SECTION XIII. NATURAL DISSOLUTION.
What is popularly known as Universal Destruction, is termed in the Hindoo Scriptures "Prākritic Pratisanchar" or Natural Retrogression, which means Natural Disssolution. This marks the close of the Greatest Cycle of Time. It is the End of Time, the End of Creation. It is the Maha Pralaya. It involves the annihilation of the Universe, in one sense, because after its occurrence none of the Principles, except the Ultimate, exists. "In one sense" I say advisedly, for although the Manifest universe becomes non-existent, its latent spiritual impressions, forming its germ, are carried by the Three Cardinal Attributes into the Ultimate Principle, Love—Krishna—and preserved unconsciously, even during their rest in Krishna, in a state of equilibrium, It is out of this Mystic Ideation that, in the event of the inequilibrium of the Attributes, a fresh creation springs into existence. There is no such thing as destruction in the law of Nature. Nothing is destroyed totally; all forms of destruction are but phases of transmutation, from gross manifestation into fine, from fine into finer, from finer into finest, from finest into mystic ideation which belongs to the realm of absolute spirituality.
The Hindoo doctrine in regard to the process of creation is the unfoldment of the Twenty-three Principles from the reflection of the One, the manifestation into Many and the Diverse of the Mystic Energy of the One Unchangeable Absolute. This Mystic Energy unrolls its many and diverse phases and forces in creation and incessantly throughout its duration. "Prākritic" means "Natural" from "Prakriti," Nature. "Pratisanchar" is "Prati" and "sanchar"; "Prati" means backward, and "sanchar" means the act of moving, motion. The whole word therefore means "moving backward." Prākritic Pratisanchar, therefore, is the moving backward of the Unfolded Principles of Existence (Nature) into its One Source, out of which they originally spring. This backward motion of Variety into Unity is caused by the extreme action of intense Tama from which the following natural reaction puts the forces of the Three Cardinal Attributes into equilibrium. This equilibrium is the Unmanifest (Avyakta—unexpressed) state of Nature, and the inequilibrium brings about the Manifest state, the gross form of which is the universe. This action of Natural Dissolution has also its reaction. It reacts into a fresh Creation.
The symptoms which manifest themselves previous to the occurrence of this universal destruction are almost the same as those before the Kalpa Pralaya. Only, the degeneration of human society develops worse phases which are followed by intense heat, owing to the suspension of rains for years and years together, resulting in the death of all moving and breathing beings. Then appear in the heavens twelve suns, instead of seven as in the Kalpa Pralaya, which give birth to the Samvartak Fire. The fire is followed by the appearance of the Samvartak Clouds, which deluge the earth with continuous rains for years; the deluge is followed by the winds, etc.
But the main difference lies in the absolutely destructive power of these Elemental agents. When the suns and the fire have done their work, the black surface of the earth looks like the back of a tortoise. Then the water in which it is submerged absorbs the very attribute of Earth—Smell—along with its substance which then becomes absolutely nonexistent and transformed into water. The water is then absorbed by Fire (heat) with its attribute—Taste—so that water becomes absolutely non-existent and is turned into Fire. The volume of Fire is then so increased that it burns the suns themselves, so that all the heavens, filled with all-pervading flames, burn on until everything in them is destroyed. Then the air devours the Fire with its attribute—Form—so that there remains nothing visible to the eye. The winds then move about with all their force in the Akās. Then Akās (Ether) absorbs the Air with its attribute—Touch—so that nothing remains which can be felt. Then Akās itself becomes unmanifest, the Universal Mind having absorbed its attribute—Sound—which originally sprang from it to create Akās (Ether). This is called the dissolution of the gross form of the Universe.
The dissolution of the fine (subtle) form begins with the Moon, the presiding deity of the Mind, absorbing the Mind with its attribute —the power of Willing and Non-Willing, which power with all its associations is then centered in the Moon. After a long time the Mind, centralized in the Moon, brings about the poise in its vibratory volition (the cause of material desires). This will-control results in the Moon-centered Mind being absorbed by its original Belief in the Oneness of Nature and Brahm (Divine Essence). The Belief in this Unity (Ego) is then absorbed by Universal Consciousness, and Universal Consciousness with its attribute of the Power of Decision is absorbed by Absolute Being (one of the Three Attributes of Para-Brahm). Then Wisdom (another of the Three Attributes, also called Intelligence or Truth) absorbs this Absolute Being. Then that all-impregnated Wisdom enters the Unmanifest Soul—Absolute Love—KRISHNA.