Shloka 40

Matsya Purana — Nārāyaṇa as Haṃsa in the Cosmic Ocean: Vedic Yajña-Puruṣa and Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vi...

Devanagari script

कस्तमो घोरमासाद्य मामद्य त्यक्तजीवितः मार्कण्डेयेति मामुक्त्वा मृत्युमीक्षितुमर्हति //

Transliteration

kastamo ghoramāsādya māmadya tyaktajīvitaḥ mārkaṇḍeyeti māmuktvā mṛtyumīkṣitumarhati //

Translation

Who is that terrible one who has approached me today, having cast away his very life—who, calling out “Markandeya!”, dares to look upon Death?

Word by Word

• कः: who?

• तमः: that person/that one

• घोरम्: the terrible one, fearsome

• आसाद्य: having approached, having come near

• माम्: me

• अद्य: today/now

• त्यक्तजीवितः: one who has abandoned life, as good as dead

• मार्कण्डेय इति: ‘Markandeya’—thus (by name)

• माम् उक्त्वा: having said to me / addressing me

• मृत्युम्: Death

• ईक्षितुम्: to behold, to look at

• अर्हति: is fit/dares/has the right

Speaker

• Mṛtyu (Death personified) or a death-messenger addressing the sage

Entities Mentioned

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Mṛtyu

Tags

• Markandeya
• Death (Mṛtyu)
• Dharma
• Bhakti
• Confrontation with mortality

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is not about cosmic creation or Pralaya; it is a dramatic, ethical-spiritual moment where Death challenges the audacity of a devotee/sage, emphasizing mastery over fear rather than cosmology.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It underscores dharma as fearlessness rooted in righteousness: a king or householder should not act from panic of death, but uphold duty with steadiness—honoring sages, protecting the virtuous, and living with disciplined conduct mindful of mortality.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vastu or temple-building rule is stated in this verse; its ritual takeaway is the potency of invoking/remembering a revered sage (and, by extension, sacred devotion) even in the face of death.