The Dissolution of the Elements into Brahman

Verse 1 (12.239.1)

प्रत्याहारं तु वक्ष्यामि शर्वर्यादौ गतेऽहनि । यथेदं कुरुतेऽध्यात्मं सुसूक्ष्मं विश्वमीश्वरः ॥

pratyāhāraṃ tu vakṣyāmi śarvaryādau gate'hani | yathedaṃ kurute'dhyātmaṃ susūkṣmaṃ viśvamīśvaraḥ

I shall describe the withdrawal of the world: when the day has passed and night begins, how the Lord draws this universe into the Self, in the subtlest way.

Note on the text: Continues the discourse of Vyasa to Shuka from the previous page; = CE 12.224.74.

Verse 2 (12.239.2)

दिवि सूर्यस्तथा सप्त दहन्ति शिखिनोऽर्चिषः । सर्वमेतत्तदाऽर्चिर्भिः पूर्णं जाज्वल्यते जगत् ॥

divi sūryastathā sapta dahanti śikhino'rciṣaḥ | sarvametattadā'rcirbhiḥ pūrṇaṃ jājvalyate jagat

In the sky the sun, and likewise the seven flames of the cosmic fire, burn; then this whole world, filled with those flames, blazes.

Note on the text: = CE 12.224.75.

Verse 3 (12.239.3)

पृथिव्यां यानि भूतानि जङ्गमानि ध्रुवाणि च । तान्येवाग्रे प्रलीयन्ते भूमित्वमुपयान्ति च ॥

pṛthivyāṃ yāni bhūtāni jaṅgamāni dhruvāṇi ca | tānyevāgre pralīyante bhūmitvamupayānti ca

Whatever beings there are on earth, moving and fixed, these are the first to dissolve and attain the state of earth.

Verse 4 (12.239.4)

ततः प्रलीने सर्वस्मिन्स्थावरे जङ्गमे तथा । अकाष्ठा निस्तृणा भूमिर्दृश्यते कूर्मपृष्ठवत् ॥

tataḥ pralīne sarvasminsthāvare jaṅgame tathā | akāṣṭhā nistṛṇā bhūmirdṛśyate kūrmapṛṣṭhavat

Then, when all that is fixed and moving has dissolved, the earth is seen bare of wood and without a blade of grass, like the back of a tortoise.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्वास्मिन्स्थावरे → सर्वस्मिन्स्थावरे (misprint in Wikisource; an extra ा; सर्वास्मिन् is not a Sanskrit form, CE has sarvasmin).

Verse 5 (12.239.5)

भूमेरपि गुणं गन्धमाप आददते यदा । आत्तगन्धा तदा भूमिः प्रलयत्वाय कल्पते ॥

bhūmerapi guṇaṃ gandhamāpa ādadate yadā | āttagandhā tadā bhūmiḥ pralayatvāya kalpate

When the waters take up the quality of earth, which is smell, the earth, stripped of smell, becomes fit for dissolution.

Verse 6 (12.239.6)

आपस्तत्र प्रतिष्ठन्ते ऊर्मिमत्यो महास्वनाः । सर्वमेवेदमापूर्य तिष्ठन्ति च चरन्ति च ॥

āpastatra pratiṣṭhante ūrmimatyo mahāsvanāḥ | sarvamevedamāpūrya tiṣṭhanti ca caranti ca

Then the waters stand forth, wave-crested and loud-roaring, filling all this, and they stay and they move.

Verse 7 (12.239.7)

अपामपि गुणांस्तात ज्योतिराददते यदा । आपस्तदा त्वात्तगुणा ज्योतिः षूपरमन्ति वै ॥

apāmapi guṇāṃstāta jyotirādadate yadā | āpastadā tvāttaguṇā jyotiḥ ṣūparamanti vai

Dear child, when fire takes up the quality of the waters, the waters, their quality taken, come to rest in the fire.

Verse 8 (12.239.8)

यदाऽऽदित्यं स्थितं मध्ये गूहन्ति शिखिनोऽर्चिषः । सर्वमेवेदमर्चिर्भिः पूर्णं जाज्वल्यते नभः ॥

yadā''dityaṃ sthitaṃ madhye gūhanti śikhino'rciṣaḥ | sarvamevedamarcirbhiḥ pūrṇaṃ jājvalyate nabhaḥ

When the flames of the fire hide the sun standing in the middle, then this whole sky, filled with flames, blazes.

Note on the text: Corrected जाज्वल्यते नमः → जाज्वल्यते नभः (misprint in Wikisource; CE has nabhaḥ, "the sky"; "नमः" (obeisance) makes no sense here).

Verse 9 (12.239.9)

ज्योतिषोऽपि गुणं रूपं वायुराददते यदा । प्रशाम्यति ततो ज्योतिर्वायुर्दोधूयते महान् ॥

jyotiṣo'pi guṇaṃ rūpaṃ vāyurādadate yadā | praśāmyati tato jyotirvāyurdodhūyate mahān

When the wind takes up the quality of fire, its form, the fire subsides, and the great wind blows violently.

Verse 10 (12.239.10)

ततस्तु मूलमासाद्य वायुः संभवमात्मनः । अधश्चोर्ध्वं च तिर्यक्च दोधवीति दिशो दश ॥

tatastu mūlamāsādya vāyuḥ saṃbhavamātmanaḥ | adhaścordhvaṃ ca tiryakca dodhavīti diśo daśa

Then, reaching its root, its own source, the wind sweeps violently through the ten directions, below, above and across.

Verse 11 (12.239.11)

वायोरपि गुणं स्पर्शमाकाशं ग्रसते यदा । प्रशाम्यति तदा वायुः खं तु तिष्ठति नानदत् ॥

vāyorapi guṇaṃ sparśamākāśaṃ grasate yadā | praśāmyati tadā vāyuḥ khaṃ tu tiṣṭhati nānadat

When ether swallows the quality of the wind, which is touch, the wind subsides, and the sky alone remains, making no sound.

Note on the text: Corrected नानदन् → नानदत् (misprint in Wikisource; the participle must agree with खम्; CE has nānadat, as in verse 12).

Verse 12 (12.239.12)

अरूपमरसस्पर्शमगन्धं न च मूर्तिमत् । सर्वलोकप्रणुदितं स्वं तु तिष्ठति नानदत् ॥

arūpamarasasparśamagandhaṃ na ca mūrtimat | sarvalokapraṇuditaṃ svaṃ tu tiṣṭhati nānadat

Without form, taste, touch or smell, without body, with all the worlds driven out, the sky alone remains, making no sound.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's main text (found in the vulgate recension); lines = CE star passage 12.225.9d*0673_01–02, printed after 12.225.9c.

Verse 13 (12.239.13)

आकाशस्य गुणं शब्दमभिव्यक्तात्मकं मनः । ग्रसते च यदा सोऽपि शाम्यति प्रतिसंचरे । मनसो व्यक्तमव्यक्तं ब्राह्मः संप्रतिसंचरः ॥

ākāśasya guṇaṃ śabdamabhivyaktātmakaṃ manaḥ | grasate ca yadā so'pi śāmyati pratisaṃcare | manaso vyaktamavyaktaṃ brāhmaḥ saṃpratisaṃcaraḥ

The mind, whose nature is the manifest, takes up the quality of ether, which is sound; and when that too is swallowed, it grows still at the withdrawal. The Brahmic withdrawal is the mind's passage from the manifest to the unmanifest.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (stray quote marks (backtick/apostrophe), stray or doubled daṇḍas). Line 1 = CE 12.225.10a; line 2 (in wiki quote marks) = CE star passage 12.225.10b*0674_01, not in the CE's constituted text; line 3 = CE 12.225.10c (CE: brāhmaḥ sa pratisaṃcaraḥ).

Verse 14 (12.239.14)

तदाऽऽत्मगुणमाविश्य मनो ग्रसति चन्द्रमाः । मनस्युपरते चात्मा चन्द्रमस्युपतिष्ठते ॥

tadā''tmaguṇamāviśya mano grasati candramāḥ | manasyuparate cātmā candramasyupatiṣṭhate

Then the moon, entering the mind's own quality, swallows the mind; when the mind has ceased, the Self rests in the moon.

Verse 15 (12.239.15)

तं तु कालेन महता संकल्पं कुरुते वशे । चित्तं ग्रसति संकल्पस्तच्च ज्ञानमनुत्तमम् ॥

taṃ tu kālena mahatā saṃkalpaṃ kurute vaśe | cittaṃ grasati saṃkalpastacca jñānamanuttamam

In the course of long time one brings that volition under control; volition swallows thought, and that is the highest knowledge.

Verse 16 (12.239.16)

कालो गिरति विज्ञानं कालं बलमिति श्रुतिः । बलं कालो ग्रसति तु तं विद्वान्कुरुते वशे ॥

kālo girati vijñānaṃ kālaṃ balamiti śrutiḥ | balaṃ kālo grasati tu taṃ vidvānkurute vaśe

Time swallows discriminating knowledge; the sruti says that strength is Time. Time swallows strength, and the wise man brings that Time under his control.

Verse 17 (12.239.17)

आकाशस्य तदा घोषं तं विद्वान्कुरुतेऽऽत्मनि । तदव्यक्तं परं ब्रह्म तच्छाश्वतमनुत्तमम् । एवं सर्वाणि भूतानि ब्रह्मैव प्रतिसंहरेत् ॥

ākāśasya tadā ghoṣaṃ taṃ vidvānkurute''tmani | tadavyaktaṃ paraṃ brahma tacchāśvatamanuttamam | evaṃ sarvāṇi bhūtāni brahmaiva pratisaṃharet

The wise man then takes the sound of the sky into the Self. That is the unmanifest, the supreme Brahman, the eternal, the unsurpassed. In this way one should draw back all beings into Brahman alone.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (square brackets, stray or doubled daṇḍas). The square brackets Wikisource prints around line 1 are removed; the lines are CE 12.225.14a, 14c and 14e, which the CE does not bracket. Line 3 has प्रतिसंहरेत् where the CE has pratisaṃcaraḥ. Kept as printed.

Verse 18 (12.239.18)

यथावत्कीर्तितं सत्यमेवमेतदसंशयम् । बोध्यं विद्यामयं दृष्ट्वा योगिभिः परमात्मभिः ॥

yathāvatkīrtitaṃ satyamevametadasaṃśayam | bodhyaṃ vidyāmayaṃ dṛṣṭvā yogibhiḥ paramātmabhiḥ

What has been told is exactly true, and so it is, beyond doubt. It is to be understood by yogis whose selves are set on the Supreme, who have seen this truth formed of knowledge.

Verse 19 (12.239.19)

एवं विस्तारसंक्षेपौ ब्रह्माव्यक्ते पुनःपुनः । युगसाहस्रयोरादावहोरात्र्यास्तथैव च ॥

evaṃ vistārasaṃkṣepau brahmāvyakte punaḥpunaḥ | yugasāhasrayorādāvahorātryāstathaiva ca

Thus expansion and contraction come about, again and again, in Brahman, the unmanifest, at the beginning of the thousand-yuga periods of the day, and likewise of the night.