Shloka 24
नैमित्तिक-प्राकृत-प्रलयवर्णनम्
Periodic and Elemental Dissolution; Reabsorption into Paramātman
वायोर् अपि गुणं स्पर्शम् आकाशं ग्रसते ततः प्रशाम्यति ततो वायुः खं तु तिष्ठत्य् अनावृतम्
vāyor api guṇaṃ sparśam ākāśaṃ grasate tataḥ praśāmyati tato vāyuḥ khaṃ tu tiṣṭhaty anāvṛtam
Thereafter, ether (ākāśa) swallows up even the quality of air—touch. Then air itself subsides into stillness; but space remains, unobstructed and unshrouded.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Creation Stage: Primary
Concept: As space absorbs touch and air subsides, even the subtlest expanse (ākāśa) ultimately yields to the Supreme Reality—Viṣṇu—indicating that all tattvas are surpassed in Brahman.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: In meditation, move from gross sensations (touch/breath) to the sense of spacious awareness, then rest that awareness in the Lord as the final refuge.
Vishishtadvaita: The verse explicitly points beyond ākāśa to Lord Viṣṇu, affirming a personal Supreme who transcends yet grounds the subtle cosmos.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
It marks a stage of bhūta-pralaya where gross qualities are withdrawn in sequence: the tactile quality associated with air is reabsorbed, showing the cosmos returning from the manifest to subtler states.
In the Parāśara–Maitreya dialogue, he describes a stepwise reabsorption: qualities and elements subside one into another, with space remaining unobstructed at this stage before further transcendence.
Even as elements and their qualities dissolve, the Vishnu Purana frames the process as governed by the Supreme Vishnu, who ultimately transcends and contains all tattvas as their final support.