Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Tested by Indra and Blessed by Nara-Nārāyaṇa
तौ शुक्लकृष्णौ नवकञ्जलोचनौ चतुर्भुजौ रौरववल्कलाम्बरौ । पवित्रपाणी उपवीतकं त्रिवृत् कमण्डलुं दण्डमृजुं च वैणवम् ॥ ३३ ॥ पद्माक्षमालामुत जन्तुमार्जनं वेदं च साक्षात्तप एव रूपिणौ । तपत्तडिद्वर्णपिशङ्गरोचिषा प्रांशू दधानौ विबुधर्षभार्चितौ ॥ ३४ ॥
tau śukla-kṛṣṇau nava-kañja-locanau catur-bhujau raurava-valkalāmbarau pavitra-pāṇī upavītakaṁ tri-vṛt kamaṇḍaluṁ daṇḍam ṛjuṁ ca vaiṇavam
Tous deux—l’un de teint clair, l’autre plus sombre—avaient des yeux semblables aux pétales d’un lotus nouveau et quatre bras. Ils portaient peau de daim et écorce, avec le cordon sacré à trois brins; dans Leurs mains purifiantes, ils tenaient le kamaṇḍalu, un bâton droit et un bambou (vaiṇava).
FAQs
They are the Supreme Lord manifesting as twin sages at Badarikāśrama, exemplifying perfect tapasya and divine protection, as seen in Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi’s vision.
The verse shows the Lord’s synthesis of renunciation and sovereignty: externally the equipment of a sage (bark, kamaṇḍalu, staff), and inherently divine majesty (four-armed form).
Cultivate purity and discipline (tapasya) while remembering that the goal of renunciation is loving devotion to the Supreme, who is both near as a guide and supreme as the Lord.