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?
यावन् न क्वचिद् एवाभ्रं पश्याम्य् आशासु केवलम् । तरन्ति तरलास्फालम् उल्मुकाशनिवृष्टयः
Before I could see a single cloud anywhere in the quarters, torrents of blazing meteors and fiery showers surged forth, swift and unrestrained.
तेन ज्वलनतापेन बहुयोजनकोटिषु । पदार्था भस्मतां यान्ति दूरे दिक्षु दशस्व् अपि
By that burning heat, over many millions of leagues, all things in the ten directions were reduced to ashes, even at a great distance.
अनन्तरं क्षणाद् व्योम्नि दूरे ऽहम् अनुभूतवान् । ऊर्ध्वतश् शीतलं वातम् अधस्ताद् वानलोपमम्
Immediately after, in the distant sky, I experienced above a cool wind, and below, a heat like fire.
एतावति नभोमार्गे दूरे कल्पाम्बुदास् स्थिताः । यस् तेषाम् अग्नितापानां विषयो न च मद्दृशाम्
At that distance along the path of the sky, there stood clouds of the aeons, whose fiery heat does not affect those like me.
अथ वारुणदिग्भागाद् आययौ कल्पमारुतः । यस्मिंस् तृणवद् उह्यन्ते विन्ध्यमेरुहिमाद्रयः
Then from the region of the west came a cosmic wind, by which even the Vindhya, Meru, and Himalayan mountains are carried like blades of grass.
तेन ज्वालाचलाḫ प्रान्तडीनाङ्गारविहङ्गमाः । लोलोल्मुकवनाक्रान्ता जग्मुर् अग्निदिशं द्रुतम्
By that wind, mountains of flame, flocks of embers, and forests seized by blazing fire swiftly moved toward the direction of fire.
सन्ध्याभ्रसदृशाकारास् तेरुर् अङ्गारवारिदाः । भ्रेमुर् भस्मभराभ्राणि प्रोताङ्गाररजांसि खे
Clouds of embers, shaped like twilight clouds, poured down; clouds heavy with ash whirled, scattering dust of embers in the sky.
स ज्वालाचलसङ्घातो दृष्टो ऽनलदिशं व्रजन् । हेमाद्रीणां सपक्षाणाम् अनीकं द्रवताम् इव
That mass of flaming mountains, seen advancing toward the region of fire, appeared like a host of golden mountains with wings, melting away.
धराद्रिमण्डलाभोगे ऽसोम्याङ्गारभरात्मनि । ज्वालाचलघने याते भाति तेजसि भास्वताम्
As the dense mass of flaming mountains, filled with embers, moved across the expanse of the earth’s mountain circle, it shone with the radiance of the brilliant ones.
अर्णवेष्व् अनलार्णस्सु क्वथनोत्फालवारिषु । वनेष्व् अस्मृतपर्णेषु दीप्ताग्नितरुवारिषु
In the oceans, in the fiery waves, in the boiling, surging waters, and in the forests with withered leaves and blazing trees, the water was aflame.