India Mythology, page 291

The creation, death, and re-birth of the Universe.

  • In this myth, there is one ruler of the world whose name is Vishnu. He is greater than human and god. Vishnu takes on different appearances in theMaha Yuga (great year). In this myth, it is believed that the world is in a repetitive cycle of being created, destroyed, than recreated again.
  • The first part of the cycle would be called the KritaYuga, it was the age of virtue and moral perfection, a bright golden age on Earth. For this, Vishnu took the form of Brahma, the grandfather and creator of the world, the presiding god and dharma. The Krita Yuga lasts for 1,728,000 years. There is a gift-giving tree that gives the humans clothing, food, and decorative objects. We don’t need homes, we have the mountains and sea sides. Everybody lives beautiful lives, we work for pleasure and sorrow doesn’t exist.
  • Next is the Treta Yuga. People are now devoting to knowledge; we find it the highest virtue. The gift-giving tree continues to give until the people start to get greedy. The tree disappears and life becomes difficult. The people become more passionate and selfish. They are not happy with what they have and only want more. People now need to get their own food, clothing, and for the first time shelter.
  • After the Treta Yuga comes the Dvapara Yuga. Virtue and moral perfection still exist but are only half as important as it was in the Kritayuga. Vishnu is still the highest god and considered the highest virtue. In the Dvapara Yuga, misfortune, suffering, disease and death is something everybody goes through.
  • The last step of the Maha Yuga is the Kali Yuga. This is the darkest age. Kali means quarrel and war, virtue at this stage barely exists. Vishnu is now in the form of Shiva-Rudra, the destroyer of life on earth. People now rank in society based on how much money and property they own, rather than their moral virtue. We become successful by lies and the only source of enjoyment is sex. We live in hunger, disease, and death. Only the poor are honest and virtue is charity. This is the time of cruelty, pain,grief and unnecessary death; it is always the age in which the reader is living.
  • Vishnu is still in his form of Shiva-Rudra the destroyer while he made the sun burn more and more for a hundred years causing the earth to go completely dry. All three worlds, being heaven, earth and the underworld, become massive fires. No living creature will remain. After this, Vishnu will exhale dreadful storm clouds that will bring thunder and lightning. The clouds will move in front of the sun and cover the world in darkness for another hundred years. The rain that comes with it will make the world giant ocean. A golden egg appeared and it held what was life on earth. Besides the giant sea, Vishnu is the only thing that exists. Vishnu will then make a drying wind for the next a hundred years. For the next one thousand Maha Yugas, Vishnu and the world will sleep.
  • After the long night, Vishnu will emerge from a lotus flower in his form of Brahma, creator of life on earth. He breaks open the golden egg, and the process of rebirth starts. All three worlds, complete with gods, demons, and humans exist within Brahma. From Vishnu’s two bodies he creates all humans, animals, plant life and greater life forms.
  • First Vishnu is Brahma, creator of the world. Then just Vishnu, protecting humans as a human. Finally, he is Shiva-Rudra, the destroyer of life on earth.

Vishnu

Alicia Tuttle