Editing Nirṛti (section)

==Etymology==

The Sanskrit word ''Nirṛti''  means 'decay' and is derived from ''nirṛ'' (lit. 'to separate'). It can be interpreted as meaning "devoid of ''[[ṛta|ṛta/i]]''", a state of disorder or chaos.<ref name = "DM" /><ref name=Witzel>Witzel, Michael. “Macrocosm, Mesocosm, and Microcosm: The Persistent Nature of 'Hindu' Beliefs and Symbolic Forms.” International Journal of Hindu Studies, vol. 1, no. 3, 1997, pp. 501–539. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20106493. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.</ref>

The name ''{{IAST|nirṛti}}'' has the meaning of "absence of ṛta", meaning 'disorder', or 'lawlessness', specifically the guardian to the absence of divine or cosmic disorder.<ref name="Witzel" /><ref name="Chandra">{{Cite book|last=Chandra|first=Suresh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mfTE6kpz6XEC&q=Nirrti&pg=PA154|title=Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses|date=1998|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-7625-039-9|language=en}}</ref>

This term was used in Vedic texts to indicate a realm of non-existence and absolute darkness, which threatened to consume those who failed in their duties to sacrifice and procreate. In ''nirṛti'', there was no light, no food, and no children: none of the necessary elements of Vedic life and ritual.<ref name="Witzel" />