Source
Texts:
Mârkandeya's
Prayers to Nara-Nârâyana Rishi
Text
1
S'rî
S'aunaka said: "O Sûta, may you live long, o saintly one;
o best of speakers, please speak to us, for you are for men
wandering in the endless darkness the seer of the
opposite.
S'rî
S'aunaka said: O Sûta, may you live a long life! O
saintly one, best of speakers, please continue speaking to
us. Indeed, only you can show men the path out of the
ignorance in which they are wandering.
Text
2-5:
People
say that the son of Mrikandu, the seer [called
Mârkandeya], with an exceptionally long life span
indeed was the only one to remain at the ending of the
kalpa
which engulfed this entire universe. He, the foremost
descendant of Bhrigu, was this kalpa factually born in my own
family and we haven't seen any great deluge of all creation yet
taking place in our age. Alone wandering this great ocean he
saw, so one says, but a single wonderful personality, an infant
boy, lying within the fold of a banyan leaf.
About this, o
Sûta we are in great doubt; please o yogî by
everyone regarded the greatest in respect of the purânas,
put for us so curious about an end to
that."
Authorities
say that Mârkandeya Rishi, the son of Mrikandu. was an
exceptionally long-lived sage who was the only survivor at
the end of Brahmâ's day, when the entire universe was
merged in the flood of annihilation. But this same
Mârkandeya Rishi, the foremost descendant of Bhrigu,
took birth in my own family during the current day of
Brahmâ, and we have not yet seen any total
annihilation in this day of Brahmâ. Also, it is well
known that Mârkandeya while wandering helplessly in
the great ocean of annihilation, saw in those fearful waters
a wonderful personality-an infant boy lying alone within the
fold of a banyan leaf. O Sûta, I am most bewildered
and curious about this great sage, Mârkandeya Rishi. O
great yogî, you are universally accepted as the
authority on all the Purânas. Therefore kindly dispel
my confusion.
Text
6
Sûta
said: "O great sage this question of you takes away the
giddiness of the entire world in making for the discussion of
the story of Nârâyana which removes the dirt of
kali-yuga.
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: O great sage S'aunaka, your very
question will help remove everyone's illusion, for it leads
to the topics of Lord Nârâyana, which cleanse
away the contamination of this Kali age.
Text
7-11
Mârkandeya
having received the second-birth initiation rituals from his
father, orderly studying the vedic hymns along with the
religious duties, was complete in his austerities and studies.
Keeping to the great vow [see yama]
was he peaceful with matted hair and bark for clothes carrying
a waterpot, a mendicant's staff, the sacred thread and the belt
of the celibacy. With the skin of a black deer and lotus-seed
prayerbeads did he for the good of his regulated practice
[see niyama]
worship at the junctures of the day the Lord in the form of the
fire, the sun, the guru, the learned ones and the Supreme Soul.
In the morning and the evening with a controlled voice brought
he what he had collected begging to his spiritual master and
partook he once being invited by his guru or would he, not
being so, fast [see also 7.12;
5
and 7.14:
17].
This way of penance and study worshiping for endless numbers
[millions] of years the Master of the Senses, he had
conquered what is impossible to conquer: death.
After
being purified by his father's performance of the prescribed
rituals leading to Mârkandeya's brahminical
initiation, Mârkandeya studied the Vedic hymns and
strictly observed the regulative principles. He became
advanced in austerity and Vedic knowledge and remained a
lifelong celibate. Appearing most peaceful with his matted
hair and his clothing made of bark, he furthered his
spiritual progress by carrying the mendicant's waterpot,
staff, sacred thread, brahmacârî belt, black
deerskin, lotus-seed prayer beads and bundles of kus'a
grass. At the sacred junctures of the day he regularly
worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead in five
forms-the sacrificial fire, the sun, his spiritual master,
the brâhmanas and the Supersoul within his heart.
Morning and evening he would go out begging, and upon
returning he would present all the food he had collected to
his spiritual master. Only when his spiritual master invited
him would he silently take his one meal of the day;
otherwise he would fast. Thus devoted to austerity and Vedic
study, Mârkandeya Rishi worshiped the supreme master
of the senses, the Personality of Godhead, for countless
millions of years, and in this way he conquered
unconquerable death.
Text
12
Brahmâ,
Bhrigu, S'iva, Daksha, the sons of Brahmâ and the other
human beings, the demigods, forefathers and ghostly spirits all
became most amazed with that
[achievement].
Lord
Brahmâ, Bhrigu Muni, Lord S'iva, Prajâpati
Daksha, the great sons of Brahmâ, and many others
among the human beings, demigods, forefathers and ghostly
spirits-all were astonished by the achievement of
Mârkandeya Rishi.
Text
13
In
this manner maintaining the great vow by his austerities,
recitations and restraint, meditated the yogî upon the
Lord in the Beyond and rid he with his mind turned inwards
himself of all hindrances.
In
this way the devotional mystic Mârkandeya maintained
rigid celibacy through penance, study of the Vedas and
self-discipline. With his mind thus free of all
disturbances, he turned it inward and meditated on the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who lies beyond the material
senses.
Text
14
As
he was fixing his mind thus with the great of yoga, passed by
the enormous lapse of time consisting of six
manvantaras
[of 71 mahâyugas
each].
While
the mystic sage thus concentrated his mind by powerful yoga
practice, the tremendous period of six lifetimes of Manu
passed by.
Text
15
In
the seventh period of Manu did Purandara [Indra]
learning of the austerities become fearful, o brahmin, and
decided he to obstruct them.
O
brâhmana, during the seventh reign of Manu, the
current age, Lord Indra came to know of Mârkandeya's
austerities and became fearful of his growing mystic
potency. Thus he tried to impede the sage's penance.
Text
16
He
sent to the sage celestial singers and dancing girls, Cupid,
the spring season, the [sandalwood scented] Malaya
breeze, the child of passion and the child of
intoxication.
To
ruin the sage's spiritual practice, Lord Indra sent Cupid,
beautiful celestial singers, dancing girls, the season of
spring and the sandalwood-scented breeze from the Malaya
Hills, along with greed and intoxication personified.
Text
17
O
mighty one, they so went to his hermitage on the northern side
of the Himâlaya mountains where there is the river
Pushpabhadrâ and the peak named
Citrâ.
O
most powerful S'aunaka, they went to Mârkandeya's
hermitage, on the northern side of the Himâlaya
Mountains where the Pushpabhadrâ River passes by the
famous peak Citrâ.
Text
18-20
The
good site of the âs'rama where many twice-born
souls had come to live was marked with fine trees and creepers
and reservoirs of pellucid water everywhere. Humming with
maddened bees it was filled with families of birds - excitedly
cooing cuckoos and busily dancing, proud peacocks. The winds
blowing there transported the cooling drops of mist from the
waterfalls and called, being embraced by the charm of flowers,
for the god of love.
Groves
of pious trees decorated the holy âs'rama of
Mârkandeya Rishi, and many saintly brâhmanas
lived there, enjoying the abundant pure, sacred ponds.
The âs'rama resounded with the buzzing of
intoxicated bees and the cooing of excited cuckoos, while
jubilant peacocks danced about. Indeed, many families of
maddened birds crowded that hermitage. The springtime breeze
sent by Lord Indra entered there, carrying cooling drops of
spray from nearby waterfalls. Fragrant from the embrace of
forest flowers, that breeze entered the hermitage and began
evoking the lusty spirit of Cupid.
Text
21
With
the moon rising at night showing its face, appeared springtime
there in rows of new sprouts and blossoms from the multitude of
creepers in close embrace with the trees.
Springtime
then appeared in Mârkandeya's âs'rama.
Indeed, the evening sky, glowing with the light of the
rising moon, became the very face of spring, and sprouts and
fresh blossoms virtually covered the multitude of trees and
creepers.
Text
22
Followed
by groups of gandharvas singing and playing musical instruments
was the god of love, the master of hordes of heavenly women,
seen there holding his bow and arrows.
Cupid,
the master of many heavenly women, then came there holding
his bow and arrows. He was followed by groups of Gandharvas
playing musical instruments and singing.
Text
23
The
servants of Indra in that place found him who, having offered
his oblations, sat in meditation with his eyes closed
invincible as fire personified.
These
servants of Indra found the sage sitting in meditation,
having just offered his prescribed oblations into the
sacrificial fire. His eyes closed in trance, he seemed
invincible, like fire personified.
Text
24
The
women danced in front of him and the celestial singers sang
making charming music with drums, cymbals and
vînâs.
The
women danced before the sage, and the celestial singers sang
to the charming accompaniment of drums, cymbals and
vînâs.
Text
25
As
the servants of Indra, the child of greed and the child of the
spring attempted to agitate the mind of the sage, fixed
five-headed Cupid (to the sight, smell, sound, touch and taste)
an arrow on his bow.
While
the son of passion [greed personified], spring and
the other servants of Indra all tried to agitate
Mârkandeya's mind, Cupid drew his five-headed arrow
and fixed it upon his bow.
Text
26-27
From
the hair of Puñjikasthalî [an Apsara] who
with her waist greatly challenged by her heavy breasts was
playing with a number of balls, fell the flowers from her
wreath. Running after the balls, with eyes glancing here and
there, loosened the belt of her thin garment and lifted the
wind up her fine garment [see also 3.20:
35-36,
3.22:
17,
5.2:
14,
8.12:
17-24].
The
Apsarâ Puñjikasthalî made a show of
playing with a number of toy balls. Her waist seemed weighed
down by her heavy breasts, and the wreath of flowers in her
hair became disheveled. As she ran about after the balls,
glancing here and there, the belt of her thin garment
loosened, and suddenly the wind blew her clothes
away.
Text
28
Cupid,
thinking he had conquered him, then shot his arrow, but all of
this directed at the sage proved to be as futile as the
endeavors of a disbeliever.
Cupid,
thinking he had conquered the sage, then shot his arrow. But
all these attempts to seduce Mârkandeya proved futile,
just like the useless endeavors of an atheist.
Text
29
O
sage, they this way trying to compromise the sage, felt
themselves being burned by his potency and thus they desisted,
like children having aroused a snake.
O
learned S'aunaka, while Cupid and his followers tried to
harm the sage, they felt themselves being burned alive by
his potency. Thus they stopped their mischief, just like
children who have aroused a sleeping snake.
Text
30
O
brahmin, though the followers of Indra had violated the great
muni, did he not yield to the sentiments of ego, which is
something not so surprising for great souls at
all.
O
brâhmana, the followers of Lord Indra had impudently
attacked the saintly Mârkandeya, yet he did not
succumb to any influence of false ego. For great souls such
tolerance is not at all surprising.
Text
31
Seeing
and hearing how from the influence of the brahmin seer
Kâmadeva along with his associates had proved powerless,
fell the mighty king of heaven in great
astonishment.
The
mighty King Indra was most astonished when he heard of the
mystic prowess of the exalted sage Mârkandeya and saw
how Cupid and his associates had become powerless in his
presence.
Text
32
As
he thus was fixing his mind in austerity, recitation and
restraint manifested the Supreme Lord Himself as
Nara-Nârâyana to be of mercy.
Desiring
to bestow His mercy upon the saintly Mârkandeya, who
had perfectly fixed his mind in self-realization through
penance, Vedic study and observance of regulative
principles, the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally
appeared before the sage in the forms of Nara and
Nârâyana.
Text
33-34
Of the two of
Them was one white and the other black; Their eyes were like
blooming lotuses, Their arms were four, Their clothes black
deerskin and bark, Their hands most purifying, carried a
waterpot and a straight staff of bamboo, and Their sacred
thread was three-stranded. With prayer beads of lotus seeds
which purify all living beings and with the Vedas [in the
form of bundles of darbha]
represented they, worshiped by the chief demigods, effulgent
yellowish of color standing tall indeed radiating with light,
the austerity.
One
of Them was of a whitish complexion, the other blackish, and
They both had four arms. Their eyes resembled the petals of
blooming lotuses, and They wore garments of black deerskin
and bark, along with the three-stranded sacred thread. In
Their hands, which were most purifying, They carried the
mendicant's waterpot, straight bamboo staff and lotus-seed
prayer beads, as well as the all-purifying Vedas in the
symbolic form of bundles of darbha grass. Their bearing was
tall and Their yellow effulgence the color of radiant
lightning. Appearing as austerity personified, They were
being worshiped by the foremost demigods.
Text
35
Seeing
Them, Nara and Nârâyana, indeed the personal
manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, stood he
up with great respect to offer his respects and prostrated he
himself.
These
two sages, Nara and Nârâyana, were the direct
personal forms of the Supreme Lord. When Mârkandeya
Rishi saw Them, he immediately stood up and then with great
respect offered Them obeisances by falling down flat on the
ground like a stick.
Text
36
He,
because of seeing Them with all his body, mind and senses being
happy and his bodily hairs standing on end, was, with tears
filling his eyes, unable to fix his eyes upon
Them.
The
ecstasy of seeing Them completely satisfied
Mârkandeya's body, mind and senses and caused the
hairs on his body to stand on end and his eyes to fill with
tears. Overwhelmed, Mârkandeya found it difficult to
look at Them.
Text
37
Standing
humbly with folded hands spoke he eager as if to embrace Them
choking thus to the two Lords the syllables 'na-ma-ha,
na-ma-ha' (my obeisances, my obeisances).
Standing
with his hands folded in supplication and his head bowed in
humility, Mârkandeya felt such eagerness that he
imagined he was embracing the two Lords. In a voice choked
with ecstasy, he repeatedly said, "I offer You my humble
obeisances."
Text
38
Offering
Them sitting places, bathing Their feet and anointing Them with
sandal wood and other fragrant substances, was he of worship
with incense and flower garlands.
He
gave Them sitting places and washed Their feet, and then he
worshiped Them with presentations of arghya, sandalwood
pulp, fragrant oils, incense and flower garlands.
Text
39
Sitting
comfortably on their places ready to bestow Their mercy spoke
he, again bowing down at Their feet, the following to the Ones
Supremely Worshipable.
Mârkandeya
Rishi once again bowed down at the lotus feet of those two
most worshipable sages, who were sitting at ease, ready to
bestow all mercy upon him. He when addressed Them as
follows.
Text
40
S'rî
Mârkandeya said: 'O Almighty One how can I describe You
by whom indeed of all embodied living beings as well as of
Brahmâ, S'iva as of myself the vital air stirred to
action comes alive, the power of speech is following and the
mind and senses begin to act; nevertheless do You for the ones
who are of worship become the loving friend.
S'rî
Mârkandeya said: O Almighty Lord, how can I possibly
describe You? You awaken the vital air, which then impels
the mind, senses and power of speech to act. This is true
for all ordinary conditioned souls and even for great
demigods like Brahmâ and S'iva. So it is certainly
true for me. Nevertheless, You become the intimate friend of
those who worship You.
Text
41
These
personal forms of the Fortunate One, o Supreme Lord, do You
manifest for the ultimate benefit of the cessation of the
material misery and the conquest of death; and just as You, for
the protection variously manifest other transcendental bodies,
do You once having created this universe, again, just like a
spider, swallow it up entirely.
O
Supreme Personality of Godhead, these two personal forms of
Yours have appeared to bestow the ultimate benefit for the
three worlds - the cessation of material misery and the
conquest of death. My Lord, although You create this
universe and then assume many transcendental forms to
protect it, You also swallow it up, just like a spider who
spins and later withdraws its web.
Text
42
Of
Him the Protector, the Supreme Controller of the moving and
nonmoving ones, is the one situated at the soles of His feet
never touched by the emotions of karma,
guna
and kâla;
it is to You indeed that the sages with the Veda in their heart
at every moment in praise bow down to worship and meditate, so
that they may reach.
Because
You are the protector and the supreme controller of all
moving and nonmoving beings, anyone who takes shelter of
Your lotus feet can never be touched by the contamination of
material work, material qualities or time. Great sages who
have assimilated the essential meaning of the Vedas offer
their prayers to You. To gain Your association, they bow
down to You at every opportunity and constantly worship You
and meditate upon You.
Text
43
Nothing
else but the attainment of Your feet, the very form of
liberation, does benefit the person who has to fear from all
sides o Lord; we know that Brahmâ, whose time takes two
parârdhas,
on account of this is most afraid, afraid because of the Time
that You are - and what to speak of the worldly entities
created by him? [see 10.13:
56]
My
dear Lord, even Lord Brahmâ, who enjoys his exalted
position for the entire duration of the universe, fears the
passage of time. Then what to speak of those whom
Brahmâ creates, the conditioned souls. They encounter
fearful dangers at every step of their lives. I do not know
of any relief from this fear except shelter at Your lotus
feet, which are the very form of liberation.
Text
44
So
therefore do I give up this covering of the self, the material
body and all thereto that temporal, for a moment only
remembered, being insubstantial is so meaningless, and do I
worship the soles of the feet of You, the Intelligence of the
Real and Master of the Soul who is the Supreme Truth and from
whom one obtains everything desirable.
Therefore
I worship Your lotus feet, having renounced my
identification with the material body and everything else
that covers my true self. These useless, insubstantial and
temporary coverings are merely presumed to be separate from
You, whose intelligence encompasses all truth. By attaining
You-the Supreme Godhead and the master of the soul-one
attains everything desirable.
Text
45
Because
fearlessness, the happiness of the soul and the spiritual world
are attained through the mode of goodness do
the
sâtvatas consider
that and never any other [mode] the form of the
Original Person; and for that reason do the spiritual
authorities in this world worship as most dear to them the
transcendental personal form [Vishnu] of You and the
form of the ones with only You in their eyes [the
vaishnava's], o Supreme Lord [see also
1.2:
26].
O
my Lord, O supreme friend of the conditioned soul, although
for the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this world
You accept the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance,
which constitute Your illusory potency, You specifically
employ the mode of goodness to liberate the conditioned
souls. The other two modes simply bring them suffering,
illusion and fear.
Text
46
Because
fearlessness, the happiness of the soul and the spiritual world
are attained through the mode of goodness do the
sâtvatas
consider that and never any other [mode] the form of
the Original Person; and for that reason do the spiritual
authorities in this world worship as most dear to them the
transcendental personal form of You and the form of the ones
with only You in their eyes, o Supreme Lord [see also
1.2:
26].
O
Lord, because fearlessness, spiritual happiness and the
kingdom of God are all achieved through the mode of pure
goodness, Your devotees consider this mode, but never
passion and ignorance, to be a direct manifestation of You,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Intelligent persons thus
worship Your beloved transcendental form, composed of pure
goodness, along with the spiritual forms of Your pure
devotees.
Text
47
Him,
the All-pervading, All-inclusive Manifestation and Master of
the Universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I offer my
obeisances, for He is the supremely worshipable deity,
Nârâyana, the sage that is the best of the humans
who, as the master of the vedic scriptures in control of His
speech, is situated in perfect purity [see
hamsa]
I
offer my humble obeisances to Him, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. He is the all-pervading and all-inclusive form
of the universe, as well as its spiritual master. I bow down
to Lord Nârâyana, the supremely worshipable
Deity appearing as a sage, and also to the saintly Nara, the
best of human beings, who is fixed in perfect goodness,
fully in control of his speech, and the propagator of the
Vedic literatures.
Text
48
He
indeed who deceived by the deceptive veil over his eyes becomes
diverted in his intelligence about the Presence within his own
senses, heart and even the objects perceived, can, even though
his understanding originally was covered over by Your
mâyâ, know You, the Spiritual master of All, when
he obtains the vedic knowledge.
A
materialist, his intelligence perverted by the action of his
deceptive senses, cannot recognize You at all, although You
are always present within his own senses and heart and also
among the objects of his perception. Yet even though one's
understanding has been covered by Your illusory potency, if
one obtains Vedic knowledge from You, the supreme spiritual
master of all, he can directly understand You.
Text
49
The
vision of the Supreme Soul, the mystery revealed by the vedic
texts, is what the great scholars headed by the Unborn One
[Brahmâ] become bewildered about in their
endeavors of adjusting with all kinds of philosophies to their
way of life the subject matter of Him escaping the
understanding of the [conditioned] spirit soul,
He, the Supreme
Personality whom I offer my
homage
[compare
1.3:
37,
4.31:
11,
4.18:
5,
5.6.11,
5.14:
1,
7.15:
58,
11.19:
1,
11.20:
7 and B.G.
16:
23-24]."
My
dear Lord, the Vedic literatures alone reveal confidential
knowledge of Your supreme personality, and thus even such
great scholars as Lord Brahmâ himself are bewildered
in their attempt to understand You through empirical
methods. Each philosopher understands You according to his
particular speculative conclusions. I worship that Supreme
Person, knowledge of whom is hidden by the bodily
designations covering the conditioned soul's spiritual
identity.
