ESSAYS

Laya and Pralaya describe the two dissolutions of Vedanta: laya, the withdrawal of the individual mind into the causal seed, and pralaya, the reabsorption of the entire cosmos into Maya. Both reveal that creation is not new but cyclic — the unmanifest becoming manifest again, within the eternal awareness of Brahman.

Shrishti-Drishti-Vada is the Vedantic model that says creation comes first, perception after. A provisional teaching, it affirms order and dharma before guiding the seeker to subtler non-dual insights.

Panchikarana means the fivefold combination — the process by which subtle elements mix to form the gross world. It shows that all bodies and objects are temporary composites, while the Self stands apart as pure awareness.

Avyakta means “unmanifest,” the seed state of creation. Identified with prakṛti, māyā, and mūlāvidyā, it is beginningless ignorance — the potential from which the world arises. Vedanta teaches that Brahman, the Self, is beyond both manifest and unmanifest.