Chapter 50 - Mārkaṇḍeya views annihilation

Brahmā said:

1. Then great clouds rose up in the sky presenting a wonderful sight. They were like herds of elephants bedecked in necklaces of lightning streaks.

2-5. Some of them were dark-complexioned like the blue lotus. Some resembled the lilies. Some the filaments. Some were yellow. Some had the green shining colour. Some resembled the Eggs of the crow. Some had the lustre of lotus petals. Some were of vermillion hue. Some had the huge size of excellent cities. Some were comparable to excellent mountains. Some shone like collyrium. Some had the lustre of emerald. Great clouds bound by clusters of lightning and streaks rose up, O highly blessed ones. They had terrible forms and they roared with a terrible rumbling noise.

6-10. The clouds then covered the sky. The entire earth including the mountains, forests and mines, and the quarters were filled by them. They were showering jets and columns of water, O excellent sages. Thereafter, urged by lord Brahmā the terrible clouds flooded the entire earth with water. Showering water they filled up earth. They extinguished the awful, terrible and inauspicious fire. Urged by lord Brahmā, they rained for twelve years filling everything with currents of water. Then, O brahmins, the oceans transgressed their own shore-lines.

11-15. The mountains crumbled. The earth sank. At the extremities of the sky the clouds whirled and revolved. They enveloped the sky. Struck by the forceful gust of wind they perished. O excellent sages, Viṣṇu the primordial lord residing in a lotus drank up the terrible wind. O brahmins, he then slept in that terrible vast sheet of water without any support and enveloped in darkness. When Devas, Asuras and men perished, when the earth was rid of Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, the tired sages meditated on the Lord. On opening up his eyes he saw the earth filled with water. He did not see the Banyan tree, earth, quarters and the sun.

16-18. He did not see the moon, wind, Devas, Asuras or Nāgas, in that terrible vast sheet of water when mobile and immobile beings had perished. Getting immersed therein, O brahmins, the sage began to swim. In great agony he swam about here and there. O brahmins, he was about to be drowned. He could not see any saviour. On seeing him perplexed and bewildered the lord who had been, delighted at his meditation, spoke to him in sympathy.

The Lord said:

19-20. O dear, O Mārkaṇḍeya of holy rites, you are tired like a boy. You are my devotee, hence, come to me quickly. O dear one, O excellent sage, do not be afraid. You have come to my presence, O Mārkaṇḍeya of great courage, I find that you are like a boy afflicted by fatigue.

Brahmā said:

21. O brahmins, on hearing his words, the sage was extremely infuriated and surprised too. He said.

Mārkaṇḍeya said:

22-24. Who is calling me by name as though slighting my penance? Who is thwarting, as it were, my body, many thousand years old? This looks quite unmannerly. I have been honoured by Devas, too. Brahmā, the lord of Devas addresses me “O Long-lived one”. My head is hardened due to extreme penance. Who is that short-lived rogue who wishes to hasten his death by calling me Mārkaṇḍeya?

Brahmā said:

25-26. O brahmins, after saying thus, the sage became worried and anxious—“Is this a dream that I have seen.? Or is this a delusion?”

After thinking thus he decided thus dispelling his misery “I shall seek refuge in lord Viṣṇu with devotion”.

27. The sage then sought refuge in Viṣṇu. His mind solely dwelt on him alone. Once again he looked at the Banyan tree towering above the water.

28-34. On one of its wide branches there was a beautiful golden and divine palanquin made by Viśvakarman. It was studded with diamonds and lapis lazuli. It was decorated with crystals and corals. Rubies too were put in precious stones, covered with various sheets and beautified by valuable gems. It looked miraculous in many ways. It was adorned by a halo zone. He saw lord Kṛṣṇa who had assumed the form of a boy stationed on it. He had the refulgence of a crore of suns. He shone in his brilliance. He had four arms and beautiful limbs. His eyes were large like the petals of a lotus. He had the scar Śrīvatsa on his chest. He held a conch, a discus and an iron club. His chest was covered with garlands of sylvan flowers. He wore divine ear-rings, weighty necklaces round his neck. He was bedecked in divine gems and jewels. On seeing him the eyes of the sage bloomed in wonderment. His hairs stood up all over his body. He bowed to the lord and said this:

Mārkaṇḍeya said:

35. How is it that this boy stays here alone and fearless in this terrible vast sheet of water where all mobile and Immobile beings have perished?

Brahmā said:

36. Although the sage was aware of the past, present and future, he did not understand the lord as he was deluded by his Māyā. When he did not understand him he said with dejection:

Mārkaṇḍeya said:

37-43. In vain is the vigour of my penance; futile is my perfect knowledge, futile are my rites, my long life is in vain. My human birth itself is in vain, since I do not know the divine lord sleeping in the palanquin.

Brahmā said:

That brahmin who pondered thus, who senselessly floated about for a saviour and who was completely bewildered became extremely dejected and dispirited. O brahmins he could not look at the brilliance of the boy as he stayed there resembling the rising sun and supported by his own greatness. O leading sages, on seeing the sage coming towards him the boy said to him laughingly in a voice that resembled the rumbling sound of the cluster of clouds.

The Lord said:

O dear one, I know that you are tired and you have approached me for protection. Enter my body quickly. This is the plan devised by me for you.

Brahmā said:

On hearing his words the deluded sage did not utter anything. The helpless sage entered his wide open mouth.