Shloka 23
नैमित्तिक-प्राकृत-प्रलयवर्णनम्
Periodic and Elemental Dissolution; Reabsorption into Paramātman
ततस् तु मूलम् आसाद्य वायुः संभवम् आत्मनः ऊर्ध्वं चाधश् च तिर्यक् च दोधवीति दिशो दश
tatas tu mūlam āsādya vāyuḥ saṃbhavam ātmanaḥ ūrdhvaṃ cādhaś ca tiryak ca dodhavīti diśo daśa
Then, reaching its own root, the Wind—born of itself—set all things in motion: upward and downward, and sideways too, stirring agitation through the ten directions.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Creation Stage: Primary
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: Wind, reaching its own causal ground, agitates the ten directions, portraying pralaya not as chaos but as a structured transformation driven by elemental predominance.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Notice how ‘movement’ in mind and life arises from underlying conditions; trace effects back to causes to cultivate clarity and restraint.
Vishishtadvaita: Directional space and motion are treated as real, ordered features within the cosmos, yet contingent on deeper principles—consistent with dependent realism.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
It signals the activation of cosmic motion—air becomes the principle that spreads movement everywhere, enabling further manifestation and organization of the world-system.
He describes an ordered unfolding where each principle reaches its source and performs its function; Vāyu’s function is to pervade and agitate space in all directions, catalyzing creation’s dynamics.
Even when the verse names an element (Vāyu), the Purana’s frame presents such powers as operating within Vishnu’s sovereignty—elements act as instruments of the Supreme Reality’s cosmic governance.