Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) (40 page)

‘“O bull among the Bharata lineage! When there is little time of one thousand years left at the end of a yuga, all men usually become the speakers of falsehood. O Partha! They perform sacrifices through representatives. They donate through representatives. When such a time arrives, vows are observed through representatives. The brahmanas perform the tasks of shudras. Shudras become the earners of wealth and resort to the dharma of kshatriyas. This is what occurs when the yuga decays. When kali yuga arrives, brahmanas abstain from sacrifices and studying. They discard the offerings of oblations to ancestors. They resort to eating anything. O son!
⁷⁴
Brahmanas no longer meditate and shudras become addicted to meditation. O lord of men! When the earlier form of the world decays, everything is perverse. There are many mleccha
⁷⁵
kings. They rule on the basis of falsehood and evil. They resort to false promises. O supreme among men! Andhras, Shakas, Pulindas and Yavanas become kings, and Kambojas, Ournikas, shudras and
abhira
s.
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Not a single brahmana makes a living from his own dharma then. O lord of men! Kshatriyas and vaishyas also do what they should not do. Men are limited in life expectancy and feeble in strength. They are weak in energy and valour. They have little substance and their bodies are weak. They rarely speak the truth. The country is generally empty and the directions are infested with animals and predators. When the end of the yuga is at hand, learning about the brahman is futile. The shudras address as ‘bho’ and the brahmanas address as ‘arya’.
⁷⁷
O tiger among men! At the end of the yuga, there are many animals. O lord of the earth! Everything that is fragrant no longer possesses any smell then.
O tiger among men! What is succulent is no longer fit to be eaten then. There are many children, short in stature, devoid of good conduct. O king! When the destruction of the yuga is near, women use their mouths as their vaginas. The country is dotted with towers.
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The crossroads are infested with jackals. O king! At the time of the destruction of a yuga, the women are covered with hair. O lord of men! The cows then yield very little milk. The trees yield very little of flowers and fruit and are full of crows. O lord of the earth! Brahmanas accept gifts from kings who are guilty of killing brahmanas and are the makers of false accusations. The brahmanas are overcome by avarice and delusion. They falsely invoke their own dharma. O lord of the earth! They roam the land in search of alms. Fearful of the burden of taxation, householders become robbers. Others assume the disguise of hermits, but earn a living from trade. Men then bear nails and hair under false pretences.
⁷⁹
O tiger among men! Those practising brahmacharya become greedy for riches. They observe evil conduct in hermitages and are addicted to drinking. They unite with the wives of their preceptors. They pander to the desires of this world, nourishing their flesh and blood. O tiger among men! When the destruction of the yuga is near, hermitages are infested with many evil characters, who have the quality of living off the food of others. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The illustrious chastiser of Paka
⁸⁰
no longer showers rain at the right time. All the seeds that are sown, no longer sprout. O unblemished one! The fruits of not following dharma become manifold. O protector of the earth! He who is united with dharma only has a short span of life. There is no dharma left then. O tiger among men! People generally sell goods with false weights. There is a lot of deceit associated with trade. People who are devoted to dharma, decay. The evil ones prosper. Dharma loses its strength and that which is not dharma becomes powerful. Men who are devoted to dharma have short spans of life and are poor. At the time of the destruction of the yuga, those who are against dharma have
long spans of life and are prosperous. Subjects seek to attain their objectives by resorting to that which is not dharma. Having accumulated only a little, they become insolent. O king! Having become addicted to deceit, men generally rob riches that have been placed with them in trust. Predators that live off men, birds and animals roam around in parks and sanctuaries in cities. O king! Women conceive at ages of seven years and eight. Men who are ten and twelve years of age beget sons. When they are sixteen years old, men become aged and a man’s lifespan is swiftly over. O great king! At the end of a yuga, young ones act like the old. The conduct that should be seen in the young is seen in the old. Women exhibit perverse conduct and deceive their husbands. These lascivious ones pleasure with servants, and even animals.

‘“O great king! At the end of those one thousand yugas,
⁸¹
when life decays, there is a drought for many years. O lord of the earth! Because beings have weak lives and are starving, they die in large numbers on the surface of the earth. O lord of men! Seven blazing suns appear then. They drink up all the waters from the oceans and the rivers. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O bull among the Bharata lineage! Everything is then reduced to ashes, be it of wood or grass, dry or wet. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Then the fire of destruction arrives, together with the wind, in a world that has already been dried up by the suns. It penetrates the earth and goes all the way to the nether regions, generating great terror among the gods, the danavas and the yakshas. It burns down the world of the nagas and whatever can be found on earth. O protector of the earth! It burns down everything in an instant. Twenty yojanas at a time, that fire of destruction, helped by the inauspicious wind, consumes everything in hundreds and thousands, with all the gods, asuras, gandharvas, yakshas, serpents and rakshasas. That blazing lord burns up the entire universe. Then large clouds, extraordinary to see, arise in the sky. They are like herds of elephants, adorned with garlands of lightning. Some are dark like blue lotuses, others are like white lotuses. Some are like filaments. Other clouds are yellow. Still others
have the complexion of a raven’s egg. Some have the colour of lotus leaves. Others have the complexion of vermilion. Some have the shapes of large cities. Others are like herds of elephants. Some are like collyrium. Others have the shape of crocodiles.
⁸²
The dense clouds are adorned with garlands of lightning. O great king! They are terrible in form and utter a terrible roar. Full of rain, they cover up the entire sky. O great king! They cover up the earth, with all its mountains, forests and mines. They fill and flood it with water. O bull among men! Instructed by Parameshthi, those clouds, with a terrible roar, flood everything. The copious quantities of water fill up the earth. They extinguish the extremely terrible and inauspicious fire. The clouds generate a flood for twelve years. Instructed by the great-souled one, the rains fill everything. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The ocean flows over its tideline. The mountains are splintered. In particular, the earth is also shattered. Then swift winds suddenly whirl the clouds in the sky and that gust tears them up. O lord of men! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The self-creating original god
⁸³
drinks up these terrible winds and continues to sleep on his lotus bed. In that terrible ocean, everything is destroyed, mobile and immobile. The gods, the masses of asuras, the yakshas and the rakshasas are destroyed. O protector of the earth! There are no men, no animals and no trees. There is no firmament in this world. I alone wander around anxiously.

‘“O supreme among kings! Once, when I roamed around in this terrible ocean of water, I was filled with great affliction at not seeing any being. O lord of men! I had floated around for a long time in this flood. I was exhausted. But I continued uninterrupted, since I could not find a place to rest. O lord of the earth! Then, in that great flood of water, I saw an extremely tall and wide banyan tree. O lord of men! The branches of that tree were extensive. O protector of the earth! O great king! There, on a bed adorned with celestial spreads, I saw a seated child. His face was like a lotus or the moon. His eyes were as large as a blossoming lotus. O protector of the earth! I was
struck with great wonder. How could this child be lying there, when the entire world has been destroyed? O lord of men! Through the power of austerities, I can reflect upon the past, the present and the future. But I could not fathom this child. He had the complexion of an
atasi
flower.
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He bore the
srivatsa
mark.
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This seemed to me to be the abode of Lakshmi herself. The radiant child, with eyes like a lotus and bearing the srivatsa mark, spoke to me in words that were pleasant to hear. ‘O son!
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I know that you are exhausted and desire to rest. O Markandeya! O Bhargava!
⁸⁷
Rest here for as long as you wish. O supreme among sages! Enter my body. Rest here. That is the place that has been earmarked for you because of my favours.’ O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Thus addressed by the child, I lost all interest in my long life and human state. Then that child suddenly opened his mouth wide. Propelled by destiny, I powerlessly entered his mouth. O lord of men! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O tiger among men! Thus suddenly entering the inside of his mouth, I saw the entire earth, covered with all its kingdoms and cities, the rivers Ganga, Shatadru, Sita, Yamuna, Koushiki, Charmanvati, Vetravati, Chandrabhaga, Sarasvati, Sindhu, Vipasha, Godavari, Vasvokasara, Nalini, Narmada, the rivers Tamra and Vena with pure waters that bring fortune, Suvena, Krishnavena, Irama, Mahanadi, Shona, Vishalya and Kampuna. O supreme among men! I saw many other rivers that flow on earth. I wandered around inside that great-souled one. I saw oceans infested with aquatic animals. I saw that supreme abode of the waters, a storehouse of gems. I saw the sky there, illuminated with the moon and the sun. It blazed with energy, like the fire and the sun. O king! I saw the earth, beautifully adorned with its forests. O king! The brahmanas were engaged in many sacrifices. The kshatriyas were engaged in ensuring the welfare of all the varnas. O lord of men! The vaishyas were engaged in agriculture.
The shudras were always engaged in the servitude of the brahmanas.
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O king! Then, wandering around inside the great-souled one, I saw the Himalayas and Mount Hemakuta. I saw Nishadha and Shveta, adorned with silver. O protector of the earth! O tiger among men! I saw Mount Gandhamadana and the great mountains Mandara and Nila. O great king! I saw the golden Mount Meru. I saw Mahendra and Vindhya, supreme among mountains. I saw Malaya and Mount Pariyatra. I saw many other mountains too. I saw all these inside his stomach, adorned with jewels. O lord of men! O lord of the earth! I saw lions, tigers, boars and serpents and all the other beings that populate the earth. I saw all these as I was roaming around there. O tiger among men! Having entered the inside and wandering around in various directions, I saw the masses of gods headed by Shakra, the gandharvas, the apsaras, the yakshas and the rishis. O lord of men! There were the daityas, the danavas and collections of kaleyas, the sons of Simhika and other enemies of the gods. Whatever could be seen in the world, mobile or immobile, everything could be seen inside the great-souled one. Surviving on fruits, I roamed around in this entire universe inside his body for more than one hundred years. O lord of the earth! But while I constantly roamed around and thought, nowhere could I see an end to the body.

‘“O king! Not being able to find an end to the great-souled one, following the prescribed rites, I sought refuge, in both thought and deeds, with this great-souled one, the granter of boons and worthy among gods. O king! O supreme among men! Then suddenly, a gust of wind expelled me from the mouth of the great-souled one, the mouth having been opened wide. O lord of the earth! O tiger among men! Then, seated on the branch of the banyan tree, I saw the one who had swallowed up the universe. He was in the form of a child, with the srivatsa mark. O tiger among men! I saw the infinitely energetic one seated there. The immensely radiant one blazed in his yellow attire, bearing the srivatsa mark. He smiled and gently addressed me. ‘O
Markandeya! O supreme among sages! Tell me. Have you rested while you have been residing inside my body?’ Instantly, I seemed to acquire a new insight. I saw myself with a new consciousness, free from the confines of the soul. O son!
⁸⁹
The soles of his well-established feet were coppery red. They were delicate and adorned with soft and red toes. I grasped them, placed them reverentially on my head, and worshipped him. I had seen the limitless powers of that infinitely energetic one. Humbly, I joined my hands in salutation and carefully approached him. I saw the lotus-eyed god who was the soul of all beings. Bowing before him with hands joined in salutation, I said, ‘O god! I wish to know about you and about your supreme maya. O illustrious one! Having entered your body through your mouth, I saw all the worlds gathered in your stomach. O god! The gods, the danavas, the rakshasas, the yakshas, the gandharvas and the nagas and all the mobile and immobile objects in the universe were inside your body. O god! Though I ran and continuously roamed around inside your body, through your favours, my memory never failed me. O Pundarikaksha! O unblemished one! I wish to know why you have established yourself in the form of a child. Why have you swallowed up the entire universe? You should explain this to me. O unblemished one! O destroyer of enemies! For what purpose is everything in the universe inside your body? For how long will you be established here? O lord of the gods! I wish to hear this. It is a brahmana’s desire. O lotus-eyed one! Tell me everything in detail. O lord! What I have seen is greatly beyond my comprehension.’ Having been thus addressed by me, the handsome god of the gods, immensely radiant, supreme among eloquent ones, comforted me and spoke these words to me.”’

‘“The god said, ‘O brahmana! It is certain that the gods do not know me as I really am. But I am pleased with you
and I will tell you how I create. O brahmana rishi! You are devoted to your ancestors and you have sought refuge with me. That is the reason you have seen me in person. Your brahmacharya is also great. The waters are known as
nara
and I consciously gave them that name. Because the waters are always my abode, I am known by the name of Narayana.
⁹⁰
O supreme among brahmanas! I am known by the name of Narayana. My powers are eternal and undecaying. I am the creator and the destroyer of all beings. I am Vishnu. I am Brahma. I am Shakra, the lord of the gods. I am king Vaishravana.
⁹¹
I am Yama, the lord of the dead. I am Shiva. I am Soma. I am Kashyapa Prajapati. O supreme among brahmanas! I am the creator and the special creator.
⁹²
I am the sacrifice. The fire is my mouth. The earth is my feet. The sun and the moon are my eyes. The directions and the sky are my body. The wind is established in my mind. I have performed many hundreds of sacrifices, in which large numbers of gifts have been given. I am the sacrifices performed by those learned in the Vedas. I am present in the sacrifices of the gods. On earth, the lords and kings of the kshatriyas, desirous of attaining heaven, sacrifice to me. The vaishyas, desirous of attaining heaven, also sacrifice to me. I become Shesha and hold up this earth full of riches, bounded by the four seas and adorned by Meru and Mandara.
⁹³
In earlier times, in the form of a boar, I used my valour to raise up the earth, when it was immersed in the water.
⁹⁴
O brahmana! O supreme among brahmanas! As the
vadava
fire, I drink up the turbulent waters and disgorge them again.
⁹⁵
Through my valour, in due order, the brahmanas emerged from my mouth, the kshatriyas from my arms, the vaishyas from my thighs and the shudras from my feet. The Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda issued from me and return
to me. Ascetics desire supreme tranquility. They wish to control their souls. They are free from desire, anger and hatred. They are without attachment and have overcome sin. They are pure and without pride. They are always learned about matters concerning the soul. These brahmanas always meditate on me. They worship me. I am the light of destruction. I am Yama, the destroyer. I am the sun of destruction. I am the wind of destruction. O supreme among brahmanas! Know that the forms that can be seen in the sky in the form of stars are manifestations of me. So are the oceans, the storehouses of jewels and the four directions. Know them to be my garments, my beds and my abodes. O virtuous one! Desire, anger, happiness, fear and delusion—know them to be different forms of me. O brahmana! So are whatever is obtained by men through performing good deeds, speaking the truth, performing austerities and observing non-violence towards creatures. It is my rules that determine all beings who live in bodies. They do not act in accordance with their desires, but their minds are guided by me. There are brahmanas who have properly studied the Vedas. They perform different kinds of sacrifices. They pacify their souls and control their anger. They earn merits. O learned one! These are incapable of being earned by men who perform evil deeds and are overcome by greed—men who are mean, inferior and not in control of their souls. Know that I am the greatest reward that righteous men strive for. This is the path chosen by those who resort to yoga, but is impossible for ignorant ones to achieve. O learned one! Whenever dharma goes into a decline and adharma
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raises its head, then I create myself. Whenever daityas, addicted to violence and incapable of being killed by the supreme among the gods, and terrible rakshasas are created in this world, then I am born in the houses of those who perform good deeds. I assume a human form and pacify everything.