Śiva is often translated as the destroyer, this is a linguistic error during translation. Destruction and dissolution are separate concepts, where destruction means to damage the composition of an object, resulting in remnants. For example, if we destroy an apple, the apple loses its shape but the parts or pieces of the apple are thrown apart or burnt to ash; hence destruction always has a byproduct or a leftover. Dissolution means, the product merges into something else and loses its independent existence. This is very similar to the conservation of Quantum Information. Say an apple is destroyed beyond visible recognition; whatever information that consists of, the quantum properties that make up the apple are never destroyed. Hence, the word “destroyer” creates a vague interpretation as if Śiva attacks people or things and distorts them. In fact, Śiva as Rudra is Pralaya Karaka, what does that mean? In the case of Pralaya (the closest word is dissolution), the object merges into the source as one (the concept of laya) and distribution is a part of the process and not the whole. This is done in 3 ways (complete article on laya): Swalpakalika Laya, Aatyantica Laya, pra:laya / mahapra:laya. At the highest level, the throbbing within the Singularity just subsides.
(Source:Swami Venkatesananda. 1993, TED-Ed Quantum Information. 2019)
Let’s now look at how Rishi Yājnavalkya explains the dissolution process in Mahabharatam Itihasa:
Yājnavalkya said: Listen to me how Brahman, who is eternal and
undecaying, and who is without beginning and without end, repeatedly
creates and destroys all created objects. When his day expires and
night comes (metaphorical), he becomes desirous of sleep (inertness).
At such a time the unmanifest and holy one urges the Being called
Maharudra, who is conscious of his great powers, (for destroying the
world). Urged by the unmanifest, that Being assuming the form of Surya
of hundreds of thousands of rays, divides himself into a dozen
portions each resembling a blazing fire. He then consumes with his
energy, O King, without any loss of time, the four kinds of created
beings, Viz., viviparous, oviparous, fifth-born, and vegetable. Within
the twinkling of the eye all mobile and immobile creatures being thus
destroyed, the Earth becomes on every side as bare as a tortoise
shell. Having burnt everything on the face of the Earth, Rudra, of
immeasurable might, then quickly fills the bare Earth with Water
possessed of great force. He then creates the Yuga-fire which dries up
the Water (into which the bare Earth has been dissolved). The Water
disappears, and the great element of Fire continues to blaze fiercely.
Then comes the mighty Wind of immeasurable force, in his eight forms
(astamurti tatva), who swallows up quickly that blazing fire of
transcendent force, possessed by seven flames, and identifiable with
the heat existing in every creature. Having swallowed up that fire,
the Wind courses in every direction, upwards, downwards, and
transversely. The space of immeasurable existence swallowed up that
Wind of transcendent energy. Then Mind (awareness) cheerfully swallows
up that immeasurable Space. Then that Lord of all creatures, viz.,
Consciousness, who is the Soul of everything, swallows up the Mind.
Consciousness, in his turn, is swallowed up by the Mahat-soul who is
conversant with the Past, the Present, and the Future. The
incomparable Mahat-soul or Universe is then swallowed up by Sambhu,
that Lord of all things, to whom the Yoga attributes of Anima,
Laghima, Prapti, &c., naturally inhere, who is regarded as the Supreme
and pure Effulgence that is Immutable. His hands and feet extend over
every part; his eyes and head and face are everywhere, his ears reach
every place, and he exists overwhelming all things. He is the heart of
all creatures; His measure is of a digit of the thumb. That Infinite
and supreme Soul, that Lord of all, thus swallows up the Universe,
After this, what remains is the Undecaying and the Immutable One who
is without defect of any kind, who is the Creator of the Past, the
Present, and the Future; and who is perfectly faultless, I have thus O
king, duly told thee of Destruction.
~Mahabharatam Itihasa Shanti Parva 313 non-Jaya Section
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