Those who understand the succession of Brahma's day and night as established by the Supreme Lord Krishna applicable for all created beings, from human up to the highest material being, know that the duration of Brahma's day is 4 billion 320 million years and an equal duration is his night.

At the dawning of Brahma's day all beings and things in the threefold regions of material existence along with their bodies and senses, objects of enjoyment and locations of enjoyment all in a subtle form issue out of an avyakta or unmanifest state emanating Brahma's subtle body.

When Brahma's night draws nigh all that issued out are all once again reabsorbed into that avyakta state of his subtle body.

The exact same groups and species of variegated beings adhere to the stringent law of karma or the reactions to previous actions are bound in the material existence and come and go. Appearing in Brahma's day and vanishing in his night again and again perpetually.

One year of Brahma equals 26 trillion, 438 billion and 400 million years.

When the duration of Brahma's life which is 100 of such years ends, then immediately all systems of all material worlds in existence, operating in tandem or at random up to Brahma's own planet and even Brahma himself are ended and dissolve into the infinite.

This dissolution has an order as confirmed in the Subala Upaniṣad:

“The earth is dissolved into the waters, the waters are dissolved into light” etc., (Su. Up., 2).

meaning Earth is devolved into water, water is devolved into fire.

Fire is devolved into air etc. air is devolved into ether, ether is devolved into the cosmos, the cosmos devolves into avyakta the unmanifest, the unmanifest devolves into the akṣara the imperishable, the imperishable devolves into tamas or darkness and the darkness merges finally back into the Supreme Being.

Thus all things except the Supreme Lord are regulated and controlled by time.

All things without exception owe their existence to the Supreme Lord Krishna, deriving their inception from Him and concluding their absorption in Him.

In the material worlds there is absolutely no alternative to the cycle of birth and death. Thus at the end of life the forced relinquishing of material wealth and opulence for those who wasted their lives to obtain it is inevitable.

But for those who instead used their precious human life to attain the Supreme Lord Krishna, having Him as their sole refuge and goal; for them rebirth is not even to be considered as they are automatically liberated from samsāra the perpetual cycle of birth and death.

Next will be shown that there is also no rebirth for those who have achieved ātma tattva or realisation of the soul.

“द्विपराधप्रलय एवात्र विवक्षितः | अव्यक्ताद् व्यक्तयः सर्वाः इत्युक्तेः | उक्तं च महाकौर्मे - अनेकयुगपर्यं नतमहाविष्णोस्तथा निशा | रात्र्यादौ लैयते सर्वमहारादौ च जायते || इति | यः स सर्वेषु इति वाक्यशेषात् |” — “Till the end of many ages, it is night and day for Sri Vishnu. When the night falls everything gets merged and when the day dawns all comes to be created” thus in Maha Kurma Puraana. Further, by such special reference - “He who is in all the creatures...”.

18 *“From the Non-manifest all Manifestations spring forth at the advent of the Day; at the advent of the Night they get dissolved into that very same (entity) known as the Non-manifest.”* 19 *'The self-same aggregate of beings, after repeatedly coming into existence, gets dissolved, in utter helplessness, at the advent of the Night, O Son of Pṛthā, and springs into being at the advent of the Day.* (160)

At the dawn of the day in the time cycle of Brahmā the non-manifest being becomes manifest as the visible universe of countless things. At the end of twelve hours of the day, this ocean of countless things ebbs away and again at the dawn it swells in high tide. The clouds melt into the sky at the coming of the 'Sharad' season (about the month of November), and again take shape at the end of 'Grishma' season (about the months of July-August); in the same way, at the beginning of the day time of the creator God, this universe, comes into being by the stuff of the five gross elements, and endures as long as the completion of the thousand rounds of the four æon cycle. Then with the approach of the night, the universe is dissolved into the non-manifest (spirit of the Supreme Brahman). The night of Brahmadev (also) lasts till the completion of thousand rounds of the four æon cycle, and when these rounds are completed the universe gets recreated as before. This long winded story shows that the cycle of creation and dissolution alternates during one day and one night of the duration of the God Brahmadev. Just see, the measure of this life span of Brahmadev is so wide, that it holds in itself the storehouse of the seed of the entire universe: yet in the measure (मापडे) of the rounds of the cycle of birth and death, this life span of Brahmadev becomes only the last pulse that completes that endless measure. This entire mass of the created worlds, Oh Dhanurdhara, is only the outlying environs of the city of Brahmā. It springs up at the dawn and at the advent of the night it disappears, i.e. gets merged into its original seed, the state of evenness-(साम्य). Just as a 'tree-state' extinguishes in the seed in the end, or just as the clouds eventually become dissolved into the sky, in that way, the state into which are merged the manifold becoming of all things, is called Sāmya (साम्य-the state of unitary being).

'Avyaktādvyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgame rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasañjñāke'—The bodies of beings, here have been called 'manifest', and, in the fourth verse of the fourteenth chapter, they have been called 'forms'. As an embodied one, has his self-made creation of 'I' and 'mine', when he wakes up from sleep and that creation merges in him, when he is asleep. Similarly, a multitude of beings, is dragged into the manifest state, from Brahmā's subtle body viz., prakṛti, when Brahmā wakes up and they merge in his subtle body then he retires to sleep. It means, that when Brahmā wakes up, there is creation and when he retires to sleep, there is dissolution. But, when his life-span of a hundred years is over, there is final annihilation, in which Brahmā merges into the Lord. The span of final annihilation, is equal to the age of Brahmā. At the end of the span of final annihilation, Brahmā emanates from the Lord and then there is a new creation of the universe (Gītā 9/7-8).

Appendix—In the sixteenth verse the Lord declared that all worlds, from the abode of Brahmā downwards, are subject to

return. Why are they subject to return? The Lord answers the question in the seventeenth and eighteenth verses that the highest plane of existence, the abode of Brahmā, is within the limits of time. Describing that period the Lord mentions that however long that period may look but that is within the limits of time. But God is beyond the limits of time.

As when we are asleep at night, we forget the world and when we awake in the morning, the world is again thought of, similarly the entire creation merges when Brahmājī retires to sleep and in Brahmā's day the creation is manifest again. This is the last limit of night and day.

Brahmā's day and night are not determined by the sun but they are determined by Prakṛti.

अव्यक्तात् अव्यक्तं प्रजापतेः स्वापावस्था तस्मात् अव्यक्तात् व्यक्तयः व्यज्यन्त इति व्यक्तयः स्थावरजङ्गमलक्षणाः सर्वाः प्रजाः प्रभवन्ति अभिव्यज्यन्ते, अह्नः आगमः अहरागमः तस्मिन् अहरागमे काले ब्रह्मः प्रबोधकाले । तथा रात्र्यागमे ब्रह्मणः स्वापकाले प्रलीयन्ते सर्वाः व्यक्तयः तत्रैव पूर्वोक्ते अव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥

अकृताभ्यागमकृतविप्रणाशदोषपरिहारार्थम्, बन्धमोक्षशास्त्रप्रवृत्तिसाफल्यप्रदर्शनार्थम् अविद्यादिक्लेशमूलकर्माशयवशाच्च अवशः भूतग्रामः भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते इत्यतः संसारे वैराग्यप्रदर्शनार्थं च इदमाह --

प्रजापतिके दिनमें और रात्रिमें जो कुछ होता है उसका वर्णन किया जाता है—

दिनके आरम्भकालका नाम 'अहरागम' है, ब्रह्माके दिनके आरम्भकालमें अर्थात् ब्रह्माके प्रबोधकालमें अव्यक्तसे—प्रजापतिकी निद्रावस्थासे समस्त व्यक्तियाँ— स्थावर-जङ्गमरूप समस्त प्रजाएँ उत्पन्न होती हैं— प्रकट होती हैं । जो व्यक्त—प्रकट होती है, उसका नाम व्यक्ति है ।

तथा रात्रिके आनेपर—ब्रह्माके शयन करनेके समय उस पूर्वोक्त अव्यक्त नामक प्रजापतिकी निद्रावस्थामें ही समस्त प्राणी लीन हो जाते हैं

तये ब्रह्मभुवनीं दिवसें पाहे । ते वेळीं गणना केंही न समाये । ऐसें अव्यक्ताचें होये । व्यक्त विश्व ॥ १६०॥

पुढती दिहाची चौपाहारी फिटे । आणि हा आकारसमुद्र आटे । पाठीं तैसाचि मग पाहांटे । भरों लागे ॥ १६१॥

शारदीयेचिये प्रवेशीं । अभ्रें जिरती आकाशीं । मग ग्रीष्मांतीं जैशीं । निगती पुढती ॥ १६२॥

तैसी ब्रह्मदिनाचिये आदी । हे भूतसृष्टीची मांदी । मिळे जंव सहस्त्रावधी । निमित्त पुरे ॥ १६३॥

पाठीं रात्रीचा अवसरू होये । आणि विश्व अव्यक्तीं लया जाये । तोही युगसहस्त्र मोटका पाहे । आणि तैसेंचि रचे ॥ १६४॥

हें सांगावया काय उपपत्ति । जें जगाचा प्रळयो आणि संभूति । इथे ब्रह्मभुवनींचिया होती । अहोरात्रमाजीं ॥ १६५॥

कैसें थोरिवेचें मान पाहें पां । हो सृष्टिबीजाचा साटोपा । परि पुनरावृत्तीचिया मापा । शीग जाहला ॥ १६६॥

एऱ्हवीं त्रैलोक्य हें धनुर्धरा । तिये गांवींचा गा पसारा । तो हा दिनोदयीं एकसरां । मांडतु असे ॥ १६७॥

पाठीं रात्रीचा समो पावे । आणि अपैसाचि सांटवे । म्हणिये जेथींचें तेथ स्वभावें । साम्यासि ये ॥ १६८॥

जैसें वृक्षपण बीजासि आलें । कीं मेघ हें गगन जाहालें । तैसें अनेकत्व जेथ सामावलें । तें साम्य म्हणिपे ॥ १६९॥

(8.160) उस ब्रह्मभुवन में जब दिन निकलता है उस समय निराकार में से विश्व इतनी बाहुल्यता से प्रकट होता है कि उसकी गणना नहीं की जा सकती।

(8.161) पश्चात् जब दिन के चारों प्रहर निकल जाते हैं तब यह आकार-समुद्र सूखने लगता है और फिर प्रातःकाल होते ही वैसा भर जाता है।

(8.162) शरदकाल के आरम्भ में मेघ जैसे आकाश में विलीन हो जाते हैं और ग्रीष्म ऋतु के अन्त में जैसे फिर प्रकट होते हैं, (8.163) वैसे ही ब्रह्मा के दिन के आरम्भ में यह भूतसृष्टि का समुदाय प्रकट होकर हजार वर्षों की अवधि पूर्ण होने तक बना रहता है।

(8.164) पश्चात् जब रात्रि का समय होता है तब विश्व अव्यक्त में लीन हो जाता है और एक छोटा-सा युग-सहस्र व्यतीत होने पर फिर वैसा ही प्रकट होता है।

(8.165) कहने का मतलब यह कि जगत् का प्रलय और उत्पत्ति इस ब्रह्मभुवन के दिन-रात में ही होती है।

(8.166) उसकी श्रेष्ठता इतनी है कि वह सृष्टि के बीज का भण्डार है और जन्म-मरण के माप की सीमा है।

(8.167) और हे धनुर्धर! यह त्रैलोक्य जो उस ब्रह्मभुवन का ही विस्तार है सो ब्रह्मा का दिन उदय होते ही एकदम रचा जाता है;

(8.168) पश्चात् रात्रि का समय आते ही आप ही आप लीन हो जाता है, अर्थात् स्वभावतः जहाँ का तहाँ साम्यता को प्राप्त हो जाता है।

(8.169) जैसे वृक्षत्व बीजत्व को प्राप्त हो अथवा मेघ गगनरूप हो जाय वैसे ही अनेकत्व जहाँ समा जाता है उसे साम्य कहते हैं।

संगति— अगले श्लोक में सृष्टि के उत्पत्ति और प्रलय बतलाते हैं—

भावार्थ— सम्पूर्ण व्यक्त ब्रह्मा का दिन आने पर अव्यक्त (प्रकृति) से उत्पन्न हो जाते हैं। तथा रात्रि आने पर सब उस (माया) में लीन हो जाते हैं।

व्याख्या— जो वस्तु अभाव से उत्पन्न होती है वह वास्तव में होती नहीं, क्योंकि वह अभावरूप ही होती है। वेदान्त में ब्रह्मा के अज्ञान या अपने स्वरूप को न जानने से ही सृष्टि की उत्पत्ति मानी गयी है। अतः वह वास्तव में है नहीं। यद्यपि शुद्ध ब्रह्म, ईश्वर और माया तीनों ही 'अव्यक्त' कहलाते हैं। परन्तु यहाँ तो इसका अर्थ 'माया' ही

है। माया, कारण, प्रकृति अव्याकृत, अविद्या और अज्ञान—ये सभी शब्द पर्यायवाची हैं।

‘अव्यक्तादव्यक्तयः’—तत्रैवाव्यक्त-सज्जके’—मात्र प्राणियोंके जितने शरीर हैं, उनको यहाँ ‘व्यक्तयः’ और चौदहवें अध्यायके चौथे श्लोकमें ‘मूर्तयः’ कहा गया है। जैसे, जीवकृत सृष्टि अर्थात् ‘मैं’ और ‘मेरापन’ को लेकर जीवकी जो सृष्टि है, जीवके नींदसे जगनेपर वह सृष्टि जीवसे ही पैदा होती है और नींदके आ जानेपर वह सृष्टि जीवमें ही लीन हो जाती है। ऐसे ही जो यह स्थूल समष्टि सृष्टि दीखती है, वह सब-की-सब ब्रह्माजीके जगनेपर उनके सूक्ष्मशरीरसे अर्थात् प्रकृतिसे

पैदा होती है और ब्रह्माजीके सोनेपर उनके सूक्ष्मशरीरमें ही लीन हो जाती है। तात्पर्य यह हुआ कि ब्रह्माजीके जगनेपर तो ‘सर्ग’ होता है और ब्रह्माजीके सोनेपर ‘प्रलय’ होता है। जब ब्रह्माजीकी सौ वर्षकी आयु बीत जाती है, तब ‘महाप्रलय’ होता है, जिसमें ब्रह्माजी भी भगवान्में लीन हो जाते हैं। ब्रह्माजीकी जितनी आयु होती है, उतना ही महाप्रलयका समय रहता है। महाप्रलयका समय बीतनेपर ब्रह्माजी भगवान्से प्रकट होते हैं तो ‘महासर्ग’का आरम्भ होता है (गीता—नवें अध्यायका सातवाँ-आठवाँ श्लोक)।

**परिशिष्ट भाव—**सोलहवें श्लोकमें भगवान्ने बताया कि ब्रह्मलोकतक सभी लोक पुनरावर्ती हैं। वे पुनरावर्ती क्यों हैं? इसके उत्तरमें भगवान् सत्रहवें-अठारहवें श्लोकमें बताते हैं कि ऊँचे-से-ऊँचा ब्रह्मलोक भी कालकी अवधिमें है। उस अवधिका विवेचन करते हुए भगवान् बताते हैं कि ब्रह्मलोककी अवधि कितनी ही बड़ी क्यों न हो, है वह कालके अन्तर्गत ही। परन्तु भगवान् कालकी अवधिमें नहीं हैं।

जैसे हम रातको सोते हैं तो संसारको भूल जाते हैं और प्रातः जागते हैं तो संसार पुनः याद आ जाता है, ऐसे ही ब्रह्माजीके रातमें सम्पूर्ण सृष्टि लीन हो जाती है और दिनमें पुनः उत्पन्न हो जाती है। यह रात और दिनकी आखिरी हद है। ब्रह्माजीके दिन और रात सूर्यसे नहीं होते, प्रत्युत प्रकृतिसे होते हैं।

**भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते।**