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47-616: The Vadavagni is regarded to wander the seabed and consume its waters, awaiting the moment it could emerge and destroy the earth during the Pralaya , the dissolution of the earth at the end of an age. Various legends regarding the origin and suppression of the Vadavagni exist in Hindu literature , most prominently the descent of the goddess Saraswati as the Sarasvati river . The Vadavagni

94-429: A kalpa is equal to 4.32 billion years, a "day of Brahma " (12-hour day proper) or one thousand mahayugas , measuring the duration of the world. Each kalpa is divided into 14 manvantara periods, each lasting 71 Yuga Cycles (306,720,000 years). Preceding the first and following each manvantara period is a juncture ( sandhya ) equal to the length of a Satya Yuga (1,728,000 years). A kalpa

141-563: A Kashi cloth. More quickly would that great mountain of rock waste away and be consumed by that effort, but not the eon [kalpa]. That's how long, monk, an eon is. Described in the Vibhanga division of the Abhidhamma Pitaka are sixteen rupa brahma lokas (worlds or planes) and four higher arupa brahma lokas , each attained through the imperfect, medial or perfect performance of the four states of jhāna (meditation), granting

188-449: A dissolution may be achieved with knowledge acquisition, after recognising the suffering caused by one's mind. It explains the cycles of birth and rebirth ( samsara ), and a temporary residence at abodes in between. It states that a person is born on earth based on their deeds in their previous life. It states that a person who had led a mostly sinful life would experience their fruits of performing good deeds at Svarga first, before assuming

235-423: A duration of life measured in kalpas that exceed the top-most heavenly loka of 9.216 billion years: At the termination of each kalpa , the lower three rupa brahma lokas , attained through the 1st jhāna , and everything below them (six heavens, Earth, etc.) are destroyed by fire (seven suns), only to later again come into being. In one explanation, there are four different lengths of kalpas. A regular kalpa

282-422: A fiery foetus from its womb, which became the Vadavagni (submarine fire), after which it disappeared from the scene. Vadavagni is stated to have appeared like the end of the kalpa (aeon) itself. Pippalada commanded the Vadavagni to consume all the devas. When the devas implored Vishnu to save them, the preserver deity appeared before Vadavagni, and suggested that he eat the devas one by one, and begin by consuming

329-430: A holy site named Prabhāsa, and invoked Samudra , the personification of the sea. She urged the being to devour Samudra, and so he leapt into the ocean. Saraswati transformed herself into a river and flowed into the ocean. Vishnu commanded Samudra to banish Vadavagni to the midst of the ocean, where he would be able to harm no being. When Vadavagni started to cause the waters to evaporate by his very presence, Vishnu rendered

376-529: A new form to suffer for their sins at Naraka . A person who had led a mostly pious life would suffer the consequences of their sins first, after which they would enjoy the fruits of Svarga. Atyantika refers to the liberation of one's sense of self. Atyantikapralaya is achieved with the knowledge of God, which occurs when one loses oneself in service to the Paramatman , the Supreme Self. This involves

423-455: A thousand cycles of four yugas, or ages: Satya Yuga , Treta Yuga , Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga . ... These four yugas, rotating a thousand times, comprise one day of Brahmā, and the same number comprise one night. Brahmā lives one hundred of such "years" and then dies. These "hundred years" total 311 trillion 40 billion (311,040,000,000,000) earth years. By these calculations the life of Brahmā seems fantastic and interminable, but from

470-576: A thousand revolutions of the four ages, the Satya , Treta , Dvapara , and the Kali , and the reign of fourteen Manus , is one day in the life of the creator deity, Brahma . A pralaya is described to be an equal length of time, referred to as a night in the life of the deity. This form of the dissolution is caused by the sleep of Brahma, and is hence named after him. It is also called naimittika , which means, 'occasional'. During this period, Narayana withdraws

517-554: Is approximately 16 million years long (16,798,000 years ), and a small kalpa is 1000 regular kalpas, or about 16.8 billion years. Further, a medium kalpa is roughly 336 billion years, the equivalent of 20 small kalpas. A great kalpa is four medium kalpas, or about 1.3 trillion years. Gautama Buddha did not give the exact length of the maha-kalpa in terms of years. However, he gave several astounding analogies to understand it. In one instance, when some monks wanted to know how many kalpas had elapsed so far, Buddha gave

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564-621: Is described to emerge from the mouth of a mare called Vadavamukha (mare-face). This mare's mouth is sometimes described to be present under a sea at the South Pole. It is stated to remain under the sea until it finally erupts, leading to the destruction of the earth. It is stated to be a metaphor for insatiable energy. The Vishnu Purana states that the Vadavagni is located beneath the Kshira Sagara , surrounded by seas of curds, ghee , sugarcane juice, wine, and sweet water. Vadavagni

611-544: Is followed by a pralaya (dissolution) of equal length, which together constitute a day and night of Brahma. A month of Brahma contains thirty such days and nights, or 259.2 billion years. According to the Mahabharata , 12 months of Brahma (=360 days) constitute his year, and 100 such years his life called a maha-kalpa (311.04 trillion years or 36,000  kalpa + 36,000  pralaya ). Fifty years of Brahma are supposed to have elapsed, and we are now in

658-478: Is likely an example of the "fire under water" myth of Proto-Indo-European mythology . Vadavagni is described to be associated with a tirtha called Mahanala in the Brahma Purana , and a legend that involves Mrtyu performing a sacrifice for the sages, leading to an enmity between the devas and the rakshasas . Saharakshas, the sacrificial fire of the asuras, is stated to be the child of Vadavamukha in

705-538: The Sutta Nipata . This speaks of "Kappâtita: one who has gone beyond time, an Arahant". This part of the Buddhist manuscripts dates back to the middle part of the last millennium BCE. Gautama Buddha claimed an incalculable number of Buddhas lived in previous kalpas : Vipassi Buddha 91 kalpas ago, Sikhi Buddha 31 kalpas ago, and three prior Buddhas in the present kalpa . He confines his teachings to

752-725: The Matsya Purana , whereas Vadavamukha is identified with Surya , the solar deity. Based on the conflict between the Brahmin Bhargavas and the Kshatriya Haihayas , the sage Aurva is described to have emerged from the left thigh of his mother. After the death of the Haihaya king, Kirtavirya, who had been generous to the Bhargavas during his reign by donating much of his wealth, his sons demanded that

799-518: The Samkhya philosophy, one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy , pralaya means "non-existence", a state of matter achieved when the three gunas (principles of matter) are in perfect balance. The word pralaya comes from Sanskrit meaning "dissolution" or by extension "reabsorption, destruction, annihilation or death". Kalpa (time) A kalpa is a long period of time ( aeon ) in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology , generally between

846-547: The Shveta-Varaha Kalpa or the first day of his fifty-first year. At the end of a kalpa , the world is annihilated by fire. The definition of a kalpa equaling 4.32 billion years is found in the Puranas —specifically Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana . The duration of the material universe is limited. It is manifested in cycles of kalpas. A kalpa is a day of Brahmā, and one day of Brahmā consists of

893-590: The Tarakamaya War , the devas deposited their arsenal of weapons at the hermitage of the Sage Dadhici for safekeeping. After a century, the sage decided to go on a northern pilgrimage, but realised that neither he nor his servants were able to lift the devas' weapons. Hence, he drank the intrinsic power of the weapons with water and travelled to the Himalayas. His servant, the beautiful Subhadra (Not

940-431: The wife of Arjuna ), accidentally impregnated herself by wearing the loincloth of the sage after her bath, and secretly gave birth to a child, Pippalada , beneath a few pippal trees. She cursed the father of her child to die that same day. Later that day, the devas visited Dadhici, requesting the return of their weapons, citing that they needed them to defeat the asuras in battle. Dadhici informed them that he had consumed

987-550: The Brahmahatya, the embodiment of the sin of Brahminicide , which is likened to the Vadavagni. In the Mahabharata , Vishnu declares that he is the Vadavagni, consuming the turbulent waters and disgorging them again. In one legend, Vishnu assumes the form of a sage called Vadavamukha and engages in a penance atop Mount Meru . He called upon Samudra , the embodiment of the sea, to come to him, so that he could bathe atop

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1034-659: The Brahmins return the riches. A few of them assumed the guise of beggars and visited a Bhargava house, finding much treasure stored there. Enraged, the Kshatriyas engaged in a massacre of the community, slaying even the foetuses of expecting mothers. According to the Narada Purana , the pregnant Arushi concealed her womb in her thigh, seeking refuge in the caves of the Himalayas with the other Bhargava women. When she

1081-532: The Prakritapralaya . After the completion of 1,000 four-age cycles or a kalpa , a great flood is unleashed on Bhumi , the earth, by Prakriti, the personification of nature. When Jala (water) reaches the abode of the Saptarishis , the entire world is encompassed by a single ocean. The breath of Vishnu disperses all the clouds and reabsorbs them, after which he proceeds to sleep. When Agni destroys

1128-428: The arrival of one's enemy, the onset of fever, as well as blight, all of which culminates in death, the most painful experience. Such mental anguish is stated to be the result of one's own karma . One's karma is also stated to determine one's rebirth as various lesser beasts, the actions of the being during such births in turn determining one's karma. The Bhagavata Purana states that one kalpa (age), which consists of

1175-459: The beginning of the kalpa . These 30  kalpas or days (along with 30 pralayas or nights) form a 30-day month of Brahma. The Vayu Purana has a different list of names for 33  kalpas , which G. V. Tagare describes as fanciful derivations. In the Pali language of early Buddhism , the word kalpa takes the form kappa , and is mentioned in the assumed oldest scripture of Buddhism,

1222-466: The below analogy: Another definition of Kalpa is the world where Buddhas are born. There are generally 2 types of kalpa, Suñña-Kalpa and Asuñña-kalpa . The Suñña-Kalpa is the world where no Buddha is born. Asuñña-Kalpa is the world where at least one Buddha is born. There are 5 types of Asuñña-Kalpa : The previous kalpa was the Vyuhakalpa (Glorious aeon), the present kalpa is called

1269-472: The creation and recreation of a world or universe. Kalpa ( Sanskrit : कल्प , lit.   'a formation or creation') in this context, means "a long period of time ( aeon ) related to the lifetime of the universe (creation)." It is derived from कॢप् (kḷp) + -अ (-a, nominalizing suffix) ( Sanskrit : कॢप् , romanized :  kḷp , lit.   'to create, prepare, form, produce, compose, invent'). Traditional In Hinduism ,

1316-435: The deities are said to have begged him to be merciful. Finally, Aurva's Pitrs , the spirits of his departed forefathers, appeared before him. They informed him that they had chosen to be slain by the Kshatriyas because they had grown weary of their long lives, and had deliberately amassed wealth in order to provoke the princes into murdering them. They requested him to control his wrath. When Aurva told them that he could not let

1363-404: The deities. When the deities sought refuge with Brahma, the creator deity turned the flame into a mare, one that emitted flames of amrita. He then deposited Vadagni into the bottom of the ocean. There is also a legend that suggests that Jalandhara , the asura born from Shiva's rage, is the Vadavagni. The Bhavishya Purana states that after Shiva cut off the fifth head of Brahma, he is chased by

1410-487: The dissolution of one's Atman (Self) due to its union with Brahman (Ultimate Reality). A concept that has been referenced in literature since the Upanishads , the concept of pralaya has been widely discussed in Hindu cosmology as well as philosophy . Traditional Hindu cosmology posits an endless cycle of the periodic creation and destruction of the universe. Nityapralaya refers to constant dissolution,

1457-514: The event of the dissolution of the entire universe that follows a kalpa (a period of 4.32 billion years) called the Brahmapralaya . Pralaya also refers to Nityapralaya , the continuous destruction of all animate and inanimate beings that occurs on a daily basis, Prakritapralaya , the great flood produced by Prakriti (Nature) that ends all of creation after the completion of 1,000 Chaturyuga (four-age) cycles, and Atyantikapralaya ,

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1504-407: The flames that had risen from his austerities to come to naught as that would burn him alive, his Pitrs suggested that he release his wrathful flame into the ocean. The sage obeyed, and the flame became the Vadavagni, a mare-faced inferno. Due to this reason, Vadavagni is also called Aurvanala. The Vadavagni is often associated with the descent of the goddess Saraswati as a river on earth. Following

1551-403: The mountain. When the sea refused to heed his call, Vishnu grew furious, and his fury is stated to have become the Vadavagni beneath the sea. Pralaya Pralaya ( Sanskrit : प्रलय , romanized :  Pralaya , lit.   'Destruction') is a concept in Hindu eschatology . Generally referring to four different phenomena, it is most commonly used to indicate

1598-511: The phenomenon that describes the daily entropy of the mind and the body of all living and non-living beings. Being created, all matter is subject to constant decay and destruction, and is often described to be a personal experience, leading to a temporary earthly death. The Skanda Purana describes the Nityapralaya to be the various negative experiences and losses that a human being experiences, such as being robbed, having one's wife stolen,

1645-435: The present kalpa , the duration of which he doesn't arithmetically define, but uses a similitude: Were a man to take a piece of cloth of this most delicate texture [of fine cotton], and therewith to touch in the slightest possible manner, once in a hundred years, a solid rock, free from earth, a yojana [12 kilometres] high, and as much broad, the time would come when it would be worn down, by this imperceptible trituration, to

1692-507: The recognition that most of the cause and effect that occurs in the phenomenal universe is maya , an illusion, and that all that has a beginning and an end is not real. One conquers avidya (ignorance) with the realisation that there is no distinction between one's own Atman (Self) and the Paramatman. When one finally realises this truth, one's sense of self dissolves into and unites with Brahman, and one achieves mukti (liberation). In

1739-577: The size of a mung seed. This period would be immense in its duration; but it has been declared by Buddha that it would not be equal to a Maha Kalpa. A similar similitude is found in the Mountain Pabbata Sutta (SN 15:5) of the Pali Canon : Suppose there were a great mountain of rock—a league long, a league wide, a league high, uncracked, uncavitied, a single mass—and a man would come along once every hundred years and rub it once with

1786-460: The three worlds, as well as the netherworld . The earth is described to resemble a tortoise during this event. A fire of dissolution, a manifestation of Rudra , along with the breath of Shesha, burn the netherworld. The inhabitants of the three worlds first travel to Maharloka, and then to Janaloka. Vishnu causes a century of rain upon the worlds to douse the fire. He returns to his yogic sleep for an age, and waking up in his form of Brahma, he creates

1833-706: The universe once more. The universe is stated to remain in a non-manifested state for two parārdhas (311.04 trillion years) . The term Mahapralaya stands for "Great Dissolution", and is synonymous with the Brahmapralaya. According to the Shiva Purana , the lower ten realms ( lokas ) are destroyed during this phenomenon, while the higher four realms called the Satyaloka , Tapa-loka, Jana-loka, and Mahar-loka, are preserved. During each Mahapralaya, all 14 realms are destroyed. The Vishnu Purana describes

1880-429: The universe within him, and also rests upon his serpent mount, Shesha . The Agni Purana describes that the resources of the earth are depleted by the end of the four-age cycle, leading to a severe drought for a century. All beings perish on earth during this period. The waters that are present in the three worlds are dried up due to their consumption by Vishnu . The seven rays of the sun become seven suns, and burn

1927-424: The vacuum. Consciousness, combined with darkness, take over the universe, which in turn is conquered by Buddhi . At this juncture, the seven components of Prakriti recombine. The Hiranyagarbha of Brahma dissolves in the waters that surround Prakriti. Prakriti fuses with Purusha , assimilating Buddhi, becoming Brahman. This form of pralaya is referred to as absolute dissolution. The Agni Purana states that such

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1974-486: The viewpoint of eternity it is as brief as a lightning flash. In the Causal Ocean there are innumerable Brahmās rising and disappearing like bubbles. Brahmā and his creation are all part of the material universe, and therefore they are in constant flux. The Matsya Purana (290.3–12) lists the names of 30  kalpas , each named by Brahma based on a significant event in the kalpa and the most glorious person in

2021-469: The water of the earth, the foremost of the devas. Vadavagni acquiesced, but required that he be carried in the hand of a virgin to be taken to his destination. Saraswati was chosen for this mission. The two undertook a journey, where they met the mountain Kṛtasmara, who insisted that Saraswati become his wife. The goddess tricked him into turning into ash by making him hold Vadavagni. She accompanied Vadavagni to

2068-429: The waters perennial, and Saraswati stationed herself along the ocean to protect creation. The Vadavagni is also described to be the product of Shiva's wrath that emerged from his third eye and annihilated Kamadeva to ash, when the latter attempted to arouse his desire towards Parvati . Brahma is said to have attempted to paralyse this flame to save Kamadeva, but failed. When Shiva left, the flame threatened to destroy

2115-440: The weapons; nonetheless, he sacrificed himself, informing the devas that they could fashion new weapons from his indestructible bones. When Pippalada enquired regarding the identity of his father, Subhadra told him that his father's death had been for the sake of the devas. Furious, Pippalada performed a severe penance, seeking the destruction of the devas. After a year, a vadavā (a mare) emerged from his thigh. This mare gave birth to

2162-402: The world and nature, elemental dissolution begins. Jala swallows the gunas of the earth, and subsequently the universe, after which its rasa is devoured by Agni. When Akasha is consumed by the flames of Agni, Vayu and sound permeate throughout, becoming one with Agni by absorbing its guna. When Vayu comes into contact with ether, it loses its elemental potency, causing ether alone to occupy

2209-483: Was discovered and arrested, Aurva emerged from her thigh, and his birth is said to have been so dazzling that the Kshatriyas were blinded. While the child Aurva complied in restoring the eyesight of the Haihayas, he was bent on destroying the world and every creature that resided in it in vengeance. He paid homage to his slaughtered ancestors as he engaged in a severe penance, the intensity of his practice such that even

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