Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 18
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge
क्वचिन्मग्नो महावर्ते तरलैस्ताडित: क्वचित् । यादोभिर्भक्ष्यते क्वापि स्वयमन्योन्यघातिभि: ॥ १७ ॥ क्वचिच्छोकं क्वचिन्मोहं क्वचिद्दु:खं सुखं भयम् । क्वचिन्मृत्युमवाप्नोति व्याध्यादिभिरुतार्दित: ॥ १८ ॥
kracin magno mahāvarte taralais tāḍitaḥ kvacit yādobhir bhakṣyate kvāpi svayam anyonya-ghātibhiḥ
At times he was engulfed by the great whirlpools, sometimes he was beaten by the mighty waves, and at other times the aquatic monsters threatened to devour him as they attacked one another. Sometimes he felt lamentation, bewilderment, misery, happiness or fear, and at other times he experienced such terrible illness and pain that he felt himself dying.
FAQs
This verse compares conditioned life to being trapped in a whirlpool—sometimes beaten by waves of circumstance, sometimes consumed by other forces, and sometimes becoming violent oneself—showing the instability and danger of saṁsāra.
Śukadeva speaks to awaken Parīkṣit’s detachment and deepen his exclusive shelter in Bhagavān, emphasizing that worldly life in Kali-yuga is unpredictable and often cruel.
Recognize recurring cycles of anxiety and conflict as symptoms of saṁsāra, reduce harm and reactive behavior, and consciously take refuge in bhakti—hearing, chanting, and remembering the Lord.