यथा प्रदीप्तं ज्वलनं पतंगा विशन्ति नाशाय समृद्धवेगाः । तथैव नाशाय विशन्ति लोका- स्तवापि वक्त्राणि समृद्धवेगाः ॥
yathā pradīptaṃ jvalanam pataṃgā viśanti nāśāya samṛddhavegāḥ | tataiva nāśāya viśanti lokā- stavāpi vaktrāṇi samṛddhavegāḥ ||
Translation
As moths rush swiftly into a blazing flame for their destruction — just so do these creatures rush swiftly into Your mouths for their destruction.
Interpretation
The second simile of destruction: moths rushing into flame. The moths do not enter slowly or reluctantly — they rush (samriddhavegah — with great speed, fullness of velocity) into the flame that destroys them. The creatures of the world (lokah) rush similarly into the mouths of the cosmic form — with the same swift, seemingly self-destructive momentum. The simile captures the tragic beauty of mortality: beings rush toward what destroys them because the fire is so bright. The cosmic fire draws all beings to their dissolution.