Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Pralaya included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Pralaya
(Destruction). Pralaya is of four kinds. The first is nityapralaya. This is the destruction going on daily for all animate and inanimate objects born on earth. The second is Brāhmapralaya or naimittikapralaya. The third is Prākṛtapralaya. This is the great deluge made by ṛt (nature) at the end of a thousand Caturyugas (four yugas). The fourth is ātyantikapralaya. This is the union of the soul with the Supreme Being due to ñԲ. Of the above the Brāhmapralaya, or naimittikapralaya happens at the end of a Kalpa or a day of or a thousand yugas. The nature of this pralaya is as follows: At the end of a thousand yugas the world will look famished. Then there will be excessive drought for a hundred years together and everything in this world would be destroyed then. Then Ѳ屹ṣṇ, lord of everything in this universe, would present himself in the seven big rays of the Sun and drink to emptiness all the waters of all the three worlds, earth, ocean and . Then by the divine power of Ѳ屹ṣṇ the seven rays of the Sun which had grown fat by drinking this water would become seven separate Suns. These Suns would burn all the three worlds including Pātāla. Then the earth would look like the back of a tortoise (Kūrmapṛṣṭha) At that time Rudra, equal in brilliance to 岵Ծ, would from beneath burn the sending breaths from Ādiśesa. After 岵Ծrudra would burn the earth and then the heavens. Because of this all the worlds would look like globes of fire. Then the inhabitants of these worlds would go to Maharloka unable to bear the heat and from there to Janaloka. Thus վṣṇ in the form of Rudra would destroy everything.
Then from the face of վṣṇ would originate clouds and lightning in different forms. Those clouds would rain incessantly for a hundred years and destroy the fire prevailing everywhere. When the rains become unbearable would encroach upon the seats of the ٲṣi in the ocean and by the breath of վṣṇ destroy all the clouds. At that time վṣṇ, lord of all, would lie on the back of Ādiśeṣa in that one big ocean drinking vāyu (air). վṣṇ will lie thus for a period of a Kalpa in yogic slumber meditating on ܻ𱹲 taking the name Ѳܲū岹Բ and form of praised by the siddhamunis inside the ocean. After that he would take the form of and start creation.
In Prākṛtapralaya this whole universe would lie in extinction for a period of two parārddhas. One parārddha is 100000000000000000 years (one followed by seventeen zeroes) and so the period of a prākṛtapralaya is double the above number of years. The world would then come into the grip of a great drought; fire would break out and burn away everything in this world from Mahattattva to վśṣa. Then prompted by the desire of վṣṇ, pratisañcaraṇa (back into nature) would occur. Then Jala (water) would absorb the ṇa of ū like gandha (smell) and when the qualities of the earth are thus absorbed the earth would merge with pralaya. Jala is rasātmaka. Agni will absorb the rasa of Jala and Jala would be kindled. The ṇa of Agni is form and is in the form of Sun. would absorb it and Agni would be destroyed. would then become powerful and shake the world. The quality of is touch and the ether would absorb that ṇa of and would be destroyed. The quality of ether is sound and it would be absorbed by the elements. If the elements are absorbed one by one the earth would merge into water (Jala) and Jala in Agni, and Agni in and in ether and ether in ṅk (ego). ṅk would merge in Mahattattva. This Mahattattva would be absorbed by Prakṛti. Prakṛti has got two forms:�Vyakta and Avyakta (Manifest and Un-manifest). The Vyakta would merge with Avyakta. ʳܰṣa is single, pure and without decay. But he is also part of ʲٳ (the Supreme Being). So Prakṛti and ʳܰṣa would both merge into the Supreme Being. There are no distinctions, fabrications in ʲٳ, the lord of all. It is only an existence. It is such a ʲٳ that should be known and which itself is knowledge. The ʲٳ is beyond the Āٳ (soul). It is in such an indescribable ʲٳ that all are dissolved during a Prākṛtapralaya. (Chapter 368, Agni Purāṇa).