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Guru
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S H A I V I S M - T H E P R E C E D I N G S I G N S On the other hand, as it is said in Vishnu Purana: "In the Kali Yuga, only one quarter of each of the four feet of Dharma [penance, truthfulness, compassion and charity] remains. And that too goes on decreasing day by day while the 'feet' of Adharma [unrighteousness] increase greatly. So that in the end Dharma becomes extinct. In that [Kali] age, people will be greedy. They will take to wicked behaviour. They will be merciless, indulge in hostilities without any cause, unfortunate, extremely covetous for wealth and women. High social status will be attained by Sudras, fishermen and such other classes... When deceit, falsehood, lethargy, sleepiness, violence, despondency, grief, delusion, fear, and poverty prevail, that is the Kali Yuga... ... mortal beings will become dull-witted, unlucky, voracious, destitute of wealth yet voluptuous, and women, wanton and unchaste. Countries will be laid waste by robbers and vagabonds; the Vedas will be condemned by heretics; kings will exploit their subjects, and twice-borns like Brahmanas will only think of the gratification of their sexual desires and other appetites. Celibates [of the Brahmacarya ashrama] will cease to observe their vows of study, purity and celibacy; householders will take to begging [instead of giving alms]; hermits [of the vanaprastha ashrama] will resort to villages [leaving their retreats in the forests]; and Sannyasins will be extremely greedy for money. [In short, the whole system of the Varnashrama Dharma will have broken down.] Petty-minded people will conduct business transactions and merchants will be dishonest. In the Kali Yuga, men will abandon their parents, brothers, friends, and relatives. They will establish their friendships on a sexual basis. People who are ignorant of religion will occupy high seats [and pulpits] and will [pretend to] preach religion. People will have their minds weighed down with constant anxiety and fear. This will be due to devastating famines and heavy taxation. The land will not grow food-crops, and the people will always be in fear of impending droughts." ABOUT PRALAYA Visnu Purana (1.3., 1-3) underlines: "The end of the world (Pralaya) can be of three kinds only: caused (naimittika), natural (prakrita) or immediate (atyantika). Caused destruction, which implies all living creatures of earth, occurs at the end of each kalpa (cycle of an era, yuga). This is accidental or caused (naimittika). Natural destruction (prakrita) implies the whole universe. It occurs when the divine dream that is the creation ceases. Matter, space and time cease to exist. This destruction occurs at the end of time. The third type of destruction, the immediate destruction (atyantika) refers to the individual’s freedom (moksa), for whom the apparent world ceases to exist. Consequently, the immediate action involves only the individual, while caused destruction involves all living creatures on earth and natural destruction implies the end of the universe. The destruction [of the species], which we call accidental or caused occurs at the end of each Manvantara (Manu’s age), of one cycle of a yuga. It involves the human species only and it occurs only when the Creator no longer finds alternatives to put an end to the unpredicted and disastrous multiplication of living creatures. This destruction will begin with a submarine explosion, named Vadava, which will take place in the southern ocean. It will be preceded by the 100-year drought during which all weak people will perish. Seven explosions of light will drain the waters. All great rivers, springs and subterranean waters will drain. Twelve suns will un-drain the seas. Nurtured by this water, other seven suns will be formed, which will burn to ashes the three worlds. The earth will become hard as the turtle shell. A fire from the mouth of a subterranean snake will burn the inferior worlds, then the surface of the earth, and then the atmosphere. This mass of fire will soon cover everything with tremendous noise. Surrounded by circles of fire, all living creatures, moving or not, will be destroyed. The God of destruction will blow gigantic clouds, which will make a terrible noise. A mass of clouds charged with energy, self-destructive (sarvantaka) will appear on the sky like a hred of elephants." (Visnu Purana, I, cap. 8, 18-31.) "When the moon is in the Pusya constellation (the Aquarius), invisible coulds, named Puskara (clouds of death) and Avarta (clouds without water, nirjala) will surround the earth." (Siva Purana 5.1., 48-50) "Some of these clouds will be black, other will be white as the jasmine, others still will be brown, others yellow, others grey as the donkey, others red or blue as the lapis or the sapphire, others will be stained, or orange or violet. They will look like cities or mountains. They will cover the earth. These gigantic clouds, making a terrible noise, will darken the sky and will flood the earth with a rain of dust that will put out the terrible fire (we already saw in the assures’ case the destruction of a world with terrific guns that destroy any form of life). Then, through an endless flood, they will drown everything under the waters. This dilluvian rain will pour down on earth for 12 years and the humanity will be destroyed. The earth will sink into darkness. The flood will last for 7 years. The earth will look like a gigantic ocean." (Visnu Purana, 1, cap.7, 24-40).
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