Kurma Purana

माता पिता महादेवो मत्तो ह्यन्यन्न विद्यते

Mother, father, the great god—apart from me, nothing else exists.

ज्ञात्वात्मानममृतत्वं व्रजन्ति

Knowing the self, they attain immortality.

प्राकृतं हि समासेन शृणुध्वं गदतो मम

Now hear from me, in brief, about the primordial nature.

कालाग्निर्भस्मसात् कर्तुं करोति निकिलं मतिम्

Time-fire, intending to reduce all to ashes, brings everything to its end.

दहेदशेषं ब्रह्माण्डं सदेवासुरमानुषम्

It burns up entirely the cosmic egg, with gods, demons, and humans.

करोति लोकसंहारं भीषणं रूपमाश्रितः

Assuming a terrifying form, it brings about the destruction of the worlds.

निर्दहत्यखिलं लोकं सप्तसप्तिस्वरूपधृक्

Bearing the form of the seven sevens, it burns up all the worlds.

देवतानां शरीरेषु क्षिपत्यखिलदाहकम्

He casts the all-consuming fire into the bodies of the gods.

एकासा साक्षिणी शंभोस्तिष्ठते वैदिकी श्रुतिः

The one Vedic revelation, as witness, abides with Śambhu.

आदित्यचन्द्रादिगणैः पूरयन् व्योममण्डलम्

Filling the vault of the sky with hosts of suns, moons, and others.

सहस्रहस्तचरणः सहस्रार्चिर्महाभुजः

With a thousand hands and feet, with a thousand rays, the mighty-armed one.

त्रिशूली कृत्तिवसनो योगमैश्वरमास्थितः

Holding the trident, clad in a tiger skin, established in yogic lordship.

करोति ताण्डवं देवीमालोक्य परमेश्वरः

The supreme lord performs the Tāṇḍava dance, beholding the goddess.

योगमास्थाय देवस्य देहमायाति शूलिनः

Having entered into yoga, he enters the body of the trident-bearer.

ज्योतिः स्वभावं भगवान् दग्ध्वा ब्रह्माण्डमण्डलम्

The blessed one, whose nature is light, having burned up the cosmic sphere.

गुणैरशेषैः पृथिवीविलयं याति वारिषु

With all its qualities, the earth dissolves into the waters.

तेजस्तु गुणसंयुक्तं वायौ संयाति संक्षयम्

Then, endowed with its qualities, fire passes into air and is extinguished.

भूतादौ च तथाकाशं लीयते गुणसंयुतम्

In the primordial element, likewise, space merges, endowed with its qualities.

वैकारिके देवगणाः प्रलंय यान्ति सत्तमाः

The divine hosts, of the purest sattva, dissolve into the vaikārika principle.

त्रिविधो ऽयमहङ्कारो महति प्रलंय व्रजेत्

This threefold ego merges into the great principle at the time of dissolution.

अव्यक्तं जगतो योनिः संहरेदेकमव्ययम्

The unmanifest, the womb of the world, withdraws everything into the one imperishable.

वियोजयति चान्योन्यं प्रधानं पुरुषं परम्

And it separates from each other the primordial nature and the supreme person.

महेश्वरेच्छाजनितो न स्वयं विद्यते लयः

Dissolution does not occur on its own; it arises from the will of the great Lord.

प्रधानं जगतो योनिर्मायातत्त्वमचेतनम्

Primordial nature, the womb of the world, is the principle of illusion, unconscious.

गीयते मुनिभिः साक्षी महानेकः पितामहः

The sages sing of the great, manifold witness, the grandfather of all.

प्रधानाद्यं विशेषान्तं दहेद् रुद्र इति श्रुतिः

From primordial nature to the final particular, Rudra burns all—so declares the scripture.

आत्यन्तिकं चैव लयं विदधातीह शङ्करः

Here, Śaṅkara brings about the ultimate dissolution.

स्थापिका मोहनी शक्तिर्नारायण इति श्रुतिः

The power that establishes and deludes is called Nārāyaṇa, so says the scripture.

सृजेदशेषं प्रकृतेस्तन्मयः पञ्चविंशकः

He creates all from primordial nature, consisting of the twenty-five principles.