Markandeya Rishi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord

Verse 1 (bhagavata.12.9.1)

सूत उवाच संस्तुतो भगवानित्थं मार्कण्डेयेन धीमता । नारायणो नरसखः प्रीत आह भृगूद्वहम् ॥ १ ॥

sūta uvāca saṁstuto bhagavān itthaṁ mārkaṇḍeyena dhīmatā nārāyaṇo nara-sakhaḥ prīta āha bhṛgūdvaham

Suta said: Thus praised by the wise Markandeya, the Lord Narayana, friend of Nara, was pleased and spoke to that foremost of the Bhrigus.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.12.9.2)

श्रीभगवानुवाच भो भो ब्रह्मर्षिवर्योऽसि सिद्ध आत्मसमाधिना । मयि भक्त्यानपायिन्या तपःस्वाध्यायसंयमैः ॥ २ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca bho bho brahmarṣi-varyo ’si siddha ātma-samādhinā mayi bhaktyānapāyinyā tapaḥ-svādhyāya-saṁyamaiḥ

The Supreme Lord said: O best of brahmarshis, you have attained perfection through samadhi in the self, through unwavering devotion to Me, and through austerity, scriptural study, and self-restraint.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.12.9.3)

वयं ते परितुष्टाः स्म त्वद् बृहद्व्रतचर्यया । वरं प्रतीच्छ भद्रं ते वरदोऽस्मि त्वदीप्सितम् ॥ ३ ॥

vayaṁ te parituṣṭāḥ sma tvad-bṛhad-vrata-caryayā varaṁ pratīccha bhadraṁ te vara-do ’smi tvad-īpsitam

We are well pleased by your observance of the great vow. Choose a boon — may good fortune be yours — for I am ready to grant whatever you desire.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.12.9.4)

श्रीऋषिरुवाच जितं ते देवदेवेश प्रपन्नार्तिहराच्युत । वरेणैतावतालं नो यद् भवान् समदृश्यत ॥ ४ ॥

śrī-ṛṣir uvāca jitaṁ te deva-deveśa prapannārti-harācyuta vareṇaitāvatālaṁ no yad bhavān samadṛśyata

The sage said: All glory to You, O Lord of lords, O infallible one who removes the distress of the surrendered! This alone is boon enough for me — that You have let Yourself be seen.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.12.9.5)

गृहीत्वाजादयो यस्य श्रीमत्पादाब्जदर्शनम् । मनसा योगपक्वेन स भवान् मेऽक्षिगोचरः ॥ ५ ॥

gṛhītvājādayo yasya śrīmat-pādābja-darśanam manasā yoga-pakvena sa bhavān me ’kṣi-gocaraḥ

You, whose lotus feet even Brahma and the other gods attain only through a mind ripened by yoga — You have now become visible to my very eyes.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.12.9.6)

अथाप्यम्बुजपत्राक्ष पुण्यश्लोकशिखामणे । द्रक्ष्ये मायां यया लोकः सपालो वेद सद्भिदाम् ॥ ६ ॥

athāpy ambuja-patrākṣa puṇya-śloka-śikhāmaṇe drakṣye māyāṁ yayā lokaḥ sa-pālo veda sad-bhidām

And yet, O lotus-eyed one, O crest-jewel among those of pure renown — I wish to behold that Maya of Yours, by which the world, together with its guardian gods, perceives reality as if it were truly divided.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.12.9.7)

सूत उवाच इतीडितोऽर्चितः काममृषिणा भगवान् मुने । तथेति स स्मयन् प्रागाद् बदर्याश्रममीश्वरः ॥ ७ ॥

sūta uvāca itīḍito ’rcitaḥ kāmam ṛṣiṇā bhagavān mune tatheti sa smayan prāgād badary-āśramam īśvaraḥ

Suta said: O sage, thus praised and worshipped by the rishi to his heart's content, the Lord smiled, said, 'So be it,' and departed for His hermitage at Badarikashrama.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.12.9.8)

तमेव चिन्तयन्नर्थमृषिः स्वाश्रम एव सः । वसन्नग्न्यर्कसोमाम्बुभूवायुवियदात्मसु ॥ ८ ॥

tam eva cintayann artham ṛṣiḥ svāśrama eva saḥ vasann agny-arka-somāmbu- bhū-vāyu-viyad-ātmasu

The sage, remaining in his own hermitage, continued to dwell upon that same wish, meditating upon the Lord as present within fire, sun, moon, water, earth, wind, sky, and his own self.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.12.9.9)

ध्यायन् सर्वत्र च हरिं भावद्रव्यैरपूजयत् । क्वचित् पूजां विसस्मार प्रेमप्रसरसम्प्लुतः ॥ ९ ॥

dhyāyan sarvatra ca hariṁ bhāva-dravyair apūjayat kvacit pūjāṁ visasmāra prema-prasara-samplutaḥ

Meditating on Hari everywhere, he worshipped Him with articles conjured purely by feeling; at times, overwhelmed by the flood of his love, he forgot the worship itself.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.12.9.10)

तस्यैकदा भृगुश्रेष्ठ पुष्पभद्रातटे मुनेः । उपासीनस्य सन्ध्यायां ब्रह्मन् वायुरभून्महान् ॥ १० ॥

tasyaikadā bhṛgu-śreṣṭha puṣpabhadrā-taṭe muneḥ upāsīnasya sandhyāyāṁ brahman vāyur abhūn mahān

One day, O best of the Bhrigus, while that sage sat in evening worship on the bank of the Pushpabhadra, a mighty wind arose, O brahmana.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.12.9.11)

तं चण्डशब्दं समुदीरयन्तं बलाहका अन्वभवन् करालाः । अक्षस्थविष्ठा मुमुचुस्तडिद्भिः स्वनन्त उच्चैरभिवर्षधाराः ॥ ११ ॥

taṁ caṇḍa-śabdaṁ samudīrayantaṁ balāhakā anv abhavan karālāḥ akṣa-sthaviṣṭhā mumucus taḍidbhiḥ svananta uccair abhi varṣa-dhārāḥ

In the wake of that wind, roaring with a fierce sound, followed monstrous storm-clouds, thick as chariot-wheels, which loosed torrents of rain amid crashing thunder and flashing lightning.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.12.9.12)

ततो व्यदृश्यन्त चतुःसमुद्राः समन्ततः क्ष्मातलमाग्रसन्तः । समीरवेगोर्मिभिरुग्रनक्र- महाभयावर्तगभीरघोषाः ॥ १२ ॥

tato vyadṛśyanta catuḥ samudrāḥ samantataḥ kṣmā-talam āgrasantaḥ samīra-vegormibhir ugra-nakra- mahā-bhayāvarta-gabhīra-ghoṣāḥ

Then the four oceans became visible on every side, swallowing up the surface of the earth, their waves driven by fierce winds, filled with terrible crocodiles, and echoing with the deep roar of dreadful whirlpools.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.12.9.13)

अन्तर्बहिश्चाद्भिरतिद्युभिः खरैः शतह्रदाभिरुपतापितं जगत् । चतुर्विधं वीक्ष्य सहात्मना मुनि- र्जलाप्लुतां क्ष्मां विमनाः समत्रसत् ॥ १३ ॥

antar bahiś cādbhir ati-dyubhiḥ kharaiḥ śatahradābhir upatāpitaṁ jagat catur-vidhaṁ vīkṣya sahātmanā munir jalāplutāṁ kṣmāṁ vimanāḥ samatrasat

Seeing the whole world tormented within and without — by these harsh waters rising to the sky, by lightning-flashes striking again and again — beholding all four together with himself, the earth now drowned in water, the sage grew troubled and afraid.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.12.9.14)

तस्यैवमुद्वीक्षत ऊर्मिभीषणः प्रभञ्जनाघूर्णितवार्महार्णवः । आपूर्यमाणो वरषद्भिरम्बुदैः क्ष्मामप्यधाद् द्वीपवर्षाद्रिभिः समम् ॥ १४ ॥

tasyaivam udvīkṣata ūrmi-bhīṣaṇaḥ prabhañjanāghūrṇita-vār mahārṇavaḥ āpūryamāṇo varaṣadbhir ambudaiḥ kṣmām apyadhād dvīpa-varṣādribhiḥ samam

As he watched, that great ocean, terrible with waves, its waters whirled by the storm, kept filling from the pouring clouds, until it submerged the very earth along with its islands, lands, and mountains.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.12.9.15)

सक्ष्मान्तरिक्षं सदिवं सभागणं त्रैलोक्यमासीत् सह दिग्भिराप्लुतम् । स एक एवोर्वरितो महामुनि- र्बभ्राम विक्षिप्य जटा जडान्धवत् ॥ १५ ॥

sa-kṣmāntarikṣaṁ sa-divaṁ sa-bhā-gaṇaṁ trai-lokyam āsīt saha digbhir āplutam sa eka evorvarito mahā-munir babhrāma vikṣipya jaṭā jaḍāndha-vat

The three worlds — earth, sky, and heaven — together with the hosts of stars and all the directions, lay submerged. He alone, the great sage, remained, and wandered about with his matted locks disheveled, like one dumb and blind.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.12.9.16)

क्षुत्तृट्परीतो मकरैस्तिमिङ्गिलै- रुपद्रुतो वीचिनभस्वता हतः । तमस्यपारे पतितो भ्रमन् दिशो न वेद खं गां च परिश्रमेषितः ॥ १६ ॥

kṣut-tṛṭ-parīto makarais timiṅgilair upadruto vīci-nabhasvatāhataḥ tamasy apāre patito bhraman diśo na veda khaṁ gāṁ ca pariśrameṣitaḥ

Overcome by hunger and thirst, harassed by makaras and timingila fish, battered by waves and wind, fallen into that boundless darkness, he wandered, driven by exhaustion, no longer able to tell sky from earth or find his bearings.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.12.9.17)

क्वचिन्मग्नो महावर्ते तरलैस्ताडितः क्वचित् । यादोभिर्भक्ष्यते क्वापि स्वयमन्योन्यघातिभिः ॥ १७ ॥

kracin magno mahāvarte taralais tāḍitaḥ kvacit yādobhir bhakṣyate kvāpi svayam anyonya-ghātibhiḥ

At times he sank in a great whirlpool, at times he was struck by tossing waves, and at times he seemed about to be devoured by sea-creatures who, even as they attacked him, fell to attacking one another.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.12.9.18)

क्वचिच्छोकं क्वचिन्मोहं क्वचिद्दुःखं सुखं भयम् । क्वचिन्मृत्युमवाप्नोति व्याध्यादिभिरुतार्दितः ॥ १८ ॥

kvacic chokaṁ kvacin mohaṁ kvacid duḥkhaṁ sukhaṁ bhayam kvacin mṛtyum avāpnoti vyādhy-ādibhir utārditaḥ

At times he felt grief, at times bewilderment, at times sorrow, joy or fear; and at times, tormented by disease and the like, he seemed to reach the very point of death.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.12.9.19)

अयुतायुतवर्षाणां सहस्राणि शतानि च । व्यतीयुर्भ्रमतस्तस्मिन् विष्णुमायावृतात्मनः ॥ १९ ॥

ayutāyuta-varṣāṇāṁ sahasrāṇi śatāni ca vyatīyur bhramatas tasmin viṣṇu-māyāvṛtātmanaḥ

Hundreds and thousands of periods of ten thousand years each passed by as he wandered on in that flood, his very self enveloped in the illusory power of Vishnu.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.12.9.20)

स कदाचिद् भ्रमंस्तस्मिन् पृथिव्याः ककुदि द्विजः । न्याग्रोधपोतं ददृशे फलपल्लवशोभितम् ॥ २० ॥

sa kadācid bhramaṁs tasmin pṛthivyāḥ kakudi dvijaḥ nyāgrodha-potaṁ dadṛśe phala-pallava-śobhitam

Once, still wandering there, the brahmana saw, upon a lone peak of earth, a young banyan tree adorned with fruit and fresh leaves.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.12.9.21)

प्रागुत्तरस्यां शाखायां तस्यापि ददृशे शिशुम् । शयानं पर्णपुटके ग्रसन्तं प्रभया तमः ॥ २१ ॥

prāg-uttarasyāṁ śākhāyāṁ tasyāpi dadṛśe śiśum śayānaṁ parṇa-puṭake grasantaṁ prabhayā tamaḥ

On its northeastern branch he saw, further, a child lying within the fold of a leaf, whose own radiance was swallowing up the surrounding darkness.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.12.9.22)

महामरकतश्यामं श्रीमद्वदनपङ्कजम् । कम्बुग्रीवं महोरस्कं सुनसं सुन्दरभ्रुवम् ॥ २२ ॥

mahā-marakata-śyāmaṁ śrīmad-vadana-paṅkajam kambu-grīvaṁ mahoraskaṁ su-nasaṁ sundara-bhruvam

Dark as flawless emerald, His lotus face radiant with beauty, His throat marked like a conch shell, His chest broad, His nose finely shaped, His brows lovely —

Verse 23 (bhagavata.12.9.23)

श्वासैजदलकाभातं कम्बुश्रीकर्णदाडिमम् । विद्रुमाधरभासेषच्छोणायितसुधास्मितम् ॥ २३ ॥

śvāsaijad-alakābhātaṁ kambu-śrī-karṇa-dāḍimam vidrumādhara-bhāseṣac- choṇāyita-sudhā-smitam

— His hair trembling as He breathed, His ears lovely as conch-spirals and touched with the hue of pomegranate blossoms, His nectar-smile faintly reddened by the coral glow of His lips —

Verse 24 (bhagavata.12.9.24)

पद्मगर्भारुणापाङ्गं हृद्यहासावलोकनम् । श्वासैजद्वलिसंविग्ननिम्ननाभिदलोदरम् ॥ २४ ॥

padma-garbhāruṇāpāṅgaṁ hṛdya-hāsāvalokanam śvāsaijad-vali-saṁvigna- nimna-nābhi-dalodaram

— His eyes' corners reddish as a lotus's inner whorl, His glance and smile utterly captivating, and, as He breathed, the folds of skin on His deep-navelled belly stirring like a rippling leaf.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.12.9.25)

चार्वङ्गुलिभ्यां पाणिभ्यामुन्नीय चरणाम्बुजम् । मुखे निधाय विप्रेन्द्रो धयन्तं वीक्ष्य विस्मितः ॥ २५ ॥

cārv-aṅgulibhyāṁ pāṇibhyām unnīya caraṇāmbujam mukhe nidhāya viprendro dhayantaṁ vīkṣya vismitaḥ

That foremost of brahmanas, watching in astonishment, saw Him lift His own lotus foot with His graceful fingers, place it to His mouth, and suckle upon it.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.12.9.26)

तद्दर्शनाद् वीतपरिश्रमो मुदा प्रोत्फुल्लहृत्पद्मविलोचनाम्बुजः । प्रहृष्टरोमाद्भुतभावशङ्कितः प्रष्टुं पुरस्तं प्रससार बालकम् ॥ २६ ॥

tad-darśanād vīta-pariśramo mudā protphulla-hṛt-padma-vilocanāmbujaḥ prahṛṣṭa-romādbhuta-bhāva-śaṅkitaḥ praṣṭuṁ puras taṁ prasasāra bālakam

At that sight his weariness vanished; in joy the lotus of his heart and his lotus eyes both blossomed wide, the hairs of his body stood on end, and, filled with wondering doubt, he stepped forward to question the child.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.12.9.27)

तावच्छिशोर्वै श्वसितेन भार्गवः सोऽन्तः शरीरं मशको यथाविशत् । तत्राप्यदो न्यस्तमचष्ट कृत्स्नशो यथा पुरामुह्यदतीव विस्मितः ॥ २७ ॥

tāvac chiśor vai śvasitena bhārgavaḥ so ’ntaḥ śarīraṁ maśako yathāviśat tatrāpy ado nyastam acaṣṭa kṛtsnaśo yathā purāmuhyad atīva vismitaḥ

But even as he approached, the child's in-breath drew that descendant of Bhrigu inside His own body, as a gnat is drawn in; and there he beheld everything laid out entire, just as it had been before — utterly bewildered, in the greatest astonishment.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.12.9.28)

खं रोदसी भागणानद्रिसागरान् द्वीपान् सवर्षान् ककुभः सुरासुरान् । वनानि देशान् सरितः पुराकरान् खेटान् व्रजानाश्रमवर्णवृत्तयः ॥ २८ ॥

khaṁ rodasī bhā-gaṇān adri-sāgarān dvīpān sa-varṣān kakubhaḥ surāsurān vanāni deśān saritaḥ purākarān kheṭān vrajān āśrama-varṇa-vṛttayaḥ

He saw the sky, heaven and earth, the constellations, mountains and oceans, the continents with their regions, the quarters of space, gods and demons, forests, countries, rivers, cities and mines, villages, pastures, hermitages, and the duties proper to each social order —

Verse 29 (bhagavata.12.9.29)

महान्ति भूतान्यथ भौतिकान्यसौ कालं च नानायुगकल्पकल्पनम् । यत् किञ्चिदन्यद् व्यवहारकारणं ददर्श विश्वं सदिवावभासितम् ॥ २९ ॥

mahānti bhūtāny atha bhautikāny asau kālaṁ ca nānā-yuga-kalpa-kalpanam yat kiñcid anyad vyavahāra-kāraṇaṁ dadarśa viśvaṁ sad ivāvabhāsitam

— he saw the great elements and their derivatives, and time itself, ordering the many ages and kalpas; and whatever else serves as the ground of worldly transaction, all this he saw, the whole universe appearing before him as if it were truly real.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.12.9.30)

हिमालयं पुष्पवहां च तां नदीं निजाश्रमं यत्र ऋषी अपश्यत । विश्वं विपश्यञ्छ्वसिताच्छिशोर्वै बहिर्निरस्तो न्यपतल्लयाब्धौ ॥ ३० ॥

himālayaṁ puṣpavahāṁ ca tāṁ nadīṁ nijāśramaṁ yatra ṛṣī apaśyata viśvaṁ vipaśyañ chvasitāc chiśor vai bahir nirasto nyapatal layābdhau

He saw the Himalayas, the river Pushpavaha, and his own hermitage where he had beheld the two rishis; but even as he gazed upon this whole universe, the child's out-breath cast him forth again, and he fell back into the ocean of dissolution.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.12.9.31)

तस्मिन् पृथिव्याः ककुदि प्ररूढं वटं च तत्पर्णपुटे शयानम् । तोकं च तत्प्रेमसुधास्मितेन निरीक्षितोऽपाङ्गनिरीक्षणेन ॥ ३१ ॥

tasmin pṛthivyāḥ kakudi prarūḍhaṁ vaṭaṁ ca tat-parṇa-puṭe śayānam tokaṁ ca tat-prema-sudhā-smitena nirīkṣito ’pāṅga-nirīkṣaṇena

There, once more, upon that peak of earth, he saw the banyan growing, and the infant lying within the fold of its leaf, who now looked upon him with a sidelong glance and a smile filled with the nectar of love.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.12.9.32)

अथ तं बालकं वीक्ष्य नेत्राभ्यां धिष्ठितं हृदि । अभ्ययादतिसङ्क्लिष्टः परिष्वक्तुमधोक्षजम् ॥ ३२ ॥

atha taṁ bālakaṁ vīkṣya netrābhyāṁ dhiṣṭhitaṁ hṛdi abhyayād ati-saṅkliṣṭaḥ pariṣvaktum adhokṣajam

Then, beholding that child, drawing Him through his eyes into his very heart, the sage rushed forward in deep longing to embrace that Lord beyond the senses.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.12.9.33)

तावत् स भगवान् साक्षाद् योगाधीशो गुहाशयः । अन्तर्दध ऋषेः सद्यो यथेहानीशनिर्मिता ॥ ३३ ॥

tāvat sa bhagavān sākṣād yogādhīśo guhā-śayaḥ antardadha ṛṣeḥ sadyo yathehānīśa-nirmitā

But in that very instant the Lord Himself, the master of all yoga who dwells hidden in the heart, vanished from before the sage — just as the constructions of one without true power vanish.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.12.9.34)

तमन्वथ वटो ब्रह्मन् सलिलं लोकसम्प्लवः । तिरोधायि क्षणादस्य स्वाश्रमे पूर्ववत्स्थितः ॥ ३४ ॥

tam anv atha vaṭo brahman salilaṁ loka-samplavaḥ tirodhāyi kṣaṇād asya svāśrame pūrva-vat sthitaḥ

Then, O brahmana, following the Lord, the banyan tree, the flood-waters, and the entire dissolution of the worlds also vanished at once, and the sage found himself, that very instant, standing in his own hermitage exactly as before.