Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 32
Mārkaṇḍeya-varṇanam
The Description of Mārkaṇḍeya
मृकण्डुतनयस्तावत्स्थितः संजीर्णपर्णवत् । तस्मिन्घोरे जलमये विष्णुशक्त्युपबृंहितः । आत्मानं परमं ध्यायन्स्थितवान्हरिसन्निधौ ॥ ३२ ॥
mṛkaṇḍutanayastāvatsthitaḥ saṃjīrṇaparṇavat | tasminghore jalamaye viṣṇuśaktyupabṛṃhitaḥ | ātmānaṃ paramaṃ dhyāyansthitavānharisannidhau || 32 ||
Kemudian putra Mṛkaṇḍu tetap tak bergerak, bagaikan daun yang mengering. Di hamparan air yang mengerikan itu, ditopang oleh śakti Viṣṇu, ia berdiam di hadapan Hari sambil bermeditasi pada Sang Ātman Tertinggi.
Narada (as narrator in dialogue with the Sanatkumara tradition context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It presents unwavering dhyāna as the means to remain established in Hari’s presence even amid pralaya-like terror, showing that Viṣṇu’s śakti sustains the devotee who fixes the mind on the Supreme Self.
Bhakti here is expressed as single-pointed remembrance and meditation—being “at Hari’s side” (hari-sannidhau) through inner absorption, not merely external circumstance.
The verse primarily emphasizes Yoga/Dhyāna rather than a Vedāṅga; practically, it underlines disciplined mental focus (a prerequisite for mantra-japa and ritual steadiness) as the operative spiritual skill.