Saṃvartaka Clouds
Saṃvartaka · saṃvartaka, “the clouds of dissolution”
The Saṃvartaka clouds are the great clouds of the pralaya. In the Brahma Purāṇa, Vyāsa tells the munis that at the end of Brahmā‘s day, when the fire of the pralaya has burned the three worlds, Bhagavān Vishṇu in the form of Rudra creates the Saṃvartaka clouds from the vapour of his breath; they quench the fire and then drown the worlds. Indra too called up the Saṃvartaka host of clouds against Gokula, and Śrī Kṛshṇa held up Govardhana against their rain.
At the naimittika pralaya
After a thousand caturyugas, when the earth has largely wasted away, an unbroken drought of a hundred years sets in. Bhagavān Vishṇu, in the form of Rudra, draws all creatures into himself: standing in the seven rays of Sūrya he drinks up all the water, seven Sūryas appear and burn the world, and the fire of the pralaya, with the heat of the breath of Rudra and Ādiśesha, burns the seven pātālas, Bhūloka and Svarga.
Then Vishṇu in the form of Rudra creates clouds with the vapour of his breath. Those clouds, named Saṃvartaka, spread over the whole sky with great thunder and lightning. Some are black like elephants, like collyrium and like blue lilies; some are the colour of smoke; some green; some like turmeric, like lac, like vaiḍūrya gems, like indranīla sapphires, like conches, like jasmine and jāji flowers, like the ārdra insects, like realgar and like lotus petals. With shapes like cities, mountains, storehouses and raised ground, with huge bodies and great roars, they fill the sky.
Raining great rains, they put out the terrible flames of the fire. Even after the fire is quenched they keep raining without pause and drown the whole world in water. They fill the earth with streams as thick as the axle of a cart, and then fill the upper lokas as well. All moving and unmoving beings perish, the whole world is wrapped in darkness, and the clouds keep raining for more than a hundred years. Then Bhagavān Vishṇu scatters them with the wind of his breath and lies on the Śesha-śayyā in the one ocean.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapters 232–233
Against Gokula
When the gopas resolved that there was no need to hold the Indrotsava, Indra, greatly angered, gathered the Saṃvartaka host of clouds and commanded them: “Nanda, puffed up by the shelter of Kṛshṇa, has broken my festival. Rain a rain of stones on the cowherds and afflict them. I too will come on Airāvata and help you with the winds.” At his command the clouds poured a terrifying downpour; in a moment the earth, the directions and the sky became one, and the cows fell with their necks and heads twisted, lowing piteously to Kṛshṇa.
Śrī Kṛshṇa lifted the mountain Govardhana with one arm, with ease, and held it as an umbrella over all Gokula. For seven nights he held it up while the clouds rained in one unbroken stream by Indra’s command, until Indra’s plans came to nothing and the clouds broke up in the sky.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 188
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapters 188, 232–233