Talk:Saṁhāra

By Swami Harshananda

saṁhāra (‘withdrawal,’ ‘destruction’)

Hinduism posits a cyclic theory of creation. Sṛṣṭi (creation), sthiti (sustenance) and saṁhāra (withdrawal into the original cause) take place eternally in that cyclic order.

In saṁhāra, the process is the exact reverse of sṛṣṭi.

The word is also used to indicate destruction or killing in general.

See also cosmology, laya and PRALAYA.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore