03.186
Vaiśampāyana said.
Then, once again, Yudhishthira, the King of Dharma, endowed with humility, asked the illustrious Markandeya. (03-186-1)
O great sage, countless thousands of yuga cycles have passed before your eyes. And there is no one here whose lifespan equals yours, except for the great-souled Brāhmaṇa, Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā). (03-186-2)
O brāhmaṇa, at the dissolution, in this world free from gods and demons, in the endless space, you alone attend upon Brahmā. (03-186-3)
When the dissolution is complete and the Grandfather (Brahmā) awakens, you alone see here all the beings coming into existence. (03-186-4)
O sage among the twice-born, Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā) properly made the four kinds by transforming the quarters into wind and scattering the waters here and there. (03-186-5)
O best of twice-born, by you, the teacher of the worlds, the very grandsire of all worlds, has been directly worshipped with supreme concentration through meditation. (03-186-6)
Therefore, O sage among Brāhmaṇas, death, which ends all, or old age that destroys the body, does not affect you by the favor of the Supreme Lord. (03-186-7)
When there is neither sun, nor fire, nor wind, nor the moon, nor even ether or earth, nothing at all remains. (03-186-8)
When, in that world of the single ocean, all immobile and mobile beings had perished, and the hosts of gods, demons, and great serpents were completely gone. (03-186-9)
You alone attend to Brahmā, the lord of all beings, who is lying, of infinite self, on a lotus, whose abode is the lotus. (03-186-10)
O best of the twice-born, having directly perceived all these former events, therefore we wish to hear the story which encompasses all causes. (03-186-11)
O best of twice-born, you alone have experienced this many times indeed; there is nothing unknown to you at any time in all the worlds. (03-186-12)
Markandeya said.
Indeed, I will tell you, having bowed to the self-born, the Purusha, the ancient, the eternal, and the imperishable. (03-186-13)
He who is this one—Janārdana, having broad and long eyes, wearing yellow robes—he is the creator, the transformer, and the maker of all beings and existences. (03-186-14)
It is unthinkable, a great wonder, pure, also the highest; beginningless and endless, existent, the universe, imperishable, and unchanging. (03-186-15)
This doer is not made the cause even in the person; whoever indeed knows this person—him even the gods do not know. (03-186-16)
O best of kings, all this is truly a wonder; O tiger among men, it has already occurred from the beginning, at the destruction of the entire world. (03-186-17)
They say that the Kṛta Yuga consists of four thousand years. Its twilight period is of the same amount, and after that, there is the portion of twilight. (03-186-18)
The Tretā Yuga is said here to be three thousand years. Of this, a hundred years constitute the twilight period, and a part of the twilight follows beyond that. (03-186-19)
Thus, the Dvāpara Yuga is measured as two thousand years. Of that, two hundred years are the twilight period and part of the twilight after that. (03-186-20)
The Kali age is said to be of one thousand years; its twilight lasts for one hundred years, and after that, a portion of the twilight. Consider the measurements of both the twilight and its portion as being equal. (3-186-21)
When the Kali Yuga comes to an end and the Kṛta Yuga begins, this cycle of twelve thousand, known as a yuga, is declared. (03-186-22)
This great period of a thousand (years) is known as the day of Brahma. For the entire universe, indeed, in Brahma's abode, completely undergoes transformation. The wise, O tiger among men, know this as the dissolution of the worlds. (03-186-23)
O best of the Bharatas, when only a few remain at the end of the age, at the end of a thousand years, all men will mostly become speakers of falsehood. (03-186-24)
O Pārtha, the substitute for sacrifice, the substitute for gift, and likewise the substitute for vow are in effect at that time. (03-186-25)
Brāhmaṇas perform the duties of śūdras, and similarly, śūdras become money earners; here, they may also live by kṣatriya duties, when the age has passed. (03-186-26)
In the Kali age, Brāhmaṇas will abandon sacrifice and self-study, be deprived of offerings of rice-balls and water, and become eaters of everything. (03-186-27)
O dear one, when Brāhmaṇas do not chant and Śūdras are devoted to recitation, then, in the world, that is a sign of coming decline. (03-186-28)
O lord of men, there are many barbarian kings on earth—false rulers, wicked, and dedicated to speaking lies. (03-186-29)
O best of men, the Andhras, Shakas, Pulindas, Yavanas, kings, Kambojas, Aurnikas, Śudras, and Abhiras (are mentioned here). (03-186-30)
At that time, no brāhmaṇa lives according to his proper dharma. Even kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, O king, engage in improper actions. (03-186-31)
They are short-lived, weak, lacking in energy and valor, of small stature and little substance, and also speak little truth. (03-186-32)
The settlements become largely deserted, with regions overrun by wild animals in all directions; when the end of the age arrives, brahmacārins exist in vain. Those who use 'bho' as a form of address are śūdras, and even the brāhmaṇas speak improper doctrines. (03-186-33)
At the end of the age, O tiger among men, numerous beings are born; but, O lord of men, all scents are not possessed of fragrance, nor are the tastes, O tiger among men, as endowed with sweetness. (03-186-34)
At the end of the age, O king, women will become short-bodied, prolific, devoid of good character and conduct, and have their sexual organ on their face. (03-186-35)
"Regions will have large spikes, crossroads will have auspicious spikes, women will have spiky hair, O king, all these will prevail at the end of the age." (03-186-36)
O lord of people, likewise cows will yield little milk. Also, trees will bear few flowers and fruits, and will be infested with many crows. (03-186-37)
O protector of the earth, the twice-born indeed accept gifts from kings who are proud killers of Brāhmaṇas and those who bear false witness. (03-186-38)
Overcome by greed and delusion, and cloaked in false righteousness, the Brahmins, seeking alms, roam the lands of kings in all directions. (03-186-39)
Out of fear of the burden of taxes, householders and thieves, concealing themselves in the guise of ascetics, make their living by engaging in trade. (03-186-40)
At that time, men falsely grow their nails and hair, O tiger among men, and celibate students do so in vain due to greed for wealth. (03-186-41)
Those of vain conduct, drinkers of liquor, those who approach the teacher's wife, in the āśramas pursue only worldly matters, fostering the increase of flesh and blood. (03-186-42)
O tiger among men, at the end of the age, āśramas, having become mixed with many heretics and praisers of the merit of another's food, no longer exist. (03-186-43)
Just as a Lord provides rain in proper season, but Indra does not do so; at that time, O Bhārata, all seeds do not sprout properly. Then, O sinless one, the fruit of unrighteousness arises in excess. (03-186-44)
Similarly, a king who may be endowed with dharma and has a short life is to be considered so, for in one who lacks dharma, there is truly no value. (03-186-45)
People mostly sell goods with false measures; and merchants, O tiger among men, are very deceitful indeed. (3-186-46)
The most righteous decline while wicked people increase. The strength of dharma is lost, and adharma likewise becomes powerful. (03-186-47)
At the end of the age, humans who are righteous become short-lived and poor, while those who are unrighteous become long-lived and prosperous. (03-186-48)
People act by most unrighteous means; and even with a small accumulation, they become wealthy and proud. (3-186-49)
O king, men, mostly, who have deposited wealth with each other in trust, are resolved to take it away, being endowed with deceitful conduct. (03-186-50)
Man-eating beings, birds, and likewise animals rest or take shelter in the pleasure-grounds and shrines of cities. (03-186-51)
O king, girls of seven or eight years become capable of conceiving; for boys of ten or twelve years, a son is born. (03-186-52)
Thus, men become gray-haired in their sixteenth year; the decline of the lifespan of men quickly indeed befalls. (03-186-53)
O great king, when the age declines, the young adopt the ways of the old, and the conduct of the young appears among the old. (3-186-54)
At that time, perverse women of bad conduct, having deceived their husbands in secret, go astray even with servants and indeed with beasts. (03-186-55)
O great king, when at the end of a thousand yugas, as lifespans decline, a drought lasting for many years arises. (03-186-56)
Then, O lord of the earth, those beings of little essence and hungry mostly perish on the earth. (03-186-57)
Then, O lord of men, by the seven shining suns, all the water of the oceans and rivers is consumed. (03-186-58)
O Bhārata, all the wood and grass, both dry and wet, you see, O foremost of the Bhāratas—all of it has become mere ashes. (03-186-59)
Then, O Bhārata, the world-destroying fire together with the wind enters the world, which has previously been dried up by the suns. (03-186-60)
Then he, having pierced the earth and gone into the netherworld, caused great fear among the gods, demons, and yakshas. (03-186-61)
O King, burning up the realm of the nāgas and whatever small thing is here on earth below, it destroys everything in an instant. (03-186-62)
Thereafter, for hundreds and thousands of units of twenty yojanas, the inauspicious wind burns everything, and that is the world-destroying fire. (03-186-63)
He, the blazing omnipresent one, then burns the entire world, along with the gods, demons, gandharvas, yakṣas, serpents, and rākṣasas. (03-186-64)
Then, great clouds with a wonderful appearance, adorned with garlands of lightning and resembling a herd of elephants, rise up in the sky. (03-186-65)
Some breasts are dark like blue lotuses, some resemble white lotuses, some are shining like flower filaments, and some are yellow. (03-186-66)
Some looked like copper, some resembled the color of crow's eggs; similarly, some had the brilliance of lotus leaves, and some had the radiance of orpiment (yellow mineral). (03-186-67)
Some clouds look like magnificent cities, some resemble herds of elephants, some appear as dark as collyrium, and some take the shape of makaras; the clouds, their bodies wreathed with garlands of lightning, rise up. (3-186-68)
O great king, those clouds, terrible in appearance and resounding with dreadful sounds, then all cover the sky. (03-186-69)
O great king, the entire earth, with its mountains, forests, and mines, is filled and submerged by the rising floodwaters. (03-186-70)
Then, O bull among men, those terrible, resounding clouds, impelled by the supreme lord, quickly flood everywhere. (03-186-71)
Showering great quantities of water and filling the earth, they also destroy the very terrible, inauspicious, and fierce fire. (03-186-72)
Then, for twelve years, the clouds at the time of the flood, impelled by the great-souled one, kept filling (the world) with streams indeed. (03-186-73)
Then, O Bhārata, the ocean oversteps its own boundary; the mountains are broken, and the earth itself is shattered. (03-186-74)
From all sides, the clouds suddenly wander, having enveloped the sky, and perish, struck by the force of the wind. (03-186-75)
Then the Self-born god, whose abode is the primeval lotus, having absorbed that terrible wind, sleeps, O Bhārata, O king of men. (03-186-76)
In that one terrible ocean, when all immobile and mobile beings were destroyed, and the hosts of devas and asuras were lost, except for the yakṣas and rākṣasas. (03-186-77)
O protector of the earth, in this world devoid of humans, beasts, and trees, with no sky, I wander alone, honored. (03-186-78)
O best of kings, as I wandered in the dreadful, solitary ocean of water and did not see any beings, I fell into profound despair. (03-186-79)
Then, O king, having leapt for a very long distance, though untiring, I am tired and do not find refuge anywhere. (03-186-80)
Then, O lord of the earth, once I saw in that flood of water a very great, wide banyan tree. (03-186-81)
O king, on the wide-spreading branch of that tree, O protector of the earth, there was a couch made up with divine bedding. (03-186-82)
O great king, O Bhārata, I see a boy seated, whose face is like the full moon and whose eyes are large like blossomed lotuses. (03-186-83)
Then, O king, I was greatly astonished. How is it that you, this child, are lying in the world when destruction has come? (03-186-84)
O best of men, though I know the past, future, and the time to come, and though I reflect with austerity, I do not perceive that child. (03-186-85)
He appears to me then, possessing the color of the flax flower and marked with the Śrīvatsa sign, as if he were directly the abode of Lakṣmī. (03-186-86)
Then that radiant boy with lotus-like eyes, who bore the Śrīvatsa mark, said to me words that were pleasant to hear. (03-186-87)
I know you are exhausted and longing for rest, dear one. O Markandeya, stay here as long as you wish, O descendant of Bhrigu. (03-186-88)
O best of sages, having entered my body, please reside here, O revered one. I have arranged an abode for you; I have done what is needed for your favor. (03-186-89)
Then, after being thus addressed by that boy, O Bhārata, I felt disillusionment with long life and even with being human. (03-186-90)
Then, by that boy, his mouth was suddenly opened, and by the force of fate, I was helplessly made to enter his mouth. (03-186-91)
Then, O king of men, I suddenly entered that interior and saw the whole earth filled with countries and cities. (03-186-92)
The Gaṅgā, Śatadru, Sītā, and Yamunā; then Kauśikī, Carmaṇvatī, Vetravatī, Candrabhāgā, and Sarasvatī. (03-186-93)
O Bhārata, (there are) the Sindhu, the Vipāśā, the river Godāvarī, also Vasvokasārā, Nalinī, and the Narmadā. (3-186-94)
River Tāmra, Veṇṇā, the sacred-watered and auspicious Suveṇā, Kṛṣṇaveṇā, Irāmā, Mahānadi; Śoṇa too, O tiger among men, as well as Viśalyā and the river called Kampu. (3-186-95)
O best of men, as I move about on earth, I see these and other rivers in the belly of that great-souled One. (03-186-96)
Then I see the ocean, inhabited by groups of aquatic beings, a great repository of water and gems, a destroyer of foes. (03-186-97)
Then I see the sky resplendent with the moon and sun, shining with radiance like that of fire and the sun. I also see the earth, O king, decorated with forests. (03-186-98)
At that time, O king, Brāhmaṇas indeed performed sacrifices with many offerings, and Kṣatriyas engaged in actions that pleased all classes. (03-186-99)
O king, the Vaiśyas cause agriculture to be done according to proper law, and the śūdras likewise are engaged in service of the Brāhmaṇas. (03-186-100)
Then, O king, as I was falling into the belly of the great-souled one, I saw the Himavat and the Hemakūṭa mountains. (03-186-101)
I see the Niṣadha mountain, and also the Śveta mountain, which is silver-adorned; I see as well, O king, the Gandhamādana mountain. (03-186-102)
O great king, I see Mandara, O tiger among men, Nīla, as well as the great mountain Meru, the golden mountain. (03-186-103)
I see Mahendra, and indeed I see the Vindhya, the best of mountains; I see also Malaya, and the Pāriyātra mountain. (03-186-104)
These and the other many earth-holders, as many as there are, I saw in his belly, all adorned with jewels. (03-186-105)
O lord of men, I wandered there seeing lions, tigers, boars, serpents, and all other creatures that are on earth, O ruler of the world. (03-186-106)
O tiger among men, having entered his belly and roaming about the directions, I also see Indra and the other gods, all the hosts of deities likewise. (3-186-107)
O king, (all) Gandharvas, apsarases, yakṣas, ṛṣis, daityas, dānavas, hosts of kāleyas, sons of Siṃhikā, and all other enemies of the gods (were there). (03-186-108)
Whatever I saw in the world, whether immovable or movable, I saw all of that within the belly of that great soul, while wandering as a fruit-eater throughout this entire world at that time. (3-186-109)
I have been inside his body for more than a hundred years, yet I do not see any end to his body anywhere. (03-186-110)
O king, even as I constantly run and ponder, O lord of the people, I cannot reach the limit of that great-souled one. (03-186-111)
Then I duly sought refuge only in him at that time — the adorable, boon-bestowing god — by mind and indeed by action as well. (03-186-112)
Then, O king, I suddenly emerged by the force of the wind from the opened mouth of that great-souled being, O best of men. (03-186-113)
Then, on that very branch of the banyan tree, O lord of men, he sits, O best of men, having indeed gathered up the whole world. (03-186-114)
O tiger among men, I see him sitting there, in the same boyish appearance, marked by the Śrīvatsa, possessing immeasurable brilliance. (03-186-115)
Then that boy, bearing the mark of Śrīvatsa, radiant, clad in yellow garments, of great brilliance, smiling as if in sport, said to me, O hero. (03-186-116)
O Mārkaṇḍeya, now that you have dwelt in my body and are well-rested, O best of sages, please tell me.
Then, after a moment, my vision became new again; with that vision, I saw myself freed, my awareness restored. (03-186-118)
His feet, dear one, are well-set with coppery soles, well-formed and adorned by soft, reddish toes. (03-186-119)
With effort, I bowed with my head to both of them after taking hold, indeed, having seen the limitless glory of him of immeasurable energy. (03-186-120)
With humility and folded hands, after approaching with effort, I saw him, the lotus-eyed god, the soul of all beings. (03-186-121)
Having approached him with joined palms and bowed, I spoke these words: O god, I wish to know you and this supreme illusion of yours. (03-186-122)
O Lord, having entered your body by the mouth, I have seen all the worlds, entirely, in your belly. (03-186-123)
O god, within your body reside the gods, demons, rākṣasas, yakṣas, gandharvas, nāgas, and all beings of the universe, both immobile and mobile. (03-186-124)
O god, by your favor my memory is never lost, for within your body it is always swiftly moving everywhere. (03-186-125)
O lotus-eyed, I wish to know you, O sinless one. Why do you, having truly become a child here, remain thus? Having absorbed this entire universe, you ought to reveal this. (03-186-126)
O sinless one, for what reason is the entire world abiding in your body? And, O conqueror of enemies, for how long should you remain here? (03-186-127)
O Lord of the gods! I wish to hear about this from you, O lotus-eyed one, in detail and as it truly is, out of a desire for knowledge of Brahman. For truly, what I have seen is great and beyond conception, O Lord. (03-186-128)
Thus addressed by me, the auspicious and splendid lord of the gods, consoling me, spoke these words—the best among speakers. (03-186-129)
