Matsya Purana

युगान्तवाताभिहता यदा भवति नौर् नृप शृङ्गे ऽस्मिन्मम राजेन्द्र तदेमां संयमिष्यसि

When the boat is struck by the winds at the end of the age, O king, you shall tie it to this horn of mine, O lord of kings.

ततो लयान्ते सर्वस्य स्थावरस्य चरस्य च प्रजापतिस्त्वं भविता जगतः पृथिवीपते

Then, at the end of the dissolution of all that is moving and unmoving, you will become the progenitor of the world, O king of the earth.

एवं कृतयुगस्यादौ सर्वज्ञो धृतिमान्नृपः मन्वन्तराधिपश्चापि देवपूज्यो भविष्यसि

Thus, at the beginning of the Kṛta Yuga, you, the all-knowing and steadfast king, will become the lord of the Manvantara and worthy of worship by the gods.

एवमुक्तो मनुस्तेन पप्रच्छ मधुसूदनम् भगवन्कियद्भिर्वर्षैर् भविष्यत्यन्तरक्षयः

Thus addressed, Manu asked Madhusūdana, 'Blessed one, after how many years will the destruction come?'

सत्त्वानि च कथं नाथ रक्षिष्ये मधुसूदन त्वया सह पुनर्योगः कथं वा भविता मम

'And how, O lord, Madhusūdana, shall I protect the beings? How will I be united with you again?'

अद्यप्रभृत्यनावृष्टिर् भविष्यति महीतले यावद्वर्षशतं साग्रं दुर्भिक्षम् अशुभावहम्

From today onward, there will be no rainfall upon the earth for one hundred years and more—a famine will arise, bringing misfortune.

ततो ऽल्पसत्त्वक्षयदा रश्मयः सप्त दारुणाः सप्तसप्तेर्भविष्यन्ति प्रतप्ताङ्गारवर्षिणः

Then, when living beings are few and perishing, the seven terrible rays of the seven suns will appear, raining down burning embers.

और्वानलो ऽपि विकृतिं गमिष्यति युगक्षये विषाग्निश्चापि पातालात् संकर्षणमुखच्युतः भवस्यापि ललाटोत्थस् तृतीयनयनानलः

At the end of the age, the fire of Aurva will also become fierce, and the poison-fire, released from the mouth of Sankarṣaṇa in the netherworld, as well as the fire from the third eye on the forehead of Bhava, will manifest.

त्रिजगन्निर्दहन् क्षोभं समेष्यति महामुने एवं दग्धा मही सर्वा यदा स्याद्भस्मसंनिभा

Burning the three worlds, it will bring turmoil, O great sage; when the entire earth is thus consumed and becomes like ashes—

आकाशमूष्मणा तप्तं भविष्यति परंतप ततः सदेवनक्षत्रं जगद्यास्यति संक्षयम्

The sky will be intensely heated, O scorcher of foes, and then the world, along with the gods and stars, will come to destruction.

संवर्तो भीमनादश्च द्रोणश्चण्डो बलाहकः विद्युत्पताकः शोणस्तु सप्तैते लयवारिदाः

Saṃvarta, Bhīmanāda, Droṇa, Caṇḍa, Balāhaka, Vidyutpatāka, and Śoṇa—these seven are the clouds of dissolution.

अग्निप्रस्वेदसम्भूताः प्लावयिष्यन्ति मेदिनीम् समुद्राः क्षोभमागत्य चैकत्वेन व्यवस्थिताः

Born from the sweat of fire, they will flood the earth; the oceans, agitated, will merge together as one.

एतदेकार्णवं सर्वं करिष्यन्ति जगत्त्रयम् वेदनावमिमां गृह्य सत्त्वबीजानि सर्वशः

They will make all three worlds into a single ocean, taking up the boat of the Vedas and all the seeds of beings.

आरोप्य रज्जुयोगेन मत्प्रदत्तेन सुव्रत संयम्य नावं मच्छृङ्गे मत्स्यभावाभिरक्षितः

Fastening the boat with a rope I have given you, O virtuous one, you shall secure it to my horn, protected by me in the form of a fish.

एकः स्थास्यसि देवेषु दग्धेष्वपि परंतप सोमसूर्यावहं ब्रह्मा चतुर्लोकसमन्वितः

You alone will remain among the gods, even when they are burned, O scorcher of foes, together with Brahmā, who carries the moon and sun, and the four worlds.

नर्मदा च नदी पुण्या मार्कण्डेयो महानृषिः भवो वेदाः पुराणानि विद्याभिः सर्वतोवृतम्

The sacred river Narmadā, the great sage Mārkaṇḍeya, Bhava, the Vedas, the Purāṇas, and all the sciences, surrounded on every side—

त्वया सार्धमिदं विश्वं स्थास्यत्यन्तरसंक्षये एवमेकार्णवे जाते चाक्षुषान्तरसंक्षये

With you, this universe will endure through the intermediate dissolution; thus, when the one ocean arises at the dissolution of the Cākṣuṣa epoch—

वेदान्प्रवर्तयिष्यामि त्वत्सर्गादौ महीपते एवमुक्त्वा स भगवांस् तत्रैवान्तरधीयत

At the beginning of your creation, O king, I will set forth the Vedas; having spoken thus, the Blessed Lord vanished right there.

मनुर् अप्यास्थितो योगं वासुदेवप्रसादजम् अभ्यसन् यावद् आभूतसम्प्लवं पूर्वसूचितम्

Manu, too, engaged in the yoga born of Vāsudeva’s grace, practicing until the foretold great flood arrived.

काले यथोक्ते संजाते वासुदेवमुखोद्गते शृङ्गी प्रादुर्बभूवाथ मत्स्यरूपी जनार्दनः

When the appointed time came, from the mouth of Vāsudeva, the horned one appeared—Janārdana in the form of a fish.

भुजंगो रज्जुरूपेण मनोः पार्श्वमुपागमत् भूतान्सर्वान्समाकृष्य योगेनारोप्य धर्मवित्

A serpent, in the form of a rope, approached Manu’s side; gathering all beings, the knower of righteousness placed them on board through yoga.

भुजंगरज्ज्वा मत्स्यस्य शृङ्गे नावमयोजयत् उपर्युपस्थितस्तस्याः प्रणिपत्य जनार्दनम्

With the serpent-rope, he fastened the boat to the fish’s horn; standing above it, he bowed to Janārdana.

आभूतसम्प्लवे तस्मिन्न् अतीते योगशायिना पृष्टेन मनुना प्रोक्तं पुराणं मत्स्यरूपिणा तदिदानीं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुध्वमृषिसत्तमाः

When that great flood had passed, Manu asked the fish-formed Lord, who reclined in yoga, about the ancient lore; I shall now relate that, so listen, O best of sages.

यद्भवद्भिः पुरा पृष्टः सृष्ट्यादिकमहं द्विजाः तद् एवैकार्णवे तस्मिन् मनुः पप्रच्छ केशवम्

O twice-born, what you previously asked me about—the origin of creation and so forth—Manu asked that very same question of Keshava on the primeval ocean.

उत्पत्तिं प्रलयं चैव वंशान्मन्वन्तराणि च वंश्यानुचरितं चैव भुवनस्य च विस्तरम्

He inquired about creation and dissolution, the lineages and the Manus, the deeds of their descendants, and the expanse of the worlds.

दानधर्मविधिं चैव श्राद्धकल्पं च शाश्वतम् वर्णाश्रमविभागं च तथेष्टापूर्तसंज्ञितम्

He also asked about the rules of charity and righteousness, the eternal rites of ancestor worship, the divisions of class and stage of life, and what is known as acts of sacrifice and beneficence.

देवतानां प्रतिष्ठादि यच्चान्यद्विद्यते भुवि तत्सर्वं विस्तरेण त्वं धर्मं व्याख्यातुमर्हसि

He asked about the establishment of the gods and whatever else exists on earth; you should explain all this dharma in detail.

महाप्रलयकालान्त एतदासीत्तमोमयम् प्रसुप्तमिव चातर्क्यम् अप्रज्ञातमलक्षणम्

At the end of the great dissolution, all this was enveloped in darkness—unfathomable, unmanifest, and without discernible characteristics, as if in deep sleep.

अविज्ञेयमविज्ञातं जगत् स्थास्नु चरिष्णु च ततः स्वयम्भूर् अव्यक्तः प्रभवः पुण्यकर्मणाम्

The world, both stationary and moving, was unknowable and unknown; then the self-born, unmanifest source of all virtuous deeds arose.