SECTION XII. THE KALPA CYCLE.
When the Golden. Silver, Copper and Iron Ages, forming the Divine Cycle, have revolved for 1,000 times they complete a still larger cycle than the Manwantara, called the Kalpa. As each Manwantara is wound up with a Deluge, each Kalpa brings about a still greater disastrous event, that of the destruction of the lower three spheres of the universe, the Bhur, Bhuba and Swar. The description given of this great cyclic event in the Purānas as well as in the Mahābhārata, especialy by the Immortal Mārkandeya who has seen it many times, are simply appalling to the imagination of puny man.
As I have already said it is only the excessive accumulation of human sins (Tama-life) that causes these natural catastrophies. The sum of sins which causes the Kalpa dissolution is many times greater than that which is the cause of the Flood. Human sins, however, are the immediate cause. The real or latent cause is to be found in the operations of the Cardinal Attributes of Nature. Sattwa and Rāja are absolutely subdued by Tama, which then growing more and more intense bursts into a flame out of the friction of its own forces. This conflagration first manifests itself through etheric matter in the shape of seven suns suddenly appearing in the heavens and with their combined heat burning down the three spheres into ashes. This is followed by the appearance of strange clouds which then burst and deluge the ash-turned earth. The ash, in process of time, is absorbed by the water; then the air, turned into violent winds, absorbs the water; and then, when the air has been absorbed by ether (Akāsh), the destruction of the three spheres is completed.
The Immortal Mārkandeya described this Pralaya (Dissolution) five thousand years ago to King Yudhisthira in the presence of Krishna and the assembled sages in the Kāmyak Forest. The following is a summary of his statement:
"O King! At the end the Kali Yuga (previous to this Pralaya), when the earthly days of all beings have come to an end, no rains will fall on earth for many successive years in consequence of which all beings on earth will die, owing to unbearable heat and hunger caused by drought and famine. Then will appear simultaneously in the heavens seven suns which will draw all the waters from all seas and rivers. Whether dry or wet, whatever grass or wood there is on earth, will be reduced to tinder. Then will spring up the Fire, called Samvartak, which, aided by the wind, will attack the sun-absorbed earth and, piercing its surface, will burn all there is in its bowels. Indeed, by this wind-helped Samvartak Fire all created beings from the gods to creeping things and all that now exists in the three worlds will be destroyed and transformed into one huge heap of ashes.
"Then will appear in the firmament wonderful-looking, lightening-bedecked clouds, arrayed as garlanded rows of elephants. These clouds are, some of them, of the color of the blue lotus, some of the color of the Koomood flower, some of the color of the golden heart of the lotus, some yellow, some green, some speckled gray, like the color of the crow's egg, some colored like lotus leaves, some are light brown, others look like large cities, others like hordes of elephants, others like the color of eye-cosmetics, others shaped like crocodiles. These mysterious-looking, deep-sounding rain-clouds, sent by God, spreading themselves over the sky, will send down rains in a continuous stream, like watery pillars descending from above, inundating all the ash-heaped mountains and valleys, and extinguish the fearful Samvartak Fire.
"O King of the Pandus! Thus, after these rains have fallen continuously for twelve years, the waters of the seas will rise in a flood and cover the earth, at which, the still solid cohesiveness of her mountains giving way, the earth will sink to the bottom of the sea. Then the clouds, driven by the powerful winds in all directions, will suddenly disappear. Then he of the Lotus-Abode and Lotus-born, the primeval god, Brahmā, drinking in the winds and the air, will fall into sleep at the close of his day."
The lower three spheres—Bhur, Bhuba and Swar—are thus dissolved and there is nothing in their place but one vast expanse of water. The upper four spheres, Mahar, Jana, Tapa and Satya or Brahmā, remain intact. The dwellers of the Mahar Loka, however, unable to bear the heat of the Samvartak Fire during the earth s destruction, leave it and go up to the Jana to live there during the duration of the Pralaya.
Now, the question may be asked, why these four upper heavens are not destroyed, and how can there be an ocean of water When the Water Element is destroyed along with the other Elements?
The answer is very interesting and instructive. There are two kinds or states of these Five Elements—Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth. One may be called Pure and the other Mixed. The Pure state of an Element means wholly unmixed by even the least touch or tinge of the other four elements. A mixed Element is made up of half part of one Element mixed with one-eighth part of each of the other four Elements. The Bhur, Bhuba and Swar are made of these five Mixed Elements which being destroyed by this Kalpa Pralaya, the three spheres are necessarily destroyed too. The Upper four spheres are made of the Unmixed Elements and hence they survive the Kalpa dissolution of the Mixed Elements. It is needless to say that dwellers of these upper realms are possessed of a physical body made of these Five Pure Elements, and in the highest realms the dwellers have no physical bodies at all and therefore no elements in their make-up. The bodies of some of them are formed of the Five Finest essences of the Elements—Sound, Touch, Form, Taste and Smell; and of others, the highest beings in the Brahmā Loka, of nothing but Consciousness and Ego and Ensouled Mind.
The water of the Watery Expanse, into which the lower three spheres are reduced by the Kalpa Pralaya, is this Unmixed Pure Water, which is invisible to our ordinary physical eye. The world is indebted to the Immortal Mārkandeya for a description of what remains after this Kalpa dissolution. Blessed, then, with the finest and purest Element-body, he alone hovers over this vast Watery Expanse. His experiences are recorded in that History of the Universe, the Mahābhārata, of which here are a few details:
Said Mārkandeya: "O King! In this, time of the Kalpa Pralaya, when all gods, asuras, elements, demons, men, animals, trees and the firmament, etc., all, all the mobile and immobile beings and objects, will be dissolved into one vast ocean, I alone will hover over that endless expanse of water and become sad-hearted on viewing this general destruction. After floating on it for a very long period of time I will feel extremely exhausted. Then, shortly after, a huge tree in the midst of that one-ocean will attract my eye. O King! Resting on the spreading boughs of that tree I will see seated on a couch of glory a lotus-eyed Boy with a face radiant like the light of the full moon. Instantly on seeing him I shall be extremely astonished and will say within myself 'How wonderful! Everything has been destroyed, how then is this boy resting here?' O Great King! Although I am blessed with the knowledge of the past, present and future, I shall fail to know who that child may be.
"Then that lotus-eyed Boy will thus speak to me in the sweetest voice: 'O Mārkandeya! I know thee. Thou art become very weary and wishing for rest. Therefore do thou enter my body and live there as long as thou mayest desire. I have been very pleased with thee.' O King! on hearing these words of the Boy I will be filled with the spirit of indifference to my manhood and long life, at which suddenly that Boy will open his mouth, and I will then enter into that mouth through some divine means.
"O Great King! Through his mouth I shall enter his belly and to my astonishment, shall see within him this whole earth of many kingdoms and cities, rivers, mountains, seas, the blue heavens bedecked with the sun and the moon, and the many forests. There I shall find Brāhmans engaged in various religious ceremonies, the Kshatriyas in ruling to the satisfaction of all other castes, the Vaishyas in their usual vocation of agriculture, and the Sudras in rendering loving sacrifices to the Brāhmans; lions and tigers, and all the gods, angels and serial beings are living peacefully in their respective spheres. In fact, all that existed before I shall find existing within the belly of that Great Soul.
"O King! Thus, having seen the whole world within that Boy, I will travel for many thousand years, like one in a dream, within that world and in trying to find out its limit will rush in all directions but will not succeed in doing so. Then disappointment will turn my thoughts to that beautiful Boy again, and, with all the concentrated force in my body, mind and speech, I will then ask for his protection and grace. At this I will be carried, by a violent wind as it were, through his mouth out of his body and I will find him still sitting under that tree.
"The Boy will then ask me with delighted heart and smiling face, 'O my good Rishi Mārkandeya! Thou didst become very tired floating on these waters for such a long time. Have you now been well refreshed by living within my body?'
"Then I will behold my soul freed from all bondage by the illumination which will enter me with the Boy's words. And placing his crimson Feet on my head I will address him thus with folded hands and humility, 'How lucky I am! To-day I have beheld the Lotus-eyed God of Gods, the Soul of All Things! O God! I have become very curious to know Thee and this Thy wonderful Māyā (Illusion). Entering Thy belly through Thy mouth, I have seen the whole world existing there. O Lord! it was through Thy grace that I did not lose my memory, and it is through Thy will that I have now come out of Thy body. O Lotus-eyed! I have become very desirous to know Thee. Why art Thou resting here in the form of a Boy after having devoured the whole world? How is it that this whole world is now dwelling in Thy body? How much longer will Thou rest here? O Lord of Gods! These subjects are great and unthinkable, and so I beg to hear from Thee their detailed explanations.'
"The God of the Gods, after consoling me, on the last occasion, began to answer my questions. He said:
"'O Brāhman! Even the gods have failed to know the mysteries of my creation. I will tell thee of it only to please thee. O Rishi! Thy wonderful devotion to thy father and to Me and to spiritual celibacy have won thee this grace; I have appeared before thy vision. In time past I called water by the term "Nār" This Nār is ever my seat, hence I am called Nārāyan. I am the First Cause. I am Eternal, Inexhaustible, the Creator and Destroyer of all that exists. I am all Wealth, I am Death, I am Shiva. Fire is in my mouth, the earth is my feet, the sun is my two eyes, the Celestial Regions are my head, the sky and the cardinal points are my two ears. Space and Eternity are my body, the winds my mind.
"'All sacred ceremonies are performed to please Me. All the Vedas come out of and enter into Me. The peace-loving, mind-disciplined, enquiring, soul's-mystery-knowing Brāhmans contemplate and worship Me alone. I am the Fire called Samvartak, I am the Samvartak Winds, and it is I who am the Seven Suns that rise and shine in Pralaya. The stars that thou seest now in the firmament are the pores of my body, the sky is my raiment, the seas my seat and abode. It is I who have divided them as they are.
"'Men are born, are overwhelmed by My Māyā and become enterprising through my Law, never through their own desire. Those Brāhmans who thoroughly study the Vedas, perform many spiritual sacrifices, bring peace to their souls and vanquish anger; it is they who attain to Me. Those persons who are addicted to bad actions, are swayed by greed, are misers, crooked-minded and void of soul-culture can never reach Me. The paths of Yoga are as easy for pure souls to tread as they are uncertain to the wicked and the foolish.
"'Whenever religion suffers from revolution and vice triumphs over virtue, I create myself and walk the earth and set things right. Whenever are born on the earth the selfish and envious Asuras and Demons so powerful that even the gods cannot destroy them, I in the form of man take birth in the family of pious men and bring peace to the world again by subduing them. I am white-complexioned in the Satya Yuga, yellow in the Tretā, red in the Dwāpar and dark in the Kali. At the end of each great cycle it is I who destroy every thing. I am the Three Paths, the Soul of the Universe, Giver of all Happiness, Superior to All, All-Pervading, the Endless and the All-Powerful.
"'At the last Kali Yuga of each Kalpa I spread my illusion upon all beings and enter into my trance-state. When old, old Brahmā, transformed into a child, goes to sleep and keeps sleeping, I rest here on the waters until he is awakened. Now, go thou about on the waters in restful spirit until that time, when I alone will create again earth and sky and light, air and water, and all bodies.'
"So saying, O King, that wonderful Being vanished from my view. Then by and by this world was created again. Thus in the last Kalpa Pralaya did I witness this wonderful event. The Lotus-Eyed Diety I then saw, you brothers have now established blood relations with Him, this Krishna. It is through His grace that I have obtained uninterrupted memory, become so long-lived and endowed with the boon of dying at my will. This Krishna who is now sitting before us all, this Krishna present here, who is born in the line of the Vrishnis, is just now merely playing on His earth. But it is He, this Krishna, who is the Ancient Person, the Lord, the Unthinkable Soul, the Creator, the Destroyer, the Eternal and the Master of All! I have been able to remember all these facts only through the inspiration of His presence here. He is the Mother and Father of all beings: do you all take His Refuge."
Krishna has been called Nārāyan here by Mārkandeya, because Nārāyan, the Fourth Form-manifestation of Krishna in the unfoldment of creation, is generally known as the Supreme Diety—Krishna. Nārāyan, as I have said before this, is Aniruddha out of whose navel springs the seed-bud Lotus with Brahmā, the operating Creator of the details Creation.