3.8.4. Dissolution of the world

Though māyā is ultimately perishable, the entire creation starts to immediately degenerate.^[1] The scriptures call it dissolution, or pralaya. This is not the end or death of māyā, since it is an eternal entity.

The Bhāṣyakāra affirms:

yena kāraṇabhūtena jātāni samutpannāni bhūtāni jīvanti samyak prāṇadhāraṇādinā sthitiṃ poṣaṇaṃ ca labhante | yat kāraṇabhūtameva prati pralayakāle prayanti līyamānāni santi abhi saṃviśanti abhitaḥ sthulāvasthāṃ parityajya sūkṣmāvasthayā saṃviśanti |” (Taittiriya-upaniṣad 3/1/1, p.396).

“That from which these beings are born, that by which, when born, these beings live, that into which they enter upon departing, that you should know, that is Brahman, by whose control they all change the state.”

In Vacanāmṛta Kāriyānī 1 Svāminārāyaṇa explains that Parabrahman has an elegant purpose in creating and dissolving the universe:

“Parabrahman also causes its dissolution for the sake of the jīvas’ liberation... to allow the jīvas–tired as a result of undergoing many births and deaths -to rest.” (Vacanāmṛta Kāriyānī 1, p.251)

There are four types of pralayas, (end). They are:

1. Nitya Pralaya (constant dissolution)
2. Nimitta Pralaya (stimulated dissolution)
3. Prakṛta Pralaya (general dissolution)
4. Ātyaṃtika Pralaya (final or ultimate dissolution).

Svāminārāyaṇa illustrates all four in detail in Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/12, Amd. 2 and the Bhūgol-Khagol letter, with the last also incorporating an account of the huge cosmic timescale and domain of a brahmānda.

The Svāminārāyaṇa Bhāṣyakāra also gives comprehensive information about the pralayas.

caturdhā pralayaḥ prokto nityo naimittikastathā |
prākṛtikastṛtīyaḥ syāt turya ātyantiko layaḥ || Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 302 ||

Based on these facts, we can arrive at the following succinct description of each level of pralaya.

Nitya Pralaya

Svāminārāyaṇa asserts:

“The day-to-day death of the bodies of individual humans, devas, demons, and others is called Nitya Pralaya.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/12, p.44).

Nimitta Pralaya

If Nitya Pralaya is associated with jīvas, Nimitta Pralaya is associated with īśvaras.

Svāminārāyaṇa illustrates Nimitta Pralaya as Brahma’s deep sleep,

“The body of the īśvara called Virāṭa (Puruṣa) has a lifespan of two parārdhas (2 x 10¹⁷ human years). Fourteen manvantaras (c. 306,720,000 human years) lapse during one of Virāṭa Puruṣa’s days. His night is of the same duration as the day. The Lower ten realms of the brahmānda remain in existence during his day, and after his night falls, they are dissolved. This is called Nimitta Pralaya.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/12, p. 43).

The bottom ten of a brahmānda’ s fourteen realms are disintegrated at the end of Nimitta Pralaya, i.e., up to and including Svargaloka.

Prakṛta Pralayas

Vāminārāyaṇa expounds:

“When the two parārdhas (2 x 10⁷ human years) of Virāṭa Puruṣa have elapsed, the body of Virāṭa is vanished along with Satyaloka and the other realms. At that time, Pradhāna-Prakṛti, Puruṣa, and the twenty-four elements including mahattattva are enthralled back into Mahā-Māyā. This is called Prakṛta Pralaya.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/12, pp. 43-44).

Ātyaṃtika Pralaya

This third level leads us to the final and universal level of ‘end’, which can be of two types: actual and subjective.

This final dissolution occurs when Parabrahman decides.

“Ātyaṃtika Pralaya occurs when countless millions of brahmāndas are destroyed. At the time, even Prakṛti-Puruṣa -the cause of Pradhāna-Puruṣas -draws countless brahmāndas within itself, and is then eclipsed by the light of Akṣara-Puruṣa (who in turn is absorbed into Akṣarabrahman). This fourth type of dissolution is called Ātyaṃtika Pralaya.” (Vac. Bhūgol-Khagol, p. 677).

Jñāna Pralaya

The second type of pralaya is Jñāna Pralaya which is subjective dissolution. It is an elevated individual state of understanding induced by philosophical knowledge (jñāna) where the spiritual aspirant does not perceive these-worldly things anymore even in his very life. Only pure consciousness remains in his sight as if a complete dissolution would have happened for him.

Svāminārāyaṇa expounds:

“In Ātyaṃtika Pralaya, which is Jñāna Pralaya, everything up to and including prakṛti is eclipsed by the light of Brahman.” (Vacanāmṛta Amdāvād 2, p.574)

Explaining upon this state of enlightenment, Svāminārāyaṇa firstly expounds in Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/24 that jñāna transcends Prakṛti-Puruṣa.

He then goes further:

“When this jñāna attains an elevated spiritual state, Prakṛti-Puruṣa and the entities evolved from them do not come into view. This is known as jñāna pralaya.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/24, p.66)

Guṇatitanand Svāmī links:

“What is jñāna pralaya? It is to eradicate every single work of prakṛti from one’s heart and become Brahmarūpa. Then nothing else remains to be done; this was the very principle of Svāminārāyaṇa.”^[2]

Thus, māyā has been the cause of our births and deaths since time immemorial. However, Akṣarabrahman and Parabrahman are forever entirely untainted by, beyond, and the śariri of this māyā. Jīvas (finite selves), īśvaras (cosmic selves), Akṣarabrahman and Parabrahman differ from māyā-prakṛti because they are sentient and with conscious, while the later is inert unconscious; former being self-illumined, while later being illumined by principle other than itself; former being the agent (the doer) while later being action (or principle to be acted upon); former being the witnesses, while later being witnessed.

Māyā-prakṛti of Svāminārāyaṇa Vedanta differs from the. Sāṅkhya prakṛti. The prakṛti of Sāṅkhya is an independent principle; while that of Svāminārāyaṇa’s māyā is totally dependent on Parabrahman and is supported and controlled by Him. The prakṛti of Sāṅkhyais a, triad of three guṇas. These guṇas are its constituents. As against this, the prakṛti of Svāminārāyaṇa is a principle (reality) possessing three guṇas as its, properties or qualities. The prakṛti of Sāṅkhya unites by itself the puruṣa and evolves the world. But, in case of Svāminārāyaṇa, the union and disunion of prakṛti with puruṣa affected by, the will of God for the purpose of evolution and dissolution of the universe the prakṛti of Sāṅkhya is an independent category distinct from puruṣa. It has no power in itself to fructify the karmas of jīvas. Though co-eval with Parabrahman as a dependent entity/element in the body (śarīra) of Parabrahman (Who is its śarīrī), it is only by His will that it subsists as His accessory (śakti) and is able to function in the evolutionary process.

Māyā-prakṛti of Svāminārāyaṇa Vedanta is totally different from the māyā-avidya of the Śaṅkara’s Advaita. In Advaita of Śaṅkara, māyā-avidya is an indefinable-indescribable category that is neither real, nor unreal, nor both. As against this, in Svāminārāyaṇa Vedanta, māyā-prakṛti is a reality distinct from other reals (namely jīva, īśvara, Brahman and Parabrahman), but totally dependent on and supported, immanence and controlled by Parabrahman. It is the power or an accessory of Parabrahman. Since māyā-prakṛti is real, the world according to Svāminārāyaṇa is real. The world is real, a real place for retribution and moral deserts. The world is not an appearance, nor illusion, nor unreality from any standpoint. Real the world is though perishable it is. The world is real but not eternal.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/13, 2/39

[2]:

Svāmīnī Vāto5/195