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
Les autorités déclarent que le ṛṣi Mārkaṇḍeya, fils de Mṛkaṇḍu, fut un sage d’une longévité exceptionnelle, l’unique survivant à la fin d’un jour de Brahmā, lorsque l’univers entier fut englouti dans le déluge de l’anéantissement. Or ce même Mārkaṇḍeya, le plus éminent descendant de Bhṛgu, naquit dans ma propre lignée durant le jour actuel de Brahmā, et jusqu’à présent nous n’avons vu, en ce jour, aucune dissolution totale. On sait aussi que Mārkaṇḍeya, errant sans secours dans le grand océan de la destruction, aperçut dans ces eaux terrifiantes une Personne merveilleuse — un petit garçon, un nourrisson, couché seul dans le pli d’une feuille de banian. Ô Sūta, je suis profondément troublé et plein de curiosité au sujet de ce grand sage, le ṛṣi Mārkaṇḍeya. Ô grand yogī, tu es reconnu partout comme l’autorité des Purāṇa; daigne donc dissiper mon trouble.
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.