तत्त्वानां भगवंस्तेषां कतिधा प्रतिसङ्क्रमः ।
तत्रेमं क उपासीरन्क उ स्विदनुशेरते ॥३७॥

tattvÄnÄá¹ bhagavaá¹s teá¹£Äá¹
katidhÄ pratisaá¹…kramaḥ
tatremaá¹ ka upÄsÄ«ran
ka u svid anuśerate

1 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: SB(1)

 tattvÄnÄm - of the elements of nature; bhagavan - O great sage; teá¹£Äm - of them; katidhÄ - how many; pratisaá¹…kramaḥ - dissolutions; tatra - thereupon; imam - unto the Supreme Lord; ke - who are they; upÄsÄ«ran - being saved; ke - who are they; u - who; svit - may; anuÅ›erate - serve the Lord while He sleeps.


Text

Please describe how many dissolutions there are for the elements of material nature and who survives after the dissolutions to serve the Lord while He is asleep.

Purport

In the Brahma-saá¹hitÄ (5.47-48) it is said that all the material manifestations with innumerable universes appear and disappear with the breathing of MahÄ-Viṣṇu lying in yoga-nidrÄ, or mystic sleep.

yaḥ kÄraṇÄrṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-
 nidrÄm ananta-jagad-aṇá¸a-saroma-kÅ«paḥ
ÄdhÄra-Å›aktim avalambya parÄá¹ sva-mÅ«rtiá¹
 govindam Ädi-puruá¹£aá¹ tam ahaá¹ bhajÄmi
yasyaika-niÅ›vasita-kÄlam athÄvalambya
 jÄ«vanti loma-vilajÄ jagad-aṇá¸a-nÄthÄḥ
viṣṇur mahÄn sa iha yasya kalÄ-viÅ›eá¹£o
 govindam Ädi-puruá¹£aá¹ tam ahaá¹ bhajÄmi

“Govinda, the ultimate and Supreme Personality of Godhead [Lord Kṛṣṇa], lies sleeping unlimitedly on the Causal Ocean in order to create unlimited numbers of universes during that sleep. He lies on the water by His own internal potency, and I worship that original Supreme Godhead.

“Due to His breathing, innumerable universes come into existence, and when He withdraws His breath there occurs the dissolution of all the lords of the universes. That plenary portion of the Supreme Lord is called MahÄ-Viṣṇu, and He is a part of the part of Lord Kṛṣṇa. I worship Govinda, the original Lord.â€

After the dissolution of the material manifestations, the Lord and His kingdom beyond the Causal Ocean do not disappear, nor do the inhabitants, the Lord’s associates. The associates of the Lord are far more numerous than the living entities who have forgotten the Lord due to material association. The impersonalist’s explanation of the word aham in the four verses of the original BhÄgavatam — aham evÄsam evÄgre, etc. — is refuted here. The Lord and His eternal associates remain after the dissolution. Vidura’s inquiry about such persons is a clear indication of the existence of all the paraphernalia of the Lord. This is also confirmed in the KÄśī-khaṇá¸a, as quoted by both JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ« and ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ«, who follow in the footsteps of ÅšrÄ«la ÅšrÄ«dhara SvÄmÄ«.

na cyavante hi yad-bhaktÄ
 mahatyÄá¹ pralayÄpadi
ato ’cyuto ’khile loke
 sa ekaḥ sarva-go ’vyayaḥ

“The devotees of the Lord never annihilate their individual existences, not even after the dissolution of the entire cosmic manifestation. The Lord and the devotees who associate with Him are always eternal, in both the material and spiritual worlds.â€