The Glory of Kashmir and the Great Transformation

 The Glory of Kashmir and the Great Transformation

[NP v21-42]

The land of Kashmir was a symphony of joyous sounds. The air was always filled with the excitement of festivals, the confident twang of archers' bows, and the deep, rhythmic hum of Vedic recitals. Its towns were crowded with ever-sportive men and surrounded by citizens whose hearts were light with happiness. The province was a tapestry of lush gardens and tranquil pleasure-groves, its atmosphere forever resounding with the beat of drums and the sweet melody of lutes. It was a place cherished by people fond of celebration and dear to the hearts of all good men.

Every corner of the valley was laden with a bounty of flowers, fruits, majestic trees, winding creepers, and powerful medicinal herbs. It was a sanctuary for hosts of wild beasts and a paradise enjoyed by the celestial Siddhas and Cāraṇas. O controller of enemies, the holy region of Kashmir was truly possessed of every conceivable sacred place: lakes of the Nāgas, holy mountains, rushing rivers, and serene lakes. It was dotted with highly sacred temples, each with its own peaceful hermitage. And flowing through its very center, parting the land like a perfect hairline, was the goddess Vitastā—the highest goddess, visibly born of the Himalaya.

King Janamejaya, fascinated, asked, "O Twice-born, how did that which was a pure lake in former ages become a province in our current Vaivasvata Manvantara?"

Vaiśampāyana replied, "O best of kings, this very question was once asked in ancient times. The excellent King Gonanda III, after worshipping the wise sage Bṛhadaśva who was visiting on a pilgrimage, inquired of him."

King Gonanda had asked, 'In the previous Manvantaras, this country named Kashmir did not exist. How did it come into being in this Vaivasvata Period?'

The sage Bṛhadaśva explained the vast cycles of time: "The passage of the sun through one sign of the zodiac is a solar month. Two months make a season, and three seasons make an Ayana. Two Ayanas make one year. O king, 432,000 years make the Kali Yuga. Dvāpara Yuga is twice that, Tretā Yuga is three times, and Kṛta Yuga is four times that number. A collection of seventy-one of these four-Yuga cycles is called one Manvantara. At the end of each Manvantara, all movable and immovable creations on earth are completely destroyed.

O lord of the earth, this whole world then turns into a single, vast sea. Only the greatest mountains survive—Himavat, Hemakūṭa, Niṣadha, Nīla, Śveta, Śṛṅgavān, Meru, Mālyavān, Gandhamādana, Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Śuktimat, Ṛkṣavān, Vindhya, and Pāriyātra. The rest of the world is completely effaced.

Then, after this destruction, the lord Mahādeva himself, in the form of water, stays all around the world. At that time, the goddess Satī assumes the form of a great boat. The future Manu, through his magical power, places all the seeds of creation within it for safekeeping. Having assumed the form of a giant fish, Viṣṇu—the father of the world—uses his mighty horn to drag that boat to safety. O protector of the earth, having drawn the boat through the cosmic deluge, the God fastens it to the peak of the great mountain Himavat and then withdraws into an unknown state of rest."