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.
भूतले भूतलेशांशवर्जिते वह्निभर्जिते । पातालम् अपि पाताले गते किम् अपि कालतः
On earth, bereft of its rulers and scorched by fire, even the netherworld had descended into some unknown state of time.
दिवि चाविद्यमानायां विशीर्णे सर्गवर्गके । लोके व्यपगतालोके शोकौकसि ककुब्गणे
In the sky, now nonexistent, with the hosts of creation shattered, in a world where the world itself had vanished, in the quarters filled with the house of sorrow.
कुतो ऽप्य् आकाशकुहराद् दृप्तदैत्यगणा इव । पुष्करावर्तका मेघाश् चक्रुर् गुलगुलारवम्
From somewhere within the hollow of the sky, clouds like proud hosts of demons created a tumultuous, roaring sound like swirling lotuses.
ब्रह्मविस्फोटितस्वाण्डकुड्यविस्फोटनोद्भटम् । अन्योऽन्यास्फालनोत्तालमत्तार्णवरवाबिलम्
With a terrible noise like the bursting of the cosmic egg by Brahma, and the shattering of the shell of the universe, the clouds, clashing with each other, roared like maddened, mighty sea-monsters.
लोकान्तरपुरोद्गीर्णघनकोलाहलोल्बणम् । पतत्कुलाचलस्कन्धबद्धोग्ररवघर्घरम्
Resounding with the tumultuous clamor of worlds being cast forth, and filled with the dreadful, roaring thunder of mountain peaks collapsing.
ब्रह्माण्डशङ्खजठरपूरणावर्तमन्थरम् । स्वर्लोकरोधḫपातालतलाततिसगुल्मकम्
Churning with the whirlpool that fills the cosmic shell’s cavity, obstructing the heavens and densely overgrown with thickets reaching down to the netherworlds.
समस्तदूरदिग्भित्तिहेलाहननहर्षुलम् । महाप्रलयसम्मत्तपानकापानतर्षुलं
Joyful in shattering the distant walls of all directions with its force, and thirsting for the drink of the great dissolution’s intoxicating wine.
प्रसृतप्रलयाख्येन्द्रमत्तैरावणबृंहितम् । आकल्पक्षुब्धमेघाब्धिनिर्ह्रादम् इव सम्भृतम्
Augmented by the trumpeting of intoxicated Airavata elephants, unleashed by the lord of dissolution, gathered like the deep roar of stormy, agitated clouds.
महाप्रलयसङ्क्षुब्धक्षीरोदमथनारवम् । ब्रह्माण्डोग्रारघट्टे ऽस्मिन् वार्यन्त्रम् इव सारवम्
Echoing with the tumult of the churning of the ocean of milk, agitated by the great dissolution, resounding within this fierce collision of universes like the grinding of a mighty waterwheel.
अथास्मिन् सति कल्पाग्नौ स्थितिम् एति कथं घनः । इति विस्मितवान् अस्मि दृशं दिग्दशके ऽत्यजम्
Then, as this fire of dissolution blazed, I wondered in amazement, gazing in all directions: how can this dense mass persist?