The Great Flood

The earth was overrun with floods and only a few had survived. King Manu had laboured hard to save as many as he could in the gigantic boat which rocked through the waters amidst unprecedented heavy rains. It was his duty to defend his subjects and he was doing it ably enough. A dream vision had forewarned him about the imminent catastrophe. He had seen in his dream a fish grow to a huge size carrying the boat tied to a projection above its nose. The fish had appeared in successive dreams and cautioned about the great floods during which his wisdom, grit and determination will all be tested to the utmost. His task was to rescue his people and the Vedas.

It took a week-long effort to build the boat. But who was to be picked up and who to be left behind, he wondered. As the king he was duty bound to treat all as equal and could not possibly be partial in his choices. The floods had not yet started but the boat was ready. Not knowing what to do next, he spread the word around about his dream. People had to come near the river shore and then they would be taken onboard the boat starting with women and children and boatmen and those well versed in the knowledge of the scriptures and the warriors followed by the rest, space permitting. He then offered everything to the great Lord and waited for the fated morn to arrive.

The daybreak arrived but there was nothing unusual. It seemed like any other day. Though the word had been spread only a few had come trusting the vision of the king. The rest simply laughed at him. Oh! how can one trust an inner revelation that no other person had? Some thought he has gone mad. Only a few gathered who knew that the king was not only pious but also a truthful man fully devoted to the great Lord. It was quite natural then that the great Lord would appear before him to help his subjects. So they came and waited.

As the day went down and most homes had turned off the lamps, clouds began to gather suddenly and unexpectedly. The winds moved at hurricane speed and thick drops of rain started pouring like javelins from the sky.

‘Let us not wait for the river to swell more. Let us set the sail.’ The king and his trusted men shouted. But their voices were lost in the speeding winds and the boat was beginning to rock. Quickly the few who had gathered, tied by their faith in the king and the great Lord, went up the boat and set the sails. The younger among them started rowing the boat that rocked like a fragile toy upon the mighty river swell. It was still the thick of night, an unending night as it would seem since the clouds covered the sun above while the water spread covering the earth below. All who had chosen to stay on fixed grounds were drowned.

Meanwhile the boat kept rocking as if it would sink any moment. But always a mysterious hand seemed to save it. Seven days and seven nights they steered driven by the power of faith.

At the end of the seven days, the select few chosen by fate found the sun slowly showing up from behind the clouds. The boat had also reached ashore a place largely covered with snow with some land and scant vegetation around. It looked bereft of life, animals or men. King Manu, who always led by example and from the front, got down to see if there is any possibility of settling down there. He had very thoughtfully brought in the boat some cattle and seeds and saplings of trees that could give fruits and grain. But first he had to ascertain if the terrain was hospitable.

He went very far from the shore and ship before his eyes met a hermit or a seer sitting quietly in an ingathered state. Seeing the king, the Rishi smiled and greeted him saying that he had been waiting for his arrival.

The king was surprised with joy to learn that a greater Plan was aiding him in his journey.

How could the Rishi know, he thought for a moment, but knew also that the rishis had access to knowledge through a different kind of senses and operations of the intuitive mind they had evolved through yoga. Was he also not shown by the great Lord the coming of the cataclysm? He who rescued his kind had already ensured that he would find their new home. Manu sought guidance and wisdom from the Rishi, sitting at his feet in a state of humility.

The Rishi started to reveal the secrets he was waiting to impart. “The earth had grown burdened,” he started. “The evil hidden in the underbelly of life had raised its head and was polluting the mind space with falsehood, doubt, fear and greed. The earth goddess needed to change her worn out garb exploited by human greed. The great flood that drowned the earth was a thorough cleansing and purification. Now that the bath is over, she is ready to wear a new gown again.”

When Rishi paused, Manu wondered what really is earth and why must she go through such gigantic destruction. He had heard of previous pralayas but never imagined that he will witness and, even
survive, one of them.

The Rishi knew before the king could speak and continued. “Though there are countless planetary systems and countless gods and goddesses who govern the cosmos as cosmic managers, yet earth is a very special formation,” he said. “It is here that the great drama of evolution is unfolding through which consciousness climbs creating new forms for the habitation of the great Lord until this creation becomes one with the Creator.”

“Who then is the Creator? Is He Brahma, the bearer of the Word, or Vishnu, the powerful and Wise? Or Shiva, the mighty or the bewitching Krishna?” the king asked.

The Rishi replied, “O king, Brahma and Vishnu, Shiva and Krishna are but four aspects of the One Great Lord. They represent the Great Lord’s aspects of Existence, Consciousness, Force and Delight. That is why the wise call Him as Sachchidanand. Call Him by any Name and He responds since He dwells in every creature and responds to the truth in their hearts.”

The king was silent for a while contemplating on the great mysterious One, whom the wise call by many names each representing one quality or the other of His Infinity.

Then breaking the silence with a thought from afar he asked, “Here upon earth we see that everything is in pairs. So I carried pairs of animals and my fellow humans. But does the One has not His companion? How does He create?”

The Rishi explained, “Though One and Nameless, the One becomes two for the purposes of creation. They are the two principles of creation that we find everywhere, masculine and feminine, purusha and prakriti, Brahman and Maya, Ishwara and Ishwari, the Lord as the stable basis of all creation and His Shakti, the Knowledge and Power, the Conscious Force that builds, governs, penetrates, moves all creation in many worlds.”

“Many worlds?” the king pondered and reflected loud.

“Yes, O king, limited by our vision we believe the material world to be the only one. But there are countless worlds built of a different substance, worlds of the immortal Gods that are full of splendour and light, and in their contrast and opposites, worlds of the Titans, dark and dangerous.”

“But why did the gracious Lord built the dark and dangerous worlds?” the king asked as the image of a terrible shadow was recalled by him during the great voyage. It was as if a gigantic shadowy being was constantly rising from the sea to drown their boat. But the great Lord rescued it safely through the stormy turbulent waters.

“Out of love He creates,” the Rishi continued, “Out of love He throws challenges as the Night across the path of the immortal Soul so that it may grow wiser and strong even as the Lord.”

The king contemplated and saw how every difficulty had only helped him grow stronger so that he could steer his people through this tremendous crisis. But this was only the beginning of a long new journey, he thought and the Rishi again responded to the unspoken word held back in the king’s mind.

“O king indeed all destruction is the prelude to a new and higher creation. Therefore, you must rebuild a new world here and then spread out everywhere so that mankind does not make the same mistake again and bring their civilization once again to the brink of destruction.” The Rishi paused and the king anxious to know asked, “But I have little resources left. How then shall we build?”

“The outer resources are but means, O king!” the Rishi spoke, “Discover the power, the infinite Shakti, the Divine Mother and build with Her Wisdom and Power, the same Power that has built this rainbow-hued creation.”

“But where shall I find Her? By what means shall I seek Her?” asked the king.

“Find Her in your heart, O king, where She resides permanently. Find Her through love, it is through love that She has woven the stars as necklace around the Unseen Lord.”

The Rishi closed his eyes and a Voice filled the king’s heart with hope and joy and his soul heard in the deep quietude of the snow.

We are but sparks of that most perfect fire,
Waves of that sea:
From Him we come, to Him we go, desire
Eternally,
And so long as He wills, our separate birth
Is and shall be.
Shrink not from life, O Aryan, but with mirth
And joy receive
His good and evil, sin and virtue, till
He bids thee leave.
But while thou livest, perfectly fulfil
Thy part, conceive
Earth as thy stage, thyself the actor strong,
The drama His.
Work, but the fruits to God alone belong,
Who only is.
Work, love and know, — so shall thy spirit win
Immortal bliss.
Love men, love God. Fear not to love, O King,
Fear not to enjoy;
For Death’s a passage, grief a fancied thing
Fools to annoy.
From self escape and find in love alone
A higher joy.
Seek Him upon the earth. For thee He set
In the huge press
Of many worlds to build a mighty state
For man s success,
Who seeks his goal. Perfect thy human might,
Perfect the race.
For thou art He, O King. Only the night
Is on thy soul
By thy own will. Remove it and recover
The serene whole
Thou art indeed, then raise up man the lover
To God the goal.
[Sri Aurobindo: The Rishi]