Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 34
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge
तमन्वथ वटो ब्रह्मन् सलिलं लोकसम्प्लव: । तिरोधायि क्षणादस्य स्वाश्रमे पूर्ववत्स्थित: ॥ ३४ ॥
tam anv atha vaṭo brahman salilaṁ loka-samplavaḥ tirodhāyi kṣaṇād asya svāśrame pūrva-vat sthitaḥ
Selepas Tuhan menghilang, wahai brāhmaṇa, pokok beringin itu, air yang maha luas dan banjir pralaya alam semesta pun lenyap sekelip mata; dan seketika Mārkaṇḍeya mendapati dirinya kembali di pertapaannya seperti sediakala.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Twelfth Canto, Ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord.”
FAQs
This verse states that the terrifying flood of universal dissolution can be withdrawn instantly by divine arrangement, showing that pralaya is under the Lord’s control and not independent.
To emphasize that Mārkaṇḍeya’s experience was a divinely arranged vision (a revealed and withdrawn reality), after which normal order was restored and he found himself back in his āśrama.
Even overwhelming situations can change suddenly; the verse encourages steadiness, humility, and dependence on the Lord rather than panic—maintaining one’s sādhana like returning to one’s “āśrama” of discipline.