Shloka 2
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Meets Lord Śiva: Devotee as Living Tīrtha and the Lord’s Māyā
श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच प्रपन्नोऽस्म्यङ्घ्रिमूलं ते प्रपन्नाभयदं हरे । यन्माययापि विबुधा मुह्यन्ति ज्ञानकाशया ॥ २ ॥
śrī-mārkaṇḍeya uvāca prapanno ’smy aṅghri-mūlaṁ te prapannābhaya-daṁ hare yan-māyayāpi vibudhā muhyanti jñāna-kāśayā
ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഹരി! ശരണം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് അഭയം നൽകുന്ന നിന്റെ കമലപാദതലങ്ങളിൽ ഞാൻ ശരണം തേടുന്നു. ജ്ഞാനത്തിന്റെ വേഷത്തിലേക്കും നിന്റെ മായ ദേവന്മാരെയും മയക്കുന്നു.
Conditioned souls are attracted to material sense gratification, and thus they meticulously study the workings of nature. Although they appear to be advancing in scientific knowledge, they become increasingly entangled in their false identification with the material body and therefore increasingly merge into ignorance.
FAQs
This verse states that taking refuge at Hari’s lotus feet is the root of fearlessness—true safety comes from surrender to God, not merely from knowledge or power.
He emphasizes the supremacy of the Lord: māyā is so subtle that even highly learned celestial beings can be deluded, so one should rely on devotion and surrender rather than pride in intellect.
Don’t equate information or intellectual confidence with spiritual clarity; cultivate humility, prayerful dependence on Hari, and steady devotional practices to avoid being misled by “knowledge-like” illusions.