📿 Shloka Collection

Avyaktad Vyaktayah Sarvah

Gita 8.18 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 8 — Akshara Brahma Yoga
अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे ।
रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥
Avyaktad vyaktayah sarvah prabhavanty aharagame,
Ratryagame praleeyante tatraivaavyaktasamjnake.
अव्यक्तात्
from the unmanifest
व्यक्तयः
manifest beings
सर्वाः
all
प्रभवन्ति
come forth
अहरागमे
at the coming of day
रात्र्यागमे
at the coming of night
प्रलीयन्ते
dissolve
तत्र एव
into that very
अव्यक्तसंज्ञके
called the unmanifest

Krishna describes the cosmic rhythm of creation and dissolution. When Brahma's day begins, all beings emerge from the unmanifest — like flowers opening at dawn. When Brahma's night falls, everything dissolves back into that same unmanifest source — like flowers closing at dusk.

A seed sprouts into a plant, the plant eventually withers and returns to the earth, and from that earth a new seed grows. The entire universe follows this same pattern — manifesting again and again, dissolving again and again.

This eternal cycle makes one thing clear: even Brahmaloka is not permanent, because creation and dissolution continue playing out there as well. Permanence exists only beyond this cycle — with God.

This shloka gives concrete form to the cosmic timescale described in 8.17. Brahma's day brings creation; his night brings dissolution. The next shloka (8.19) drives the point home further. The cyclical view of creation and dissolution is ancient in Indian philosophy, appearing from the Nasadiya Sukta of the Rig Veda through the Puranas.

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