Pralayakala is a term of the spiritual status of a devotee, in Southern Shaivism. In Saiva Siddhanta (system of Souther Shaivism), selves are considered to be tainted by malas or impurities. Of these impurities, anava (ego), maya (ignorance) and karma (works) are said to impede the spiritual progress of an aspirant who has completed the preliminary disciplines. Selves are classified on the basis of their contamination by these three impurities. These are, respectively, vijnanakala, selves in conjunction with egoism or individuation; pralayakalas, selves in conjunction with ignorance and egoism; sakalas selves in conjunction with egoism, ignorance and works. No self is free from the ego. In the case of the released self, ego and individuation are suppressed but not destroyed.
According to Shaivas, unless Shiva out of His grace assumes a form, the revealed knowledge texts such as Vedas and Agamas cannot exist. Without authoritative texts, bound selves cannot understand the nature of reality. To the sakala, who is most affected by worldly bondage, Bhagavan reveals knowledge through preceptors, knowledge texts, and so on. For the Pralayakala, Shiva appears directly in a divine form and impart spiritual knowledge. For the vijanakala, God is the indweller, and there is a spontaneous revelation of knowledge. For the pralayakalas, maya works to their advantage and produces the necessary instruments of knowing by which they know the truth, receive the grace of God, and there in obtain both absolution and release from transmigration.