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== Adishesha holds the Earth ==

== Adishesha holds the Earth ==

This story is described in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata (Adhyaya 36).<ref>Ramanarayanadatta Shastri Pandeya, Mahabharata ([https://archive.org/details/MAHABHARATA_201902/page/n143 Vol.1]), Gorakhpur: Gita Press.</ref>

This story is described in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata (Adhyaya 36).<ref>Ramanarayanadatta Shastri Pandeya, Mahabharata ([https://archive.org/details/MAHABHARATA_201902/page/n143 Vol.1]), Gorakhpur: Gita Press.</ref>

== How did Adisesha become the resting place for SriMahaVishnu? ==

== How did Adisesha become the resting place for SriMahaVishnu? ==

Pralaya is of four kinds. The first is nityapralaya. This is the destruction going on daily for all animate and inanimate objects born on earth. The second is Brahmapralaya or naimittikapralaya. The third is Prakrtapralaya. This is the great deluge made by prakrti (nature) at the end of a thousand Caturyugas (four yugas) .The fourth is atyantikapralaya. This is the union of the soul with the Supreme Being due to Jnana. Of the above the Brahmapralaya, or naimittikapralaya happens at the end of a Kalpa or a day of Brahma or a thousand yugas. The nature of this pralaya is as follows : At the end of a thousand yugas the world will look famished. Then there will be excessive drought for a hundred years together and everything in this world would be destroyed then. Then Mahavisnu, lord of everything in this universe, would present himself in the seven big rays of the Sun and drink to emptiness all the waters of all the three worlds, earth, ocean and patala. Then by the divine power of Mahavisnu the seven rays of the Sun which had grown fat by drinking this water would become seven separate Suns. These Suns would bum all the three worlds including Patala. Then the earth would look like the back of a tortoise (Kurmaprstha) . At that time Rudra, equal in brilliance to Kalagni, would from beneath burn the patala sending breaths from Adisesa. After patala Kalagnirudra would burn the earth and then the heavens. Because of this all the worlds would look like globes of fire. Then the inhabitants of these worlds would go to Maharloka unable to bear the heat and from there to Janaloka. Thus Visnu in the form of Rudra would destroy everything. Then from the face of Visnu would originate clouds and lightning in different forms. Those clouds would rain incessantly for a hundred years and destroy the fire prevailing everywhere. When the rains become unbearable Vayu would encroach upon the seats of the Saptarsis in the ocean and by the breath of Visnu destroy all the clouds. At that time Visnu, lord of all, would lie on the back of Adisesa in that one big ocean drinking vayu (air). Visnu will lie thus for a period of a Kalpa in yogic slumber meditating on Vasudeva taking the name Madhusudana and form of Brahma praised by the siddhamunis inside the ocean. After that he would take the form of Brahma and start creation. (Page 600, Puranic Encyclopedia - Vettam Maṇi)

Pralaya is of four kinds. The first is nityapralaya. This is the destruction going on daily for all animate and inanimate objects born on earth. The second is Brahmapralaya or naimittikapralaya. The third is Prakrtapralaya. This is the great deluge made by prakrti (nature) at the end of a thousand Caturyugas (four yugas) .The fourth is atyantikapralaya. This is the union of the soul with the Supreme Being due to Jnana. Of the above the Brahmapralaya, or naimittikapralaya happens at the end of a Kalpa or a day of Brahma or a thousand yugas. The nature of this pralaya is as follows : At the end of a thousand yugas the world will look famished. Then there will be excessive drought for a hundred years together and everything in this world would be destroyed then. Then Mahavisnu, lord of everything in this universe, would present himself in the seven big rays of the Sun and drink to emptiness all the waters of all the three worlds, earth, ocean and patala. Then by the divine power of Mahavisnu the seven rays of the Sun which had grown fat by drinking this water would become seven separate Suns. These Suns would bum all the three worlds including Patala. Then the earth would look like the back of a tortoise (Kurmaprstha) . At that time Rudra, equal in brilliance to Kalagni, would from beneath burn the patala sending breaths from Adisesa. After patala Kalagnirudra would burn the earth and then the heavens. Because of this all the worlds would look like globes of fire. Then the inhabitants of these worlds would go to Maharloka unable to bear the heat and from there to Janaloka. Thus Visnu in the form of Rudra would destroy everything. Then from the face of Visnu would originate clouds and lightning in different forms. Those clouds would rain incessantly for a hundred years and destroy the fire prevailing everywhere. When the rains become unbearable Vayu would encroach upon the seats of the Saptarsis in the ocean and by the breath of Visnu destroy all the clouds. At that time Visnu, lord of all, would lie on the back of Adisesa in that one big ocean drinking vayu (air). Visnu will lie thus for a period of a Kalpa in yogic slumber meditating on Vasudeva taking the name Madhusudana and form of Brahma praised by the siddhamunis inside the ocean. After that he would take the form of Brahma and start creation. (Page 600, Puranic Encyclopedia - Vettam Maṇi)

== References ==

== References ==

[[Category:Devatas]]

[[Category:Devatas]]

[[Category:Puranas]]

[[Category:Puranas]]