Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 14
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge
तस्यैवमुद्वीक्षत ऊर्मिभीषण: प्रभञ्जनाघूर्णितवार्महार्णव: । आपूर्यमाणो वरषद्भिरम्बुदै: क्ष्मामप्यधाद् द्वीपवर्षाद्रिभि: समम् ॥ १४ ॥
tasyaivam udvīkṣata ūrmi-bhīṣaṇaḥ prabhañjanāghūrṇita-vār mahārṇavaḥ āpūryamāṇo varaṣadbhir ambudaiḥ kṣmām apyadhād dvīpa-varṣādribhiḥ samam
وبينما كان ماركاندييا ينظر، كانت أمطارُ السحب تملأ البحرَ أكثر فأكثر، حتى إن ذلك المحيط العظيم، وقد خُضِّبت مياهه بالأعاصير وارتفعت أمواجه المرعبة، غطّى الأرض كلها بما فيها الجزر والجبال والقارات.
FAQs
This verse describes a pralaya-like inundation where wind-tossed oceans and relentless rains swell until the earth—along with islands and mountains—is completely submerged.
Śukadeva narrates Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi’s overwhelming vision of cosmic devastation to show the Lord’s inconceivable potency and the insignificance of material stability compared to devotion.
It reminds one not to build identity solely on changing worldly conditions; cultivate steady bhakti and remembrance of the Lord, which remains meaningful even amid upheaval.