Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 19

Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge

Devanagari script

अयुतायुतवर्षाणां सहस्राणि शतानि च । व्यतीयुर्भ्रमतस्तस्मिन् विष्णुमायावृतात्मन: ॥ १९ ॥

Transliteration

ayutāyuta-varṣāṇāṁ sahasrāṇi śatāni ca vyatīyur bhramatas tasmin viṣṇu-māyāvṛtātmanaḥ

Translation

D’innombrables millions d’années—des milliers et des centaines de siècles—s’écoulèrent tandis que Mārkaṇḍeya errait dans ce déluge, l’esprit voilé par la māyā du Seigneur Viṣṇu, la Personnalité Suprême de Dieu.

Synonyms

• ayuta: of ten-thousands
• ayuta: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; (समासपूर्वपद)

• ayuta: of ten-thousands
• ayuta: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural; (समासपूर्वपद)

• varṣāṇām: of years
• varṣāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th), Plural; governed by numeric compound

• sahasrāṇi: thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Plural

• śatāni: hundreds
• śatāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय-अव्यय)

• vyatīyuḥ: passed (by)
• vyatīyuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-ati-√i (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

• bhramataḥ: of (him) wandering
• bhramataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √bhram (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th) Singular; qualifying the person (of the wandering one)

• tasmin: in that (state/place)
• tasmin: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Neuter/Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• viṣṇu: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular; (समासपूर्वपद)

• māyā: by illusion
• māyā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd), Singular; (समासपूर्वपद)

• āvṛta: covered
• āvṛta: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√vṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular; (समासपूर्वपद)

• ātmanaḥ: of (his) self
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular; viṣṇu-māyā-āvṛta-ātmanaḥ = 'of one whose self is covered by Viṣṇu's māyā' (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-भावार्थ)

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Vishnu-maya and losing awareness of time?

This verse explains that when the mind is covered by Viṣṇu’s māyā, one can wander in delusion for unimaginably long periods, with time passing unnoticed due to spiritual forgetfulness.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe thousands of years passing for a bewildered person?

He is illustrating the power of māyā: when consciousness is diverted from the Lord, a living being can remain trapped in wandering existence for vast ages without awakening to the truth.

Practical application: how can I avoid wasting life in illusion like this?

Cultivate steady bhakti—hearing and chanting about the Lord, keeping saintly association, and living with spiritual priorities—so that awareness is not swallowed by distraction and forgetfulness.