अनन्तवनविन्यासनवयौवनपावकः । उदयास्तमयाद्रिभ्यो विन्ध्यो विधुरताम् अगात्
The Vindhya mountain, scorched by the fire of endless forests and youthful flames, became desolate from the rising and setting peaks.
अङ्गारकल्पविटपैर् ज्वालावनविवल्गनैः । शरैर् ईश इव क्षुब्धस् सह्यो ऽसह्यत्वम् आययौ
With trees resembling embers and forests of leaping flames, the Sahya mountain, agitated like a lord by arrows, became unbearable.
मध्यमध्यकचत्कार्ष्ण्यं भ्रमद्धूमालिमालितम् । चलज्ज्वालाब्जम् अनिलैर् मृष्टं सर इवाम्बरम्
The middle of the sky was darkened by swirling smoke, blackened and veiled, as if the sky were a lake disturbed by winds, its surface rippling with moving flames like lotuses.
खे ऽद्रीणां शिखरोर्व्यो ऽग्निशिखाशिखरशेखराः । ननृतुर् नीरसा राम नर्तक्यẖ केतुकुन्तलाः
In the sky, the peaks of mountains appeared crowned with crests of fire, and, O Rama, the banners with their streaming locks danced like lifeless dancers.
तलाहितानलज्वाला ब्रह्माण्डोर्ध्वकवाटभूः । भर्जनप्रोत्फलद्भूतधानागाद् भ्राष्ट्रभूमिकाम्
The ground, scorched by the flames set at its base, became like the upper door of the cosmic egg, a furnace floor where beings, swelling and bursting, were roasted.
द्वीपाब्धिकङ्कणश्रेणी मृज्जलाङ्गाग्निनारुणा । हृत्प्रकोष्ठे जगल्लक्ष्म्यास् सावतीर्णाभवत् तदा
Then, in the heart's inner chamber of the world's fortune, there descended a circle of islands and oceans, reddened by the fire and water, glowing with heat.
शैलाश् चटचटास्फोटैर् वृक्षाẖ कटकटारवैः । देशा हलहलोल्लासैर् अलं विदलनं ययुः
Mountains resounded with crackling bursts, trees with harsh rattling noises, and the lands with the tumult of hissing—enough to shatter everything.
अब्धयẖ क्वथिताकाराḫ फेनिलोल्लोलमांसलाः । वीचीकरतलाघातांश् चक्रुर् अर्कमुखे नु खे
The oceans took on a boiling appearance, frothing, surging, and thick, and their waves struck the face of the sun in the sky with the force of their palms.
अन्योऽन्यवेल्लितैर् लोलभूतलाङ्गारपर्वतान् । जह्रुर् वीचिकरैर् मोहजडाḫ प्रकुपिता इव
The waves, as if enraged and stupefied by delusion, seized the trembling, coal-like mountains on the earth, tossing them about with their own agitation.
आशाकाशाशिनाम् एषां गुहागुलगुलारवान् । प्रपन्नश् शब्द आग्नेयो ज्वालाभडभडोद्भटः
The fiery sound, loud as the roaring of caves and the tumult of the sky, arose from these, bursting forth with the explosive crackle of flames.
लोकपालपुरापातभग्नाङ्गारादिभित्तयः । दिशो दशापि वैवश्यम् अयुर् उन्मुक्तवृत्तयः
The walls of the cities of the guardians of the world, made of embers and the like, were shattered; and all ten directions became bewildered, their usual order abandoned.
काञ्चनद्रवसान्द्रार्द्रद्रुमाङ्गारगुहागृहः । शनैẖ खर्वाकृतिर् मेरुर् आसीद् धिमम् इवातपे
The caves and houses of Mount Meru, with trees moist and dense as molten gold, gradually shrank in form, like snow under the sun.
क्षणेनैवानलात् तस्माद् धिमवान् व्यद्रवद् द्रुतः । सर्वान्तश्शीतलश् शुद्धो दुर्जनाद् इव सज्जनः
In a moment, from that fire, the great mountain swiftly melted away, becoming entirely cool and pure within, like a good person departing from the wicked.
तस्याम् अपि दशायां तु मलयो ऽमलसौरभः । आसीत् त्यजत्य् उदारात्मा न नाशे ऽप्य् उत्तमं गुणम्
Yet even in that state, the Malaya mountain retained its pure fragrance; for one of noble nature does not abandon their highest quality, even in destruction.
नश्यन्न् अपि महान् ह्लादं न खेदं सम्प्रयच्छति । चन्दनं दग्धम् अप्य् आसीद् आनन्दायैव जीवताम्
Even as it perished, the great sandalwood did not bring distress but delight; even when burned, sandalwood remained a source of joy for the living.
न कदाचन संयाति वस्तूत्तमम् अवस्तुताम् । प्रलयानलनिर्दग्धम् अपि हेम न नष्टवत्
The highest substance never becomes unsubstantial; even when gold is burned by the fire of dissolution, it does not perish.
द्वे हेमनभसी तस्मिन् न नष्टे प्रलयानले । तयोर् एव वपुश् श्लाघ्यं सर्वनाशे ऽप्य् अनाशयोः
When the fire of dissolution destroyed everything, only two remained: gold and space; and of these two, their forms alone are praised, for they are indestructible even in universal destruction.
नभो विभुतयानाशि हेमोत्कृष्टतयाक्षयम् । सत्त्वम् एकं सुखं मन्ये न रजो न च वा तमः
Space is imperishable by its all-pervading nature, and gold is undecaying by its excellence; I consider only that which is pure existence to be true happiness—not rajas, nor indeed tamas.
चलदुच्चवनापातविकीर्णाङ्गारवर्षणः । दग्धाब्दाद्रिर् महाधूमजालो ऽभूद् वह्निवारिदः
A rain of embers scattered by the gusts of wind fell, and the fire-cloud became a mass of great smoke, burning oceans and mountains.
रसनिस्सरणार्तानां शून्यानां स्फारदेहिनाम् । शुष्कानां व्योमविटपिपत्त्राणां पात्ररूपिणाम्
For those empty ones, whose bodies were vast but dry, whose sap had departed, the leaves of the sky-trees became mere vessels in form.
वारिदानां सवारीणां दग्धानां प्रलयार्चिषा । ज्ञप्त्येवाज्ञानदोषाणां दृष्टं भस्मापि न क्वचित्
Of those clouds, along with their riders, burned by the flames of dissolution—the faults of ignorance being only knowledge itself—not even ashes were seen anywhere.
न लङ्घयति कैलासं यावद् उल्लसितो ऽनलः । तावत् तं कल्पकुपितो रुद्रो नेत्राग्निनादहत्
As long as the blazing fire did not cross Mount Kailāsa, then Rudra, enraged at the end of the age, burned it with the fire from his eye.
दाहस्फुटद्द्रुमस्थूलशिलाचटचटारवाः । लगुडोपललोष्टौघैर् अयुध्यन्तेव भूभृतः
The earth-mountains seemed to do battle with showers of clubs, stones, and clods, as the crackling of burning, splitting trees and boulders resounded.
ज्वाला घनघटाटोपसावतंसाचलाभिधाः । बभुर् आव्योमविकसत्स्थलपद्मवना इव
The flames, crowned with the massed darkness of clouds, shone forth like blooming fields of lotuses spread across the open sky.
सर्गẖ कदाचिद् एवासीद् इत्य् अगात् स्मरणीयताम् । कल्पान्तस् स्फारयन् दुẖखान्य् अगाद् अस्मरणीयताम्
Creation existed only for a time and then faded into memory; the end of the age, swelling with sorrows, passed into forgetfulness.
तापोपतापपरमाḫ परमारणतत्पराः । वह्नयो ऽपह्नवं चक्रुर् जगताम् असताम् इव
The fires, intent on supreme burning and destruction, brought about the disappearance of worlds, as if they were unreal.
ववुर् अशनिनिपातपिण्डिताङ्गाẖ कचदनलोल्मुकखण्डमुण्डमाल्याः । प्रलयसमयवायवो ऽनलात्ता दलदचलाशनिपालयो लिहन्तः
Winds blew, their bodies battered by falling thunderbolts, adorned with garlands of shattered skulls from the jaws of death, like the gales at the end of the world, born from fire, licking the mountains split by lightning.
व्यालोलस्फुटितानलद्रुमवनप्रोद्भूतभस्मोष्मणा दत्ताभ्रभ्रमदुल्मुकाहतिवहत्साङ्गारगौरार्चिषः । भ्रश्यत्पावकशृङ्गमध्यविवलज्ज्वालालवश्यामला निश्शेषाग्निनिकाशपूरवपुषो वेगेन वाता ववुः
They whirled, scattering the ashes and heat of forests of blazing, shattered trees, hurling burning embers, their flames white as silver, their crests of fire collapsing, their middles dark with flickering tongues of flame, their forms entirely filled with the radiance of fire, the winds rushed violently.
अथ कल्पान्तमरुति वहत्य् अवधुताचले । बलेनाम्भोधिकल्लोलैर् नभस्य् आवर्तकारिणि
Then, the wind of the end of the age, uprooting mountains, forcefully stirred the sky with waves from the ocean.
समुद्रेषु विमुद्रेषु मर्यादोल्लङ्घने घने । अघनेषु घनेष्व् अम्बुदारिद्र्योपद्रवद्रुते
In the seas, where boundaries were lost and the dense clouds no longer formed, and in the absence of clouds, the calamity of drought afflicted the waters.