Shloka 21

नैमित्तिक-प्राकृत-प्रलयवर्णनम्

Periodic and Elemental Dissolution; Reabsorption into Paramātman

Devanagari script

प्रलीने च ततस् तस्मिन् वायुभूते ऽखिलात्मनि प्रणष्टे रूपतन्मात्रे हृतरूपो विभावसुः

Transliteration

pralīne ca tatas tasmin vāyubhūte 'khilātmani praṇaṣṭe rūpatanmātre hṛtarūpo vibhāvasuḥ

Translation

സർവ്വവ്യാപിയായ ആത്മാവ് വായു-തത്ത്വമായി ലയിക്കുകയും രൂപ-തന്മാത്ര നശിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തപ്പോൾ, രൂപരഹിതനായ വിഭാവസു (അഗ്നി) തന്റെ മൂലത്തിൽ ലയിച്ചു।

Word by Word

प्रलीनेwhen (it is) dissolved

चand

ततःthen/thereupon

तस्मिन्in that

वायुभूतेhaving become wind

अखिलात्मनिin the all-soul (universal self)

प्रणष्टेwhen (it is) destroyed

रूपतन्मात्रेin the subtle element of form (rūpa-tanmātra)

हृतरूपःdeprived of form

विभावसुःfire (Vibhāvasu)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Agni (Vibhāvasu)

Vāyu

FAQs

What is the significance of rūpa-tanmātra in the Vishnu Purana’s pralaya description?

This verse shows that when the subtle essence of form (rūpa-tanmātra) disappears, Fire (Agni)—which depends on form/visibility—loses its defining quality and is reabsorbed, illustrating dissolution from gross elements into subtler principles.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the order of dissolution here?

Parāśara presents a stepwise reabsorption: as the cosmos returns into subtler states, Fire is deprived of its ‘form’ and merges when the rūpa-tanmātra is gone, with the universal principle described as becoming ‘wind’ (vāyubhūta) in the sequence.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even while naming elemental principles, the verse frames pralaya as occurring within the ‘all-Self’ (akhilātman), aligning with Vishnu Purana theology that Vishnu is the supreme ground in which elements arise and into which they finally return.