The Vishnu Purana unfolds a profoundly theistic, Vishnu-centered vision of the cosmos, in which all that exists arises from, is sustained by, and finally returns to the supreme reality identified with Vishnu or Narayana. Before manifestation, only the unmanifest Vishnu abides, associated with the primordial waters and the causal ocean, while primordial matter (prakṛti) rests in equilibrium. By the divine impulse, this quiescent prakṛti is stirred, giving rise first to the great principle (mahat-tattva or cosmic intelligence), then to ahaṁkāra, the sense of “I,” and from that to the subtle elements (tanmātras) and the gross elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether). These evolutes combine to form the cosmic egg (brahmāṇḍa), within which Brahmā appears on the lotus that springs from Vishnu’s navel, becoming the empowered, secondary creator who shapes the already-emerged principles into a structured universe.

This cosmology carefully distinguishes between primary and secondary creation. Primary creation (sarga) is the emanation of the fundamental tattvas and elements from unmanifest prakṛti under Vishnu’s will, while secondary creation (often termed visarga or a further creation) is Brahmā’s work of ordering worlds and populating them with gods, sages, Manus, humans, animals, and other beings. The Purana also links this creative unfolding with the establishment of dharma and cosmic order, including the appearance of the Vedas and the structuring of social and moral life. All other deities, including Brahmā and Rudra/Śiva, are portrayed as acting within and through the power of Vishnu, so that the entire process of emanation and differentiation is seen as an expression of his sustaining presence.

The structure of the universe is described in richly symbolic, geocentric terms. Earth is arranged as a series of continents (dvīpas), with Jambūdvīpa at the center and Mount Meru as the cosmic axis, and the whole is surrounded by concentric regions and oceans. Above lie multiple higher worlds (lokas), culminating in Brahmā’s realm, and below are various lower regions or underworlds. Time itself is presented as cyclical and vast: four yugas—Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—recur in endless succession, grouped into larger units that fill the days and nights of Brahmā, each day (kalpa) containing a thousand such cycles. The present age is described as Kali Yuga, the most degenerate of the four, marked by a decline in dharma.

Equally important is the doctrine of dissolution (pralaya), which mirrors creation in reverse. At the end of each kalpa, a periodic dissolution withdraws the manifest worlds, and at the end of Brahmā’s lifespan a great dissolution (mahāpralaya or prākṛtika pralaya) occurs, in which all differentiated existence resolves back into unmanifest prakṛti and rests again in Vishnu. These dissolutions do not signify absolute annihilation but re-absorption, preparing the ground for a new cycle of manifestation when Vishnu once more wills creation. In this way, the Vishnu Purana presents a universe that is endlessly created, sustained, and withdrawn, all within the being of Vishnu, and offers a devotional vision in which cosmology itself becomes a revelation of the Lord’s sovereignty, presence, and grace.