Shloka 32
नैमित्तिक-प्राकृत-प्रलयवर्णनम्
Periodic and Elemental Dissolution; Reabsorption into Paramātman
उदकावरणं यत् तु ज्योतिषा पीयते तु तत् ज्योतिर् वायौ लयं याति यात्य् आकाशे समीरणः
udakāvaraṇaṃ yat tu jyotiṣā pīyate tu tat jyotir vāyau layaṃ yāti yāty ākāśe samīraṇaḥ
That watery sheath is then drunk up by Fire; and that very Fire is absorbed into Wind. Thereafter the Wind dissolves into Space—thus the grosser coverings return, step by step, into subtler being.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Sequential reabsorption of the gross elements into subtler principles during pralaya
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: analytical
Creation Stage: Primary
Concept: In dissolution, each grosser bhūta is absorbed by a subtler one—water into fire, fire into wind, wind into space—revealing a graded ontology of matter.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Use the stepwise dissolution model as a meditation on reducing sensory fixation from gross to subtle.
Vishishtadvaita: The ordered hierarchy of elements functions within the Lord’s governance; their return to subtle states underscores dependence (śeṣatva) on the Supreme cause.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman (philosophical)
Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse outlines the stepwise return of gross elements into subtler ones—water into fire, fire into wind, and wind into ether—describing the ordered mechanics of pralaya.
Parāśara presents dissolution as a sequential merging: each element’s “covering” is consumed or absorbed by the next subtler principle, indicating a structured cosmology rather than a chaotic end.
Even when not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana frames such cosmic processes as operating under Vishnu’s supreme governance—dissolution is part of His universal order, not mere annihilation.