Shloka 13
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
तस्मिन्नेकार्णवे लोके नष्टे स्थावरजड़मे । नष्टे देवासुरगणे समुत्सन्नमहोरगे
tasminn ekārṇave loke naṣṭe sthāvarajaḍame | naṣṭe devāsuragaṇe samutsannamahorage ||
तस्मिन्नेकर्णवे लोके नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे । नष्टे देवासुरगणे समुत्सन्नमहोरगे ॥ यदा न रविर्नाग्निर्न वायुर्न च चन्द्रमा: नैवान्तरिक्षं नैवोर्वी शेषं भवति किंचन । तदा सर्वं निमग्नं स्याददृश्यं च चराचरम्; तस्मिन्कालेऽमितात्मा ब्रह्मा तिष्ठति, तस्यैव भक्तिरेवावशिष्यते ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes impermanence: even gods, asuras, and primeval beings are swept away in cosmic dissolution. What remains meaningful is orientation toward the supreme principle (here framed as Brahmā/Īśvara) through devotion and contemplation, rather than reliance on worldly status or power.
Vaiśampāyana describes the scene of mahāpralaya: the cosmos collapses into a single ocean, and all categories of beings—immovable and moving, divine and demonic, even great serpents—are destroyed or disappear beneath the waters.