Shloka 39
प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्
धाराभिर् अक्षमात्राभिः प्लावयित्वाखिलां भुवम् भुवर्लोकं तथैवोर्ध्वं प्लावयन्ति दिवं द्विज
dhārābhir akṣamātrābhiḥ plāvayitvākhilāṃ bhuvam bhuvarlokaṃ tathaivordhvaṃ plāvayanti divaṃ dvija
With streams no broader than the measure of an axle, they flood the whole earth; and the Bhuvar-loka as well—then rising higher still, they inundate even the heavenly region, O twice-born one.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Extent of pralaya inundation across Bhu-loka, Bhuvar-loka, and Svarga
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: precise
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: Dissolution is not merely terrestrial: the flood rises through the cosmic stack of lokas, demonstrating the conditionality of all higher enjoyments.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Do not absolutize ‘heavenly’ goals; orient practice toward liberation and devotion that transcend loka-bound merit.
Vishishtadvaita: Even exalted lokas are finite states within the Lord’s ordered cosmos; true refuge is the Lord who transcends and supports all lokas.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse places Bhuvar-loka between earth and heaven and treats it as a real intermediate realm that can be affected by cosmic forces, highlighting the layered structure of the universe.
He uses a concrete measure—“axle-width” streams—to show that even seemingly limited flows can, by cosmic arrangement, expand to overwhelm multiple planes of existence.
Although Vishnu is not named in the verse, the cosmological order being described is traditionally understood as operating within Vishnu’s sovereignty—the worlds and their transformations occur under the Supreme Reality that upholds and regulates creation.