Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 2
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Meets Lord Śiva: Devotee as Living Tīrtha and the Lord’s Māyā
श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच प्रपन्नोऽस्म्यङ्घ्रिमूलं ते प्रपन्नाभयदं हरे । यन्माययापि विबुधा मुह्यन्ति ज्ञानकाशया ॥ २ ॥
śrī-mārkaṇḍeya uvāca prapanno ’smy aṅghri-mūlaṁ te prapannābhaya-daṁ hare yan-māyayāpi vibudhā muhyanti jñāna-kāśayā
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: O Lord Hari, I take shelter of the soles of Your lotus feet, which bestow fearlessness upon all who surrender to them. Even the great demigods are bewildered by Your illusory energy, which appears to them in the guise of knowledge.
Conditioned souls are attracted to material sense gratification, and thus they meticulously study the workings of nature. Although they appear to be advancing in scientific knowledge, they become increasingly entangled in their false identification with the material body and therefore increasingly merge into ignorance.
FAQs
This verse states that taking refuge at Hari’s lotus feet is the root of fearlessness—true safety comes from surrender to God, not merely from knowledge or power.
He emphasizes the supremacy of the Lord: māyā is so subtle that even highly learned celestial beings can be deluded, so one should rely on devotion and surrender rather than pride in intellect.
Don’t equate information or intellectual confidence with spiritual clarity; cultivate humility, prayerful dependence on Hari, and steady devotional practices to avoid being misled by “knowledge-like” illusions.