Pralaya

Pralaya

dissolution, absorption, annihilation, death, great destruction;
disappearance of the whole Universe.

The name of the partial cosmic destruction (dissolution) at the end of each time cycle. There are three types of dissolution periods:

• laya (destruction of the physical world) – at the end of the maha-yuga;
• pralaya (destruction of the physical and subtle worlds) – at the end of the kalpa;
• mahapralaya (absorption by Shiva of all three worlds: physical, subtle and causal) – at the end of mahakalpa.