Whatever other creatures exist in water or space or
on earth, for there is no other place in which creatures exist as we have
heard, have this combination. All these, O sire, included within the
class called Manifest, are seen to be destroyed day after day. Hence, all
creatures produced by union of these four and twenty are said to be
destructible.
"This then is the Indestructible. And since the universe, which is made
up of Manifest and Unmanifest, meet with destruction, therefore, it is
said to be Destructible. The very Being called Mahan who is the
eldest-born is always spoken of as an instance of the Destructible. I
have now told thee, O monarch, all that thou hadst asked me. Transcending
the four and twenty topics already adverted to is the twenty-fifth called
Vishnu. That Vishnu in consequence of the absence of all attributes, is
not a topic (of knowledge) though as then which pervades all the topics,
he has been called so by the wise. Since that which is destructible has
caused all this that is Manifest, therefore, all this is endued with
form. The twenty-fourth, which is Prakriti, is said to preside over all
this (which has sprung from her modifications). The twenty-fifth, which
is Vishnu, is formless and, therefore, cannot be said to preside over the
universe.[1614] It is that Unmanifest (Prakriti), which, when endued with
body (in consequence of union with Chit) dwells in the hearts of all
creatures endued with body. As regards eternal Chetana (the
Indestructible), although he is without attributes and without form, yet
he (in consequence of a union with Prakriti) assumes all forms.
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