स्रष्टार: सर्वभूतानां कीर्तिता लोकपावना: । संवर्तो मेरुसावर्णो मार्कण्डेयश्व धार्मिक:
sraṣṭāraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ kīrtitā lokapāvanāḥ | saṁvarto merusāvarṇo mārkaṇḍeyaś ca dhārmikaḥ ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Son celebrados como creadores de todos los seres y como purificadores de los mundos: Saṁvarta, Merusāvarṇi y el justo sabio Mārkaṇḍeya».
भीष्म उवाच
The verse elevates certain sages as ‘world-purifiers’ and ‘creators of beings,’ implying that spiritual discipline, righteousness, and realized wisdom are forces that sustain and cleanse society and the cosmos—an ethical model where dharma is upheld through tapas and exemplary conduct.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he begins (or continues) a list praising eminent ṛṣis, naming Saṁvarta, Merusāvarṇi, and Mārkaṇḍeya as renowned, righteous figures whose sanctity is said to purify the worlds.