Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 28
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge
खं रोदसी भागणानद्रिसागरान् द्वीपान् सवर्षान् ककुभ: सुरासुरान् । वनानि देशान् सरित: पुराकरान् खेटान् व्रजानाश्रमवर्णवृत्तय: ॥ २८ ॥ महान्ति भूतान्यथ भौतिकान्यसौ कालं च नानायुगकल्पकल्पनम् । यत् किञ्चिदन्यद् व्यवहारकारणं ददर्श विश्वं सदिवावभासितम् ॥ २९ ॥
khaṁ rodasī bhā-gaṇān adri-sāgarān dvīpān sa-varṣān kakubhaḥ surāsurān vanāni deśān saritaḥ purākarān kheṭān vrajān āśrama-varṇa-vṛttayaḥ
The sage saw the entire universe: the sky, heavens and earth, the stars, mountains, oceans, great islands and continents, the expanses in every direction, the saintly and demoniac living beings, the forests, countries, rivers, cities and mines, the agricultural villages and cow pastures, and the occupational and spiritual activities of the various social divisions. He also saw the basic elements of creation along with all their by-products, as well as time itself, which regulates the progression of countless ages within the days of Brahmā. In addition, he saw everything else created for use in material life. All this he saw manifested before him as if it were real.
FAQs
This verse describes a comprehensive vision of the cosmos—worlds, directions, gods and demons, lands and societies—indicating that the Lord’s māyā can reveal the entire manifested order as an object of perception.
Śukadeva explains Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi’s extraordinary experience to show how the Supreme Lord’s energy can display the full universe and its social-religious structures, emphasizing the Lord’s supremacy over creation and perception.
By recognizing that worldly arrangements—nature, society, and status—are part of a vast, temporary manifestation, one can cultivate detachment and redirect attention toward devotion to the Supreme Lord, the controller of māyā.