Chapter 51
“Sthanu said, ‘O lord, thou hadst taken great care for creating diversecreatures. Indeed, creatures of diverse kinds were created and reared bythee. Those very creatures, again, are now being consumed through thyfire. Seeing this, I am filled with compassion. O illustrious lord, beinclined to grace.’
“Brahma said, ‘I had no desire of destroying the universe, I desired goodof the earth, and it was for this that wrath possessed me. The goddessEarth, afflicted with the heavy weight of creatures, always urged me fordestroying the creatures on her. Urged by her, I could not however, findany means for the destruction of the infinite creation. At this wrathpossessed me.’
“Rudra said, ‘Be inclined to grace. O lord of the universe, cherish notthe wrath for the destruction of creatures. No more let creatures,immobile and mobile, be destroyed. Through thy grace, O illustrious one,let the threefold universe, viz., the Future, the Past, and the Presentexist. Thou, O Lord, hadst blazed up with wrath. From that wrath ofthine, a substance like fire sprang into existence, That fire is even nowblasting rocks and trees and rivers, and all kinds of herbs and grass.Indeed, that fire is exterminating the immobile and the mobile universe.The mobile and the immobile universe is being reduced to ashes. Beinclined to grace, O illustrious one! Do not give way to wrath. Even thisis the boon I solicit, All created things, O divine Being, belonging tothee, are being destroyed. Therefore, let thy wrath be appeased. Let itbe annihilated in thy own self. Cast thy eye on thy creatures, inspiredwith the desire of doing them good. Do that by which creatures enduedwith life may not cease to be. Let not these creatures, with theirproductive powers weakened be exterminated. O Creator of the worlds, thouhast appointed me their Protector, O Lord of the universe, let not themobile and the immobile universe to be destroyed. Thou art inclined tograce, and it is for this that I say these words unto thee.’
“Narada continued, Hearing these words (of Mahadeva) the divine Brahma,from desire of benefiting creatures, held in his own inner self his wraththat had been roused. Extinguishing the fire, the divine Benefactor ofthe world, the great Master, declared the duties of Production andEmancipation. And while the Supreme Deity exterminated that fire born ofhis wrath, there came out from the doors of his diverse senses a femalewho was dark and red and tawny, whose tongue and face and eyes were red,and who was decked with two brilliant ear-rings and diverse otherbrilliant ornaments. Issuing out of his body, she smilingly looked atthose two lords of the universe and then set out for the southernquarter, Then Brahma, that controller of the creation and destruction ofthe worlds, called after her by the name of Death. And Brahma, O king,said unto her, ‘Slay these creatures of mine! Thou hast been born of thatwrath of mine which I cherished for the destruction (of the universe). Bydoing this, kill all creatures including idiots and seers at my command.By doing this, thou wilt be benefited.’ Thou lotus-lady, called Death,thus addressed by him reflected deeply, and then helplessly wept aloud inmelodious accents. The Grandsire then caught the tears she had shed, withhis two hands, for the benefit of all creatures, and began to implore her(with these words).’
