Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 5
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Tested by Indra and Blessed by Nara-Nārāyaṇa
आहुश्चिरायुषमृषिं मृकण्डतनयं जना: । य: कल्पान्ते ह्युर्वरितो येन ग्रस्तमिदं जगत् ॥ २ ॥ स वा अस्मत्कुलोत्पन्न: कल्पेऽस्मिन् भार्गवर्षभ: । नैवाधुनापि भूतानां सम्प्लव: कोऽपि जायते ॥ ३ ॥ एक एवार्णवे भ्राम्यन् ददर्श पुरुषं किल । वटपत्रपुटे तोकं शयानं त्वेकमद्भुतम् ॥ ४ ॥ एष न: संशयो भूयान् सूत कौतूहलं यत: । तं नश्छिन्धि महायोगिन् पुराणेष्वपि सम्मत: ॥ ५ ॥
āhuś cirāyuṣam ṛṣiṁ mṛkaṇḍu-tanayaṁ janāḥ yaḥ kalpānte hy urvarito yena grastam idaṁ jagat
Autoritäten berichten, dass der ṛṣi Mārkaṇḍeya, der Sohn Mṛkaṇḍus, ein außerordentlich langlebiger Weiser war, der am Ende eines Tages Brahmās als Einziger übrig blieb, als das gesamte Universum in der Flut der Vernichtung aufging. Doch derselbe Mārkaṇḍeya, der erhabenste Nachkomme Bhṛgus, wurde während des gegenwärtigen Tages Brahmās in meiner eigenen Familie geboren, und bis heute haben wir in diesem Brahmā-Tag keine völlige Auflösung erlebt. Ferner ist bekannt, dass Mārkaṇḍeya, hilflos im großen Ozean der pralaya umhertreibend, in jenen furchterregenden Wassern eine wunderbare Persönlichkeit erblickte — einen Knaben, ein Neugeborenes, das allein in der Falte eines Banyanblattes lag. O Sūta, ich bin zutiefst verwirrt und voller Neugier über diesen großen Weisen, den ṛṣi Mārkaṇḍeya. O großer Yogī, du wirst in allen Purāṇas als Autorität anerkannt; so zerstreue bitte meinen Zweifel.
Lord Brahmā’s day, consisting of his 12 hours, lasts 4 billion 320 million years, and his night is of the same duration. Apparently Mārkaṇḍeya lived throughout one such day and night and in the following day of Brahmā continued living as the same Mārkaṇḍeya. It seems that when annihilation occurred during Brahmā’s night, the sage wandered throughout the fearful waters of destruction and saw within those waters an extraordinary personality lying on a banyan leaf. All of these mysteries concerning Mārkaṇḍeya will be clarified by Sūta Gosvāmī at the request of the great sages.
FAQs
This verse points to the Supreme Lord appearing as a wondrous infant (often understood as Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu) whom Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi beholds during the oceanic dissolution—an intimate revelation of the Lord’s protection and transcendence beyond pralaya.
Because Mārkaṇḍeya is said to be born in their own lineage in the current kalpa, yet a universal deluge is not presently observed—so they request Sūta, renowned for Purāṇic knowledge, to reconcile and explain the apparent contradiction.
When spiritual narratives raise doubt, the Bhāgavatam models a healthy path: approach a qualified teacher, ask sincerely, and seek clarity—strengthening faith through understanding rather than ignoring questions.