Time doesn't exist in the Brahmaloka (the realm of truth), the eternal abode of the Creator, yet an unbroken serenity reigns. Elegant rivers flow with pure, sweet waters, their surfaces covered with glowing lotuses.
This place doesn't require the sun or the moon to be illuminated; its only source of light is books. More precisely, knowledge. The realm has books floating around, spreading light.
And just near the banks of a river bending away from a tree that bestows desires, there lies a gargantuan lotus throne. There on that throne sits an individual with four faces. All those faces are covered with thick white beards and moustaches, so dense that his lips aren't visible.
The individual is the ultimate source of light here, the one with the most spiritual knowledge and purity. His throne is surrounded by Siddhis (the accomplished) and Rishis (sages).
This is Lord Brahma, peacefully watching the dance of the Apsaras, accompanied by the music of the Gandharvas.
This profound peace is shattered by the appearance of an astonishing figure—a radiant, holy cow—a blue cow with large green patches that closely resemble the Earth.
She is indeed Goddess Earth, the personification of Brahma's own creation, standing before him, weeping. Accompanied by the Gods of Wind, Fire, Water, and twenty-seven others, she assumes human form, bows to the Lord and praises him while she weeps.
She wears an emerald-green saree with deep blue-gold embroidery, resembling the colours of the only planet known to harbour life. Her blue sapphire necklace and earrings sparkle with the same intensity as books in Brahmaloka.
With her deep, bright eyes and brown skin, this woman captivates every soul in Brahma's court. Yet a hint of circumambient darkness clings to her.
"O, noble lady! Don't praise me and weep at the same time! What is it that makes the Goddess Earth weep?" speaks Brahma in fragments, his sentences jumping from one mouth to the next. "Deities! What purpose brought you to this realm?"
"O, Four-faced one, the creator of the universe. We've come to you to ask for help! The Earth and its residents are suffering from the uprising of Demons. Evil doers hold extreme power," replies one of the Deities.
"O Lord of Knowledge! I can't bear the weight of these monsters! People who don't uphold their Dharma (righteousness), Demons, Corrupt Deities, I can't bear them any more. I've come here to ask the Creator for help!" She unburdens the weight of her cosmic agony.
"Don't cry, Prithvi. You have to suffer no more. The Supreme will fix everything."
"It's time…" says Brahma to himself as he raises one of his four arms forward, and a book floating midair comes racing towards him. He recites a summoning shloka (traditional Sanskrit poetic verse); the book opens - and projects a bright canvas of light. A mysterious weight covers the lower ether.
On this canvas, a dark silhouette appears against a dark blue night sky. "History repeats itself. The time has come yet again!" says Lord Brahma as if he is reading a prophecy. He and all the gods present bow in reverence.
"Tathastu," replies Lord Vishnu, his voice echoing long after he said it. The canvas spirals into the book, and the book spins closed.
Silence lingers for a brief moment. Upon hearing the Preserver's words, the Goddess Earth stops weeping, and her mind is filled with bliss.
"I leave everything to you, Father of the universe. Now is the right time to take my leave." With the final greetings, the Goddess vanishes from the realm.
Lord Brahma descends from the throne, for he is about to leave to meet Lord Shiva.
***
Kailasa- the abode of Lord Shiva, the Destroyer and Transformer of the Universe. The air is filled with the fragrance of Night-flowering Jasmine and Hibiscus flowers, and the music of the Gandharvas.
Lord Shiva sits wearing a tiger skin, watching the dance of the Apsaras under the eternal banyan tree, thousands of feet tall, at the banks of the celestial river Mandakini.
A Crescent Moon glows on his matted hair, the beams of which spread nectar of immortality around him. King Vasuki, the great cobra, rests coiled around his neck alongside a lotus seed garland, while his hands loosely hold a Trident and a Damaru (an hourglass drum).
Stealing glances with Goddess Parvati, his wife, he looks as if suspended in bliss.
As soon as Brahma appears, Lord Shiva gets up to receive him. After Brahma offers his salutations to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, he narrates the tragic story of Goddess Earth and her residents. Upon hearing the sufferings of their devotees, their gazes soften and grow wet. The atmosphere of Shiva's abode darkens—as if a storm were approaching!
"Do not despair, Lord. We shall restore the balance of the cosmos!" exclaims Lord Brahma, unable to endure watching his beloved friend, Shiva, weep. Brahma and Shiva venture towards Goloka—the abode of Lord Vishnu—to greet and pray to him.
***
Goloka, one of Lord Vishnu's abodes—the absolute highest realm—is far away from the Brahmaloka, spanning hundreds of millions of Yojanas—a cosmic expanse equivalent to 681 light-years.
Brahma and Shiva arrive here with speed as swift as thought, and soon Shiva's despair turns into bliss. Entering the inner chambers of the royal palace, they find themselves in a magnificent, divine court lit by the radiance of the Gods.
There, on a jewelled lion-throne, sits Lord Vishnu, radiating a charm that eclipses millions of Kamadevas. With a serene, smiling face and four arms, he is attended by his companions—Sunanda, Nanda, and Kumuda.
As they see this magnificent figure, Shiva and Brahma, overwhelmed by immense bliss, bow with devotion. Due to his omnipresent nature, Vishnu already knows all about what Goddess Earth and her residents are going through.
"I shall deal with the sufferings of Goddess Earth, and fulfil the curse on my beloved Radhika. I shall reincarnate in the material realm for the 8th time, this time as Krushn, and restore cosmic balance."
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