July 4, 2026
yāvatsaṅkalpanaṁ tasya virasībhavati kṣaṇāt
tathaivā ‘‘śu tathaivorvyāḥ sādridvīpapayonidheḥ (5)
VASIṢṬHA continued:
Having said this, the Creator (of the world-in-the-rock) entered into the deep and final state of meditation. He uttered OṀ and contemplated on the last phase of its intonation. His mind was utterly calm. He remained as if he were a painted picture. Vāsana (the embodiment of the psychological conditioning in the form of the lady) also followed the Creator and entered into deep meditation. She attained the form of space. I too entered into deep meditation and witnessed all these, having become the omnipresent, infinite consciousness.
As the notions in the cosmic mind of the Creator began to die down, at that very moment itself the earth with its mountains, continents and oceans began to disappear. The grass and the trees ceased to be. The earth is one of the limbs of the cosmic person, the Creator. Hence, when the cosmic person withdrew his awareness from it, the earth ceased to be, even as in a state of paralysis when our awareness of a limb is withdrawn, it withers away and disintegrates.
The earth was hit at the same time by numerous natural catastrophes. The evil-doers were burnt by fire and they headed for hell. The earth had lost all its charm and its fruitfulness. The women had become immoral and men had lost their self-respect. A dense dust-storm arose veiling the sun. The people were distressed by the pairs of opposites which in their foolishness they subjected themselves to. On account of floods and famine, wars and pestilence, humanity had been decimated. On account of numerous sufferings, people had become uncivilised and uncultured. Because of the suddenness with which all these terrible things happened, the noble people of the earth perished and there was hue and cry everywhere. There was scarcity of water and people began to dig deep wells. There was indiscriminate mixing between men and women and the social order broke down. Everyone lived by trade. Women lived (earned their living) by exhibiting the beauty of their hair. Kings followed the dictum “might is right”. There was unrighteousness everywhere. The leaders were devoted to intoxicating drinks. They harassed and tortured the learned and the saintly men. People resorted to other ways of living or other faiths than that which was natural to them. The learned men became subject to violence and aggressiveness. Temples were looted. Even the holy ones abandoned the performance of the religious rites on account of laziness.
The cities had been burnt down by the fire that showered from the skies. Seasons became erratic. Thus had the earth-element reached its destruction, since the Creator had merged himself in the infinite consciousness.