Source
Texts:
Mârkandeya
Rishi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord
Text
1
S'rî
Sûta said: "The Supreme Lord Nârâyana, Nara's
Friend, this way by Mârkandeya, the intelligent sage,
properly respected, spoke satisfied to the eminent descendant
of Bhrigu.
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: The Supreme Lord
Nârâyana, the friend of Nara, was satisfied by
the proper glorification offered by the intelligent sage
Mârkandeya. Thus the Lord addressed that excellent
descendant of Bhrigu.
Text
2
The
Supreme Lord said: 'O my pleasure, you, perfect in your
fixation upon the soul, are the best of all brahmin seers; not
deviating in your devotional service, austerities, recitations
and concentration are you directed toward Me.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear
Mârkandeya, you are indeed the best of all learned
brâhmanas. You have perfected your life by practicing
fixed meditation upon the Supreme Soul, as well as by
focusing upon Me your undeviating devotional service, your
austerities, your study of the Vedas and your strict
adherence to regulative principles.
Text
3
We
have become perfectly satisfied with you in your keeping to a
vow of lifelong celibacy; please choose a benediction to your
desire, for I am the Giver of All Benedictions wishing you the
best'.
We
are perfectly satisfied with your practice of lifelong
celibacy. Please choose whatever benediction you desire,
since I can grant your wish. May you enjoy all good
fortune.
Text
4
The
honorable rishi said: 'You o Lord of Lords, o Infallible One,
are victorious as the Remover of the Distress of the One
Surrendered and with as much as the benediction of us having
seen Your good Self we have enough.
The
sage said: O Lord of lords, all glories to You! O Lord
Acyuta, You remove all distress for the devotees who
surrender unto You. That you have allowed me to see You is
all the benediction I want.
Text
5
Brahmâ
and others with a mind matured in yoga all received the sight
of the all-opulent of Your lotus feet and He, You Yourself, are
now perceptible to my eyes.
Such
demigods as Lord Brahmâ achieved their exalted
positions simply by seeing Your beautiful lotus feet after
their minds had become mature in yoga practice. And now, my
Lord, You have personally appeared before me.
Text
6
Nonetheless
do I, o Crest Jewel of Fame with the Lotus Eyes, desire to
witness the illusory potency by which the entire world along
with its rulers considers the material differentiation of the
absolute.' [compare B.G. 11:
3-4]
O
lotus-eyed Lord, O crest jewel of renowned personalities,
although I am satisfied simply by seeing You, I do wish to
see Your illusory potency, by whose influence the entire
world, together with its ruling demigods, considers reality
to be materially variegated.
Text
7
Sûta
said: 'Glorified in these words by the rishi said He, the
Supreme Lord, to His satisfaction being worshiped smiling, 'So
be it', upon which the Controller departed for
Badarikâs'rama.
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: O wise S'aunaka, thus satisfied by
Mârkandeya's praise and worship, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, smiling, replied, "So be it," and
then departed for His hermitage at
Badarikâs'rama.
Text
8-9
The
rishi thus thinking of that goal just remaining at his own
hermitage meditated in all circumstances upon the Lord with all
the things he had - the fire, the sun, the moon, the water, the
earth, the wind, the lightning as well as his own heart - and
thus offering worship he sometimes forgot the proof of his
respect as he drowned in the flood of the pure love of God
[prema].
Thinking
always of his desire to see the Lord's illusory energy, the
sage remained in his âs'rama, meditating constantly
upon the Lord within fire, the sun, the moon, water, the
earth, air, lightning and his own heart and worshiping Him
with paraphernalia conceived in his mind. But sometimes,
overwhelmed by waves of love for the Lord, Mârkandeya
would forget to perform his regular worship.
Text
10
While
the sage one day, o best of Bhrigu, was performing his evening
worship on the bank of the Pushpabhadrâ, o brahmin, arose
a great wind.
O
brâhmana S'aunaka, best of the Bhrigus, one day while
Mârkandeya was performing his evening worship on the
bank of the Pushpabhadrâ, a great wind suddenly
arose.
Text
11
It
created a terrible sound followed by the appearance of
threatening clouds as solid as wagon wheels that resounding
loudly with lightning showered torrents of rain
everywhere.
That
wind created a terrible sound and brought in its wake
fearsome clouds that were accompanied by lightning and
roaring thunder and that poured down on all sides torrents
of rain as heavy as wagon wheels.
Text
12
Then
from all sides appeared the four oceans swallowing up the
surface of the earth with wind-tossed waves in which, along
with ominous sounds, there were terrible sea monsters and
fearful whirlpools.
Then
the four great oceans appeared on all sides, swallowing up
the surface of the earth with their wind-tossed waves. In
these oceans were terrible sea monsters, fearful whirlpools
and ominous rumblings.
Text
13
Perplexed
got the sage afraid seeing how the earth flooded and all the
four types of inhabitants of the universe [from moist,
seed, embryos and eggs] including himself by the water
rising higher than the sky, the fierce winds, the bolts of
lightning, and the great waves rising higher than heaven, were
greatly distressed within and without.
The
sage saw all the inhabitants of the universe, including
himself, tormented within and without by the harsh winds,
the bolts of lightning, and the great waves rising beyond
the sky. As the whole earth flooded, he grew perplexed and
fearful.
Text
14
As
he was looking on were the waters of the great ocean by
hurricanes swirled around in frightening waves as they swelled
with the rain from the clouds that covered the entirety of the
earth with its continents, islands and
mountains.
Even
as Mârkandeya looked on, the rain pouring down from
the clouds filled the ocean more and more until that great
sea, its waters violently whipped into terrifying waves by
hurricanes, covered up all the earth's islands, mountains
and continents.
Text
15
With
the three worlds, the earth, outer space, the celestial bodies
and heavenly places flooded in all directions did the great
sage, as the only one remaining, wander about like a person
dumb and blind, with His matted locks scattered.
The
water inundated the earth, outer space, heaven and the
celestial region. Indeed, the entire expanse of the universe
was flooded in all directions, and out of all its
inhabitants only Mârkandeya remained. His matted hair
scattered, the great sage wandered about alone in the water
as if dumb and blind.
Text
16
In
the grip of hunger and thirst, attacked by monster crocodiles
and whale-eaters and plagued by the winds moved he, tormented
by the waves, overcome by fatigue and not knowing which
direction of the sky or the earth he went, through the infinite
darkness he had fallen into.
Tormented
by hunger and thirst, attacked by monstrous makaras and
timingila fish and battered by the wind and waves, he moved
aimlessly through the infinite darkness into which he had
fallen. As he grew increasingly exhausted, he lost all sense
of direction and could not tell the sky from the
earth.
Text
17-18
Sometimes
drowning in a great whirlpool and then beaten by the waves was
he at times threatened with being eaten by the monsters which
then again attacked each other, and experienced he in distress
sometimes disease and pains with occasional depressions and
bewilderment, misery, incidental happiness and fear of death at
other times.
At
times he was engulfed by the great whirlpools, sometimes he
was beaten by the mighty waves, and at other times the
aquatic monsters threatened to devour him as they attacked
one another. Sometimes he felt lamentation, bewilderment,
misery, happiness or fear, and at other times he experienced
such terrible illness and pain that he felt himself
dying.
Text
19
Countless
and countless, hundreds and thousands of years passed by as he
with his mind covered wandered in that mâyâ, that
deluding material energy of Vishnu.
Countless
millions of years passed as Mârkandeya wandered about
in that deluge, his mind bewildered by the illusory energy
of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text
20
At
one occasion, as he roamed out there, saw the twiceborn one
upon a raised mound of earth a young banyan tree beautiful with
fruits and blossoms.
Once,
while wandering in the water, the brâhmana
Mârkandeya discovered a small island, upon which stood
a young banyan tree bearing blossoms and fruits.
Text
21
Upon
a branch of that tree toward the northeast he even more saw an
infant boy lying within the fold of a leaf swallowing the
darkness with His effulgence [see
also 3.33:
4].
Upon
a branch of the northeast portion of that tree he saw an
infant boy lying within a leaf. The child's effulgence was
swallowing up the darkness.
Text
22-25
Amazed
did that king of the scholars drank with his eyes in the sight
of its complexion as dark-blue as a great emerald, its
beautiful lotus face, its conchshell striped throat, its broad
chest, fine nose and beautiful eyebrows; its splendid hair
trembling to its breath, its beautiful shell-shaped ears
resembling pomegranate flowers, its coral lips that by their
effulgence slightly reddened its nectarean smile; its
countenance with a charming smile with the corners of its eyes
like the reddish whorl of a lotus, the by its breath moved
lines of its abdomen contorted by its deep leaf like navel, and
... how the infant with the graceful fingers of its two hands
grabbed one of its lotus feet and placed it in its mouth
[*].
shone
with a wealth of beauty, and His throat bore marks like the
lines on a conchshell. He had a broad chest, a finely shaped
nose, beautiful eyebrows, and lovely ears that resembled
pomegranate flowers and that had inner folds like a
conchshell's spirals. The corners of His eyes were reddish
like the whorl of a lotus, and the effulgence of His
coral-like lips slightly reddened the nectarean, enchanting
smile on His face. As He breathed, His splendid hair
trembled and His deep navel became distorted by the moving
folds of skin on His abdomen, which resembled a banyan leaf.
The exalted brâhmana watched with amazement as the
infant took hold of one of His lotus feet with His graceful
fingers, placed a toe within His mouth and began to
suck.
Text
26
Seeing it was
his weariness dispelled and expanded out of pleasure wide the
lotus of his heart and his lotus eyes. Confused about the
identity of that wonderful appearance approached he, with his
hair standing on end, the child from the front in order to
inquire.
As
Mârkandeya beheld the child, all his weariness
vanished. Indeed, so great was his pleasure that the lotus
of his heart, along with his lotus eyes, fully blossomed and
the hairs on his body stood on end. Confused as to the
identity of the wonderful infant, the sage approached
Him.
Text
27
Right
then was with the breathing of the infant the man of Bhrigu
like a mosquito drawn into its body and saw he in that position
there the entire universe as it was before, upon which he
utterly surprised stood perplexed.
Just
then the child inhaled, drawing Mârkandeya within His
body like a mosquito. There the sage found the entire
universe arrayed as it had been before its dissolution.
Seeing this, Mârkandeya was most astonished and
perplexed.
Text
28-29
He
saw the entire expanse of all the stars, the mountains and
oceans, and the directions of the great islands and the
continents, the ones enlightened and unenlightened, the
forests, countries, rivers, cities and mines; the peasant
villages, the cow pastures and the various engagements of the
varnâs'rama
society. He saw the basic elements of nature and all their
gross manifestations, as also the Time itself of the different
yugas
and kalpas
and whatever other object of material use in the universe that
was manifested as if real.
The
sage saw the entire universe: the sky, heavens and earth,
the stars, mountains, oceans, great islands and continents,
the expanses in every direction, the saintly and demoniac
living beings, the forests, countries, rivers, cities and
mines, the agricultural villages and cow pastures, and the
occupational and spiritual activities of the various social
divisions. He also saw the basic elements of creation along
with all their by-products, as well as time itself, which
regulates the progression of countless ages within the days
of Brahmâ. In addition, he saw everything else created
for use in material life. All this he saw manifested before
him as if it were real.
Text
30
As
he of the universe observed the Himâlayas, the
Pushpabhadrâ River and his hermitage where he had seen
the rishis [Nara and Nârâyana], was he by
the breath of the infant again thrown outside to fall back into
the ocean of dissolution.
He
saw before him the Himâlaya Mountains, the
Pushpabhadrâ River, and his own hermitage, where he
had had the audience of the sages Nara-Nârâyana.
Then, as Mârkandeya beheld the entire universe, the
infant exhaled, expelling the sage from His body and casting
him back into the ocean of dissolution.
Text
31-32
On
the raised stretch of land in the water where the banyan grew,
was there, lying in the fold of its leaf, the child again,
glancing at him with a nectarean smile of love from the corner
of its eyes. Placing that infant by his looking eyes within his
heart ran he greatly excited to embrace the Lord of the
Beyond.
In
that vast sea he again saw the banyan tree growing on the
tiny island and the infant boy lying within the leaf. The
child glanced at him from the corner of His eyes with a
smile imbued with the nectar of love, and Mârkandeya
took Him into his heart through his eyes. Greatly agitated,
the sage ran to embrace the transcendental Personality of
Godhead.
Text
33
That
moment became He the Supreme Lord, directly the Original One of
Yoga hidden in the heart of all living beings, suddenly
invisible before the rishi, the same way as that what by an
incompetent person is made suddenly may fail to
serve.
At
that moment the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the
original master of all mysticism and who is hidden within
everyone's heart, became invisible to the sage, just as the
achievements of an incompetent person can suddenly
vanish.
Text
34
O
brahmin, following Him disappeared next the banyan and the
waters of the annihilation of the world, and found he himself
the next moment as before in front of his own
âs'rama.
After
the Lord disappeared, O brâhmana, the banyan tree, the
great water and the dissolution of the universe all vanished
as well, and in an instant Mârkandeya found himself
back in his own hermitage, just as before.
*
The infant putting its foot into its mouth is by
S'rîla Vis'vanâtha Cakravartî Thhâkura
interpreted as the Lord saying, 'see how sweet my feet are to
the taste of the devotee'.
