Chapter 124 - Description of Annihilation

Vyāsa said:

1. The reabsorption of all living beings is of three kinds. (1) Naimittika (conditional) (2) Prākṛtika (natural) and Ātyantika (the ultimate one).

2. The conditional re-absorption is Brāhma (pertaining to Brahmā). It is the re-absorption at the end of a Kalpa (set of four Yugas). The ultimate one is salvation and the Prākṛta (natural one) is (delimited) by the Parārdhas.

The sages said:

3. O holy sage, explain the number of Parārdha as it has been mentioned before, and by doubling which the natural reabsorption has to be realized.

Vyāsa said:

4. O brahmins, each one of the digits is considered ten times as much in value as the previous one on the right. Therefore at the eighteenth place it is called Parārdha (i.e. one followed by seventeen zeros).

5. Double the Parārdha is considered, O brahmins, as Prākṛta Laya (natural reabsorption). At that time everything manifest merges and dissolves into the unmanifest which is the cause of all.

6. Human Nimeṣa (i.e. winking time) is called a Mātrā and it is the basic unit of time. Fifteen Mātrās constitute one Kāṣṭhā and thirty Kāṣṭhās one Kalā.

7. Fifteen Kalās make a Nāḍikā. In the calculation of time by means of the measurement of water it is equivalent to half of thirteen Palas (6½ Palas of water trickling down through a hole may take a Nāḍikā of time i.e. 24 minutes to flow out completely).

8. According to Māgadha calculation it is time for the full trickling down of a Prastha of water through four holes four Aṅgulas from one another, pricked by means of golden pulses (?) (? Each hole is of the size of a pulse grain).

9. O excellent brahmins, two Nāḍikās make one Muhūrta (48 minutes). A day of twenty-four hours consists of thirty Muhūrtas and thirty days make a month.

10. Twelve months make a year and this constitutes a period of a day and a night in the heaven. Three hundred and sixty human years make one divine year.

11. Twelve thousand divine years make a set of four Yugas. A thousand sets of four Yugas are considered to be one day of Brahmā.

12. It is called a Kalpa. O excellent brahmins, fourteen Manus reign over that period of time. At the end of that period is the Naimittika Laya (conditional re-absorption) of Brahmā.

13. O leading brahmins, its nature is very terrible. Listen to it even as I narrate. I shall explain the Prākṛta Laya (natural re-absorption) afterwards.

14. At the end of a set of four Yugas when the surface of the Earth is almost worn off there will be a very severe drought extending over a period of a hundred years.

15. Then, O excellent sages, almost all of those earthly things that are of poor strength are destroyed due to the excessive pressure.

16. Then the imperishable lord Kṛṣṇa assumes the form of Rudra and endeavours to keep the subjects within himself for the purpose of annihilation.

17. Then, O excellent sages, lord Viṣṇu is stationed in the seven rays of the sun and sucks up the water.

18. After drinking up the water present in the elements and living beings, O brahmins, he makes the entire surface of the Earth dried up and withered.

19. He dries up oceans, rivers, mountains and mountain springs. He sucks up the water that is present in the nether worlds too.

20. As every particle of water vanishes there will be seven suns, each of a thousand rays and they become increased in size due to their watery diet.

21. Blazing from beneath and above, O brahmins, those seven suns burn up the three worlds along with the nether worlds.

22. On being burnt by those blazing suns, the three worlds, along with the extensive area of mountains, trees and oceans, become devoid of viscidity.

23. Then the entire area of the three worlds, O brahmins, has all the trees and watery parts dried up. The Earth attains the shape of the back of a tortoise.

24. Thereafter lord Hara, the annihilator of all created beings, terrible like black fire, bums the nether worlds from below by means of the hot breath of the serpent Śeṣa.

25-26. After burning the nether worlds that huge fire reaches the Earth. It bums the entire surface of the Earth. Then the terrible fire burns the Bhuvaḥ world and the Svarga world. With the clusters of flames whirling and curling the fire revolves there itself.

27-28. At that time the entire area of the three worlds appears like a frying pan. It is surrounded by whirling clusters of flames. At that time, O brahmins, the residents of the two worlds lose their strength. They are enveloped by the scorching heat. When their abodes are taken away (i.e. consumed by fire), they go to the Maharloka.

29. From there also people proceed ahead to Janaloka on being scorched by the great sunshine ten times more powerful. They are desirous of a supreme abode.

30. After burning the entire universe, O excellent sages, the lord in the guise of Rudra, produces clouds by means of breath expelled from his mouth.

31. Thereafter, rise up in the sky the Saṃvartaka clouds that are terribly destructive. They are as huge as big herds of elephants. They contain fierce lightning streaks and they rumble.

32. Some of these clouds are like a collyrium mountain; some are like the elephant Kumuda. Some are smoky in colour. Some are yellow.

33. Some are turmeric; some resemble the exudation of lac juice; some appear like lapis lazuli; and some are like sapphire.

34. Some resemble a conch shell and others the turner’s lathe; some are like Jāti flower (white jasmine) and some are like Kunda. Some are scarlet coloured like the tiny insect Indragopa (glow-worm) and some are like Manaḥśita (?)

35. Some of the terrible clouds rise up like the petals of a lotus; some have the shape of an excellent city; some are like big mountains.

36. Others resemble the apartments on the tops of houses; some are like the dry tracts of ground. They are huge in body and loud in their sound; they cover the sky completely.

37. Making heavy downpours, O brahmins, they subdue the extremely terrible fire that has spread over the entire area of the three worlds.

38. Even after the fìre has been extinguished, O excellent sages, those clouds shower down water for more than a hundred years flooding the entire Universe.

39. After flooding the entire Earth by means of heavy downpours with the torrents, O brahmins, they flood the Bhuvarloka and the heaven above.

40. With the whole universe enveloped in darkness, with all beings mobile and immobile destroyed, those great clouds shower for more than a hundred years.