Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 27
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge
तावच्छिशोर्वै श्वसितेन भार्गव: सोऽन्त: शरीरं मशको यथाविशत् । तत्राप्यदो न्यस्तमचष्ट कृत्स्नशो यथा पुरामुह्यदतीव विस्मित: ॥ २७ ॥
tāvac chiśor vai śvasitena bhārgavaḥ so ’ntaḥ śarīraṁ maśako yathāviśat tatrāpy ado nyastam acaṣṭa kṛtsnaśo yathā purāmuhyad atīva vismitaḥ
Just then the child inhaled, drawing Mārkaṇḍeya within His body like a mosquito. There the sage found the entire universe arrayed as it had been before its dissolution. Seeing this, Mārkaṇḍeya was most astonished and perplexed.
FAQs
This verse describes Mārkaṇḍeya seeing the complete universe situated within the divine child’s body, illustrating that the cosmos rests within the Supreme Lord and is displayed by His inconceivable potency (Vishnu-māyā).
Even after witnessing the cosmic devastation and then meeting the divine child, he again saw the entire universe inside that same form—an experience that surpassed ordinary perception and left him amazed by the Lord’s inconceivable līlā.
The verse encourages humility: reality is greater than our senses and concepts, so a devotee relies on bhakti, scripture, and surrender rather than pride in limited knowledge.