Chapter 9 - The Lord Exhibits His Māyā

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sūta continued:

1. When the glorious Lord Nārāyaṇa, the friend of (the sage) Nara, was eulogized in these words by the intelligent sage Mārkaṇḍeya, he became highly pleased and spoke to the descendant of the Bhṛgu race.

The glorious Lord said:

2. O excellent Brāhmaṇa sage, you have attained perfection (Siddha-hood) by virtue of your concentration of minḍ, through unswerving devotion to me and by your austere penance, study of the Vedas and self-control.

3. We (i.e. all gods) are highly pleased with you by your observance of the great bow (of life-long celibacy). May you be happy and prosperous! Accept any desired boon from me who am the Supreme Ruler of those capable of conferring boons.

The sage (Mārkaṇḍeya) replied:

4. Victory to you. O Ruler of gods of celestials (like Brahmā, Rudra) You are the remover of the agonies of those who earnestly resort to you. O Immutable Lord, that your Lordship have been gracious enough to reveal yourself to me is in itself the greatest boon bestowed on me. And that is quite enough for me.

5. Even great gods like Brahmā regard themselves as having achieved their objective in life when they get in their minds purified (and ‘ripened’) through Yoga, a (mental) vision of your glorious Lotus feet. That Supreme Lord has revealed himself within the range of my perception (before my very eyes).

6. O Lord with eyes beautiful like lotus-petals, I would, however, like to have a vision of your Māyā, deluded by whom the world along with the Protectors of the spheres like Brahmā, experience differences (such as gods, Subhuman beings, human beings, etc.) when you are the only Reality^[1] (without a second and there is no basis for that experience).

Sūta said:

7. Thus devoutly praised and worshipped by the sage (Mārkaṇḍeya), the Almighty Lord assured, “Yes, you will see it”, and smilingly returned to his hermitage at Badarī, O sage Śaunaka.

8-9. Mārkaṇḍeya continued to stay in his hermitage brooding over the promised vision (of Māyā). While contemplating he saw Hari revealed in the sacrificial fire, the sun, the moon, waters, the earth, the wind, the sky, in his own self and everywhere around him. He worshipped him with articles of worship conceived mentally. Sometimes he forgot to worship when he was overwhelmed and lost in the flood of loving devotion.

10. O pre-eminent member of the Bhṛgu clan I On one occasion, while he was engaged in religious meditation in the evening on the bank of the Puṣpabhaḍrā, tempestuous wind suddenly began to blow.

11. Following the furiously roaring blasts of the winds, terrific clouds overcast the sky. Attended with flashes of lightning and deafening thunders, they poured volleys of rain as big as the axles of chariots.

12. Then, following the torrential downpour, were seen oceans in all the four directions around, surging forward, overflooding and swallowing up the earth, while roaring loudly with (mountain-like) high waves tossed up by stormy winds and with terrible looking alligators and awefully [awfully?] big whirlpools.

13. Seeing that the fourfold world of creatures (like mammals, plant-world, oviparous beings) along with himself are afflicted both inside and outside with waters that rose sky-high, with the scorching rays of the sun, blasts of the stormy winds and strokes of lightning and the whole earth is submerged in waters, the sage was deeply disturbed and afraid at heart.

14. Even as he was looking on (in consternation), the boundless ocean terrific-looking on account of (mountainous) waves, and with its waters tossed and whirling by tempestuous winds was filled by the pouring clouds, overflooded the earth and submerged it along with its continents, sub-continents and mountain-chains.

15. All the worlds including the earth, the sky, the celestial world, and the stellar and planetary systems along with their inhabitants, and all the cardinal points were sub-merged and lost in that deluge. The sage Mārkaṇḍeya alone survived. He was drifting with his matted hairs scattered and hanging like a mad, blind, person.

16. Sorely oppressed with hunger and thirst, troubled by crocodiles and whales, tossed and buffeted by stormy winds and waves, enveloped in endless darkness and overcome with fatigue, the sage drifted along and could not know the directions or the sky or the earth.

17. Sometimes he fell into a great whirl-pool; sometimes he was tossed at random by waves: at times he was bitten by acquatic animals who fought with each other while trying to catch hold of him.

18. Sometimes he was over-come with grief, sometimes with infatuation: sometimes he experienced pleasure, sometimes pain and at times fear. Sometimes he felt that he was about to die, while at times, he suffered from diseases and other troubles.

19. Innumerable (billions upon billions) years passed away (he felt) while he was being drifted and tossed in that deluge and his self (mind) was hypnotised by the Māyā of Viṣṇu.

20. While being tossed about at random (and thus, wandering) in the waters of the deluge, he caught sight of a young banyan tree adorned with fruit and foliage on a summit of the earth (protruding over waters).

21. On the north-eastern branch, of that tree and on (the cavity of) its leaf, he beheld an infant (as if) swallowing up the darkness by its brilliant splendour.

22-23. It was like a dark-emerald in complexion; its countenance was beautiful like lotus; it had a conch-shaped neck, broad chest, shapely nose and charming brows. It appeared graceful with its locks of curly hair moving to and fro by (the wind of) its breath; its beautiful ears like (the open side of) a conch, were adorned with pomegranate-like red flowers (or ear-rings of that shape and colour); its nectar-like white (sweet) smile was rendered rosy by the reddish splendour of its coral-like crimson lips.

24. The ends of its eyes were reddish like the interior of a lotus; its smiling looks and glances captivated one’s heart; its belly, shaped like a leaf of a sacred fig tree, appeared beautiful with its deep navel covered with the throbbing folds of the belly which heaved up and down with its breaths.

25. The babe caught hold of its own lotus-foot with its hands of charming fingers, and placing it in its mouth, was sucking it.

26. The very sight of that infant, all his fatigue was removed and he felt refreshed. The lotuses in the form of his heart and eyes as if blossomed with ecstasy; (through the thrill of joy) his hairs stood on their ends. Though he was overcome with awe to see that miraculous form (the wonderful baby), he (made bold and) approached the babe to make enquiries of it.

27. In the meanwhile, along with the inhaling of the baby, Mārkaṇḍeya, the descendant of Bhṛgu was drawn inside (the baby’s) body like a mosquito. There (in the belly of the baby) he saw the entire universe arranged systematically as it was before the deluge—at which he was extremely surprised and confused.

28. With wonderment he saw therein the sky, the earth, the aerial region, hosts of heavenly luminaries, mountains and oceans, continents along with their sub-continents, the cardinal points, gods and Asuras, forests, countries, rivers, cities, quarries or mines, villages, pastoral habitations, hermitages (or stages in life-āśrama), (Varṇas) of people engaged in their own. respective duties.

29. He further beheld there the five gross-elements (bhūtas) and their products, the Time with its various divisions such as yugas, kalpas and everything else that can act as the cause of the world—in short the whole universe was manifested here, as if it were a reality.

30. He also espied the mountain Himalaya, that very same river Puṣpavahā and his own hermitage on its bank and sages dwelling in his neighbourhood. Even as he was keenly observing that universe, he was exhaled out of the body of the child and fell in the sea of deluge.

31. He perceived once more the banyan tree growing on the summit of the (submerged) earth and the child that was lying on the hollow leaf and that he was being observed with, its side-long glances accompanied with nectar like sweet smiles (by that mysterious child).

32. Then Mārkaṇḍeya who was over-exhausted perceived that child who, entering through his eyes, had enthroned himself firmly in his heart, proceeded to embrace it who was (no other than) the Supra-sensuous Lord Viṣṇu!

33. But that very moment, the infant who was the glorious Lord Viṣṇu himself, the absolute master of Yoga who abides in the hearts of all instantly vanished from the sage like the desire (or undertaking) of an ungodly (or an unlucky) person.

34. O Brāhmaṇa sage! Following the Lord, the banyan tree, the cosmic waters that deluged the whole world (and submerged it) disappeared in a moment and the sage found himself in his own hermitage as before.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Padaratnāvalī: How Sat i.e. Brahman or yourself is quite distinct and diffe­rent from all other things.