A Prose English Translation of Vishnupuranam / (Based on Professor H. H. Wilson's translation.)

by Unknown

SECTION IV.

Parāçara said:—O great ascetic, the waters having reached the region of the seven Rishis the whole of three worlds becomes one ocean. The breath of Vishnu, thereupon, becomes a strong wind, which blows for more than a hundred years until all the clouds are dispersed. The wind is then re-absorbed and he, of whom all beings are made, the lord by whom all things exist, he, who is inconceivable, without beginning of the universe, reposes sleeping upon Sesha in the midst of the ocean. The creator Hari, sleeps upon the ocean in the form of Brahmā glorified by Sanaka and the saints who had departed to the Janaloka and contemplated by the holy inhabitants of Brahmaloka, anxious for final liberation—involved in mystic slumber, the celestial personification of his own illusions and meditating on his own ineffable spirit which is called Vāsudeva. This, O Majtreya, is the dissolution called incidental, because, Hari, in the form of Brahmā, sleeps there as its incidental cause.

When the universal spirit wakes, the world revives: when he clears his eyes, all things fall upon the bed of mystic sleep. In the same manner a thousand great eyes comprise a day of Brahmā so his night consists of the same period: during which the world is submerged by a vast ocean. Awaking at the end of his night the unborn Vishnu, in the character of Brahmā, creates the universe anew in the manner formerly described unto you. I have thus related to you the intermediate dissolution of the world taking place at the end of every Kalpa. I will now, O Maitreya, describe to you elemental dissolution. When by dearth and fire all the worlds and Patalas are dried up and the modification of Mahat and other products of nature are by the will of Krishna destroyed the progress of elemental dissolution is begun. At first the waters swallow up the property of earth which is the rudiment of smell; and earth, deprived of its property, proceeds to destruction. Devoid of the rudiment of odour the earth becomes identical with water. The water then being much increased roaring and rushing along fill up all space whether agitated or still. When the universe is thus pervaded by the waves of the watery element its rudimental flavour is licked up by the element of fire and on account of the destruction of these rudiments the waters themselves are destroyed. Devoid of the essential element of flavour they become identical with fire and the universe is therefore entirely filled with flame which drinks up the water on every side and gradually overspreads the whole of the world. While space is envelope in flame above, below and all around the element of the wind seizes upon the rudimental property or form which is the cause of light, and that being withdrawn, all becomes of the nature of air. The rudiment of form being destroyed and fire deprived of its rudiment, air extinguishes fire and spreads resistlessly over space which is deprived of when fire mages into air. Air then accompanied by sound which is the source of ether, extends everywhere throughout the ten regions of space until ether seizes upon contact, its rudimental property; by the loss of which air is destroyed and ether remains unchanged: devoid of form, flavour, touch and smell, it exists unembodied and vast and pervades the whole of space. Ether, whose characteristic property and rudiment is sound exists alone occupying all the vacuity of space. At then the radical element egotism devours sound and all the elements and faculties are at once merged into their original. This primary element is conscientiousness combined with the property of darkness and is itself swallowed up by Mahat whose characteristic property is intelligence; and earth and Mahat are the inner and outer boundaries of the universe. In this manner, as in the creation were the seven forms of nature (Prakriti) reckoned from Mahat to earth; so at the time of elemental dissolution these seven successively re-enter into each other. The egg of Brahmā is dissolved in the waters that surround it, with its seven zones, seven oceans, seven regions, and their mountains. The investure of water is drunk up by fire; the stratum of fire is absorbed by that of air: air blends itself with ether; the primary element of egotism devours the ether and is itself taken up by intellect, which, along with all those, is seized upon by nature. Equilibrium of the three properties, without excess or deficiency, is called nature (Prakriti), origin (Hetu), the chief Principle (Pradhāna) cause (Kārana), supreme (Param). This Prakriti is essentially the same, whether discrete or indiscrete; only that which is discrete finally is lost or absorbed in the indiscrete. Spirit also which is one, pure, imperishable, eternal, all-pervading is a portion of that supreme spirit which is all things. That spirit which is other than embodied spirit, in which there are no attributes of name, species or the like—which is one with all wisdom and is to be understood as sole existence, that is Brahmā, infinite glory, supreme spirit, supreme power, Vishnu, all that is from whence the perfect sage returns no more. Prakriti, which I have described to you as being essentially both discrete and indiscrete and spirit both resolve into spirit, supreme spirit is the upholder of all things and the ruler of all things and is glorified in the Vedas and in the Vedanta by the name of Vishnu.

Works as sanctioned by the Vedas are of two kinds, active and quiescent; by both of which the universal person is worshipped by mankind. He, the lord of sacrifice, the male of sacrifice, the most excellent Purusha, is worshipped by men in the active mode, by rites enjoined in the Rik, Yayur and Sama Vedas. The soul of wisdom, the person of wisdom, Vishnu, the giver of emancipation is worshipped by the sages in the quiescent form through meditative devotion. The exhaustless Vishnu is whatever thing that is designated by long, short or prolated syllables or that which is without a name. He is that which is dissolute or that which is indescrete: he is exhaustless spirit, supreme spirit, universal spirit, Hari, the assumer of universal forms. Nature, discrete or indiscrete is absorbed unto him, and spirit also merges into the all diffusive and unobstructed spirit. The period of two Parārdhas, as I have related to you, O Maitreya, constitutes a day of that powerful Vishnu, and whilst the products of nature are merged into this source, nature into spirit and that into the supreme, that period is called his night and is of equal duration with his day. But in reality, to that supreme spirit there is neither day nor night and these distinctions are only figuratively applied to the Almighty. I have thus explained to you the nature of elemental dissolution and will now explain to you which is final.