anne pralīyate martyam
annaá¹ dhÄnÄsu lÄ«yate
dhÄnÄ bhÅ«mau pralÄ«yante
bhūmir gandhe pralīyate
apsu pralīyate gandha
ÄpaÅ› ca sva-guṇe rase
līyate jyotiṣi raso
jyotī rūpe pralīyate
rÅ«paá¹ vÄyau sa ca sparÅ›e
lÄ«yate so 'pi cÄmbare
ambaraá¹ Å›abda-tan-mÄtra
indriyÄṇi sva-yoniá¹£u
yonir vaikÄrike saumya
līyate manasīśvare
Å›abdo bhÅ«tÄdim apyeti
bhÅ«tÄdir mahati prabhuḥ
sa lÄ«yate mahÄn sveá¹£u
guṇesu guṇa-vattamaḥ
te 'vyakte sampralīyante
tat kÄle lÄ«yate 'vyaye
kÄlo mÄyÄ-maye jÄ«ve
jÄ«va Ätmani mayy aje
ÄtmÄ kevala Ätma-stho
vikalpÄpÄya-laká¹£aṇaḥ

 anne - in food; pralÄ«yate - becomes merged; martyam - the mortal body; annam - food; dhÄnÄsu - within the grains; lÄ«yate - becomes merged; dhÄnÄḥ - the grains; bhÅ«mau - in the earth; pralÄ«yante - become merged; bhÅ«miḥ - the earth; gandhe - within fragrance; pralÄ«yate - becomes merged; apsu - in water; pralÄ«yate - becomes merged; gandhaḥ - fragrance; Äpaḥ - water; ca - and; sva-guṇe - within its own quality; rase - taste; lÄ«yate - becomes merged; jyotiá¹£i - within fire; rasaḥ - taste; jyotiḥ - fire; rÅ«pe - within form; pralÄ«yate - becomes merged; rÅ«pam - form; vÄyau - in air; saḥ - it; ca - and; sparÅ›e - in touch; lÄ«yate - becomes merged; saḥ - it; api - also; ca - and; ambare - in ether; ambaram - ether; Å›abda - in sound; tat-mÄtre - its corresponding subtle sensation; indriyÄṇi - the senses; sva-yoniá¹£u - in their sources, the demigods; yoniḥ - the demigods; vaikÄrike - in false ego in the mode of goodness; saumya - My dear Uddhava; lÄ«yate - become merged; manasi - in the mind; Ä«Å›vare - which is the controller; Å›abdaḥ - sound; bhÅ«ta-Ädim - in the original false ego; apyeti - becomes merged; bhÅ«ta-Ädiḥ - false ego; mahati - in the total material nature; prabhuḥ - powerful; saḥ - that; lÄ«yate - becomes merged; mahÄn - the total material nature; sveá¹£u - in its own; guṇeá¹£u - three modes; guṇa-vat-tamaḥ - being the ultimate abode of these modes; te - they; avyakte - in the unmanifest form of nature; sampralÄ«yante - become completely merged; tat - that; kÄle - in time; lÄ«yate - become merged; avyaye - in the infallible; kÄlaḥ - time; mÄyÄ-maye - who is full of transcendental knowledge; jÄ«ve - in the Supreme Lord, who activates all living beings; jÄ«vaḥ - that Lord; Ätmani - in the Supreme Self; mayi - in Me; aje - the unborn; ÄtmÄ - the original Self; kevalaḥ - alone; Ätma-sthaḥ - self-situated; vikalpa - by creation; apÄya - and annihilation; laká¹£aṇaḥ - characterized.


Text

At the time of annihilation, the mortal body of the living being becomes merged into food. Food merges into the grains, and the grains merge back into the earth. The earth merges into its subtle sensation, fragrance. Fragrance merges into water, and water further merges into its own quality, taste. That taste merges into fire, which merges into form. Form merges into touch, and touch merges into ether. Ether finally merges into the sensation of sound. The senses all merge into their own origins, the presiding demigods, and they, O gentle Uddhava, merge into the controlling mind, which itself merges into false ego in the mode of goodness. Sound becomes one with false ego in the mode of ignorance, and all-powerful false ego, the first of all the physical elements, merges into the total nature. The total material nature, the primary repository of the three basic modes, dissolves into the modes. These modes of nature then merge into the unmanifest form of nature, and that unmanifest form merges into time. Time merges into the Supreme Lord, present in the form of the omniscient MahÄ-puruá¹£a, the original activator of all living beings. That origin of all life merges into Me, the unborn Supreme Soul, who remains alone, established within Himself. It is from Him that all creation and annihilation are manifested.

Purport

The annihilation of the material world is the reversal of the process of creation, and ultimately everything is merged to rest within the Supreme Lord, who remains full in His absolute position.