Yoga Vasistha [English], Volume 1-4

by Vihari-Lala Mitra | 1891 | 1,121,132 words | ISBN-10: 8171101519

The English translation of the Yoga-vasistha: a Hindu philosophical and spiritual text written by sage Valmiki from an Advaita-vedanta perspective. The book contains epic narratives similar to puranas and chronologically precedes the Ramayana. The Yoga-vasistha is believed by some Hindus to answer all the questions that arise in the human mind, an...

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Chapter CXXXIII - Story of the wonderful carcass

Argument:—Description of a carcass falling from above, and covering the whole surface of the Earth.

Vipaschit said:—

1. [Sanskrit available]
I saw another great wonder, in some part of some other world, which I will now rehearse unto you; it was a horrible sight that attends on sin, and which I had to see by my blind attachment to ignorance.

2. [Sanskrit available]
There is somewhere amidst the vast vacuum, a wonderfully bright sphere, which is quite impassable by you; it is situated in a vacuity like this of ours, and so different from it, as a city in dream differs from one in sight. (Because the romantic view of the vision is not realizable to ocular sight).

3. [Sanskrit available]
As I saw rambling in that sphere, in search of the object that I have in my heart, and looking to all sides of the void; I saw a huge and unmoving shadow, like that of a body of locusts spread over the earth.

4. [Sanskrit available]
I saw astonished at the sight, and cast my eyes on all sides to see what it was; I came to find the mountainous form of a man, falling fast from the sky; and hurling down like a whirlpool upon the earth.

5. [Sanskrit available]
Who can be this person? said I, is it the lord Virat with his mountainous body, or a mountain falling from the clouds? It fills the sky and the whole space of heaven, and hides the light of the day under its all developing shadow?

6. [Sanskrit available]
As I saw pondering in me what might this portent mean; (as whether it was the figure of Virat or the form of Brahma himself);I saw soon after, the bulky body of the sun falling down from heaven, it seemed to be hurled down by the hurricane of desolation and dashing with a hideous crash against the backbone or great belt of the mundane egg of Brahma.

7. [Sanskrit available]
Soon as this hideous and prodigious body, fell down upon the earth, it filled its whole surface, and covered the face of the seven continents and oceans.

8. [Sanskrit available]
I dreaded my imminent destruction, together with that of whole earth under its blow; and determined to enter into the ever burning fire by my side.

Then the lord fire said:—

9. [Sanskrit available]
the source of vedas, and my adored divinity in a hundred repeated births, appeared manifest before me in his cooling moon-like form, and said, fear not, no evil will betide thee.

10. [Sanskrit available]
I then addressed the god, saying: be victorious, O my lord and adored one in repeated births; save me from this untimely desolation, which is now impending on all.

11. [Sanskrit available]
Thus invoked by me, the god responded again saying the same words: "Fear thou not, but rise, O sinless one, and follow me to my region of the empyrean".

12. [Sanskrit available]
Saying so, he made me sit on the back of his parrot, and flew with me up to heaven; by burning athwart a part of the falling body.

13. [Sanskrit available]
Getting to the upper sky, I found the body as if it were made of wood, and it was this which struck so much terror below, as it is attended with the falling of a portent—a comet or meteor from above.

14. [Sanskrit available]
Then as it felt down in full force, the earth shook beneath its weight, with all trembling waters and tottering mountains, and shaking woods and forests. The mountains burst forth in cataracts, which overflowed on the land, and bored it to horrible holes.

15. [Sanskrit available]
The earth groaned from her bowels, and the sky roared on all its four sides; the heavens resounded to the roar, and mountains growled with the fearful howling of all beings, as at the approach of their last doom.

16. [Sanskrit available]
The earth groaned under the burden, and all the quarters trembled with fear; the vacuum was filled with the echo of cries rising from the earth, and the Garuda-eagles were on their flight through fear.

17. [Sanskrit available]
There arose a harsh and hideous uproar on high, from the loud bursting of the mountains below; and like the crashing and clattering of the dark and dense clouds of deluge, when they are shattered and scattered, by the blasts of diluvian winds.

18. [Sanskrit available]
The earth trembled and roared at the impetuous fall of the hideous carcass, and the resounding sky re-bellowed to the sound from its hundred mouths; the mountains burst out on all sides, and their falling fragments and pinnacles, were hurried headlong, and buried underneath the ground.

19. [Sanskrit available]
Its fall was as the breaking down of a mountain pinnacle or fragment, smashing the tops of the lower hills, rending and splitting the ground, and levelling all things on earth with the dust.

20. [Sanskrit available]
It perturbed the waters of the deep, and hurled down the hills to the ground; it crushed all living beings, and gave ample range to the sport of the agents of destruction (the Rudras).

21. [Sanskrit available]
The falling of the sun upon the earth, and his hiding the face of the continents under him; the crushing of mountains and the breaking down of towering cities.

22. [Sanskrit available]
The celestials saw all these from above this earth, which forms one half of the mundane egg, turning to a vacuum form; (i.e. vanishing into the air).

23. [Sanskrit available]
As I was looking on that mountainous body of flesh, (i.e. the huge carcass); I observed that the ample space of all the seven continents of the earth was not enough to contain this single body.

24. [Sanskrit available]
Seeing this, I applied to the good grace of the god of fire; and asked him saying, Lord what is this and what does it mean.

25. [Sanskrit available]
Why did the sun also fall down from heaven, along with that corpse;and how is it that the space of the whole earth and all its oceans, has not sufficient room to compass it?

The god of fire replied:—

26. [Sanskrit available]
Hold your patience, my son, for a while, until this portentous event passes away; when I will explain this marvellous matter fully to you.

27. [Sanskrit available]
Soon as the God had said these words, there flocked an assemblage of the celestials all around us; and it consisted of all kinds of beings that are born and move about in the aerial regions.

28. [Sanskrit available]
There were the siddhas, sadhyas, Apsaras, Daityas, Gandharvas and Kinnaras among them; together with the Munis, Rishis, yakshas and Patres, Matres and the gods also with them.

29. [Sanskrit available]
All these celestials then, bowed down their heads in veneration; and all joined with their prostrate bodies to praise the dark goddess of Night, who is the refuge and resort of all.

The celestials said:—

30. [Sanskrit available]
May that goddess protect us her protégés, who is immaculate and incomparable, and has the grey braids of Brahma's hairs, tied at the top of her khattanga ensign, and the heads of the slain Daityas, strung to the neck-chain hanging on her breast; who wears the feathers of Garuda on her head, and who after devouring the world, drinks off the deep also at the end.

Other Purana Concepts:

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Discover the significance of concepts within the article: ‘Story of the wonderful carcass’. Further sources in the context of Purana might help you critically compare this page with similair documents:

Rudra, Great wonder, Empty space, Seven continents, Celestial, Agents of destruction, Horrible sight.
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