Shloka 14
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
संस्थितेष्वथ देवेषु ब्रह्मविष्णुपिनाकिषु / गुणैरशेषैः पृथिवीविलयं याति वारिषु
saṃsthiteṣvatha deveṣu brahmaviṣṇupinākiṣu / guṇairaśeṣaiḥ pṛthivīvilayaṃ yāti vāriṣu
संस्थितेष्वथ देवेषु ब्रह्मविष्णुपिनाकिषु । गुणैरशेषैः पृथिवीविलयं याति वारिषु ॥
Sūta (narrator) describing pralaya in the Kurma Purana’s cosmological teaching
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
By showing even Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva as “withdrawn” during dissolution, the verse points beyond changing cosmic functions to an underlying, unchanging reality in which all states of manifestation subside.
While not prescribing a technique directly, the verse supports pralaya-anusandhāna (contemplation of dissolution): meditating on the impermanence of guṇas and elements to cultivate dispassion (vairāgya) and inward withdrawal (pratyāhāra), central to Purāṇic yoga teachings.
It places Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva together within the same cosmic process of withdrawal, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: their roles differ in manifestation, yet they participate in one integrated order that culminates in dissolution.