Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 7
Matsya-avatāra: The Lord as Fish Saves the Vedas and Guides Satyavrata
आसीदतीतकल्पान्ते ब्राह्मो नैमित्तिको लय: । समुद्रोपप्लुतास्तत्र लोका भूरादयो नृप ॥ ७ ॥
āsīd atīta-kalpānte brāhmo naimittiko layaḥ samudropaplutās tatra lokā bhūr-ādayo nṛpa
O King Parīkṣit, at the end of the past millennium, at the end of Brahmā’s day, because Lord Brahmā sleeps during the night, annihilation took place, and the three worlds were covered by the water of the ocean.
FAQs
This verse states that at the end of a kalpa there is a Brahmā-related, periodic dissolution in which the worlds beginning with Bhūrloka are submerged by ocean waters.
He is setting the cosmic background for the Matsya-avatāra narrative, explaining the conditions (a great inundation at kalpa’s end) in which the Lord’s protective pastime unfolds.
It cultivates detachment and urgency for bhakti—recognizing that worldly arrangements are temporary and that lasting shelter is found in devotion to the Lord.