Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 26
The Lord in the Heart and the Discipline of Yoga-Bhakti
अथो अनन्तस्य मुखानलेन दन्दह्यमानं स निरीक्ष्य विश्वम् । निर्याति सिद्धेश्वरयुष्टधिष्ण्यं यद् द्वैपरार्ध्यं तदु पारमेष्ठ्यम् ॥ २६ ॥
atho anantasya mukhānalena dandahyamānaṁ sa nirīkṣya viśvam niryāti siddheśvara-yuṣṭa-dhiṣṇyaṁ yad dvai-parārdhyaṁ tad u pārameṣṭhyam
Puis, lorsque le feu jailli de la bouche d’Ananta embrase l’univers entier, le yogī voit tous les mondes se réduire en cendres; il s’en va alors vers Satyaloka (Parameṣṭhya) à bord des véhicules célestes des siddhas. La durée de vie à Satyaloka est comptée comme dvi-parārdha, c’est-à-dire égale à la vie de Brahmā.
It is indicated herein that the residents of Maharloka, where the purified living entities or demigods possess a duration of life calculated to be 4,300,000,000 solar years, have airships by which they reach Satyaloka, the topmost planet of the universe. In other words, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives us many clues about other planets far, far away from us which modern planes and spacecraft cannot reach, even by imaginary speeds. The statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are accepted by great ācāryas like Śrīdhara Svāmī, Rāmānujācārya and Vallabhācārya. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically accepts Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the spotless Vedic authority, and as such no sane man can ignore the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when it is spoken by the self-realized soul Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who follows in the footsteps of his great father, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the compiler of all Vedic literatures. In the creation of the Lord there are many wonderful things we can see with our own eyes every day and night, but we are unable to reach them equipped by modern materialistic science. We should not, therefore, depend on the fragmentary authority of materialistic science for knowing things beyond the range of scientific purview. For a common man, both modern science and Vedic wisdom are simply to be accepted because none of the statements either of modern science or of Vedic literature can be verified by him. The alternative for a common man is to believe either of them or both of them. The Vedic way of understanding, however, is more authentic because it has been accepted by the ācāryas, who are not only faithful and learned men but also liberated souls without any of the flaws of conditioned souls. The modern scientists, however, are conditioned souls liable to so many errors and mistakes. Therefore the safe side is to accept the authentic version of Vedic literatures, like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is accepted unanimously by the great ācāryas.
FAQs
This verse describes the universe being burned by the fire from Ananta (Śeṣa) and the departure of the soul to higher realms, indicating the terrifying, inevitable dissolution that overtakes the cosmos at the end of a cycle.
Ananta represents the Lord’s cosmic foundation; the imagery of fire from His mouth signifies the divine agency by which the universe is withdrawn at dissolution, emphasizing that creation and destruction occur under the Supreme’s control.
Remembering the temporality of the universe helps reduce attachment and fear, encouraging steady devotion and purposeful living centered on the eternal Lord rather than temporary worldly arrangements.