequential
Creation Stage: Primary
Concept: In the ordered dissolution, vāyu overcomes even the refined brilliance of tejas (solar radiance), showing that each element is transcended by a subtler principle.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Cultivate inner witnessing by observing how sensory ‘lights’ and energies also pass, turning attention toward the enduring Self and the Supreme.
Vishishtadvaita: The hierarchy of elements points beyond prakṛti to the Lord as the ultimate ground; liberation is not elemental refinement but surrender/realization of dependence on Nārāyaṇa.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
It conveys a Purāṇic cosmological hierarchy where elemental forces operate on progressively subtler phenomena—Vāyu is portrayed as capable of overwhelming even luminous brilliance, emphasizing the structured governance of nature.
By describing flame and wind acting in all directions upon light, Parāśara illustrates that the cosmos is not random—its regions and energies function according to fixed principles within the larger ordered universe he is outlining to Maitreya.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the cosmological system being described is traditionally understood as operating under the Supreme Reality—Vishnu as the sustaining principle—within which even mighty forces like the Sun’s radiance are subject to cosmic law.