Shloka 45
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
शत्रुकी राजधानीपर विजय पानेवाले पुरुषसिंह! मनुने वह नाव उस सींगमें अटका दी। रस्सीसे बँधे हुए मत्स्यभगवान् उन सबको नौकाद्वारा पार उतारनेके लिये उस खारे पानीके समुद्रमें बड़े वेगसे नाव खींचने लगे। मनुजेश्वर! उस समय समुद्र अपनी लहरोंसे नृत्य करता-सा जान पड़ता था। पानीके हिलोरोंसे भयंकर गर्जना-सी कर रहा था। शत्रुविजयी नरेश्वर! उस महासागरमें प्रचण्ड वायुके झोंकोंसे विक्षुब्ध होकर हिलती-डुलती हुई वह नौका चंचल-चित्तवाली मतवाली स्त्रीके समान झूम रही थी। उस समय न तो भूमिका पता लगता था और न दिशाओं तथा विदिशाओंका ही भान होता था ।। सर्वमाम्भसमेवासीत् खं द्यौश्व नरपुज्गभव । एवंभूते तदा लोके संकुले भरतर्षभ,भरतकुलभूषण नरेश्वरर! आकाश और द्युलोक सब कुछ जलमय ही प्रतीत होता था। इस प्रकार जब सारा विश्व एकार्णवके जलमें डूबा हुआ था, उस समय केवल सप्तर्षि, मनु और मत्स्य भगवान्--ये ही नौ व्यक्ति दृष्टिगोचर होते थे। राजन! इस तरह बहुत वर्षोतक भगवान् मत्स्य आलस्यरहित होकर उस अगाध जलराशिमें उस नौकाको खींचते रहे। भरतकुलतिलक! तदनन्तर हिमालयका जो सर्वोच्च शिखर था, वहाँ मत्स्यभगवान् उस नावको खींचकर ले गये। कुरुनन्दन! तब वे धीरे-धीरे हँसते हुए उन समस्त ऋषियोंसे बोले --“आपलोग हिमालयके इस शिखरमें इस नावको शीघ्र बाँध दें।” भरतश्रेष्ठ! मत्स्यका वह वचन सुनकर उन महर्षियोंने तुरंत वहाँ हिमालयके शिखरमें वह नौका बाँध दी। तभीसे हिमालयका वह उत्तम शिखर “नौका-बन्धन' के नामसे विख्यात हुआ
śatrukī-rājadhānī-para vijaya-pāne-vāle puruṣa-siṃha! manunā sā nāvā tasmin śṛṅge ’ṭakā dī. rassyā baddhaḥ matsya-bhagavān te sarvān naukā-dvārā pāraṃ netuṃ tasmin kṣāra-jala-samudre mahā-vegena nāvāṃ ākarṣitum ārabdhaḥ. manu-jeśvara! tadā samudraḥ sva-laharībhiḥ nṛtyati iva pratibhāti sma; jala-hiloraiḥ bhīṣaṇa-garjanāṃ iva kurvan. śatru-vijayī nareśvara! tasmin mahā-sāgare pracanda-vāyu-vega-vikṣubdhaṃ calad-dolāyamānā sā nāvā capala-cittā-mada-mattā-strīvat jhūmāyate sma. tadā na bhūmiḥ prajñāyate, na diśāṃ vidiśāṃ ca bhānaṃ. sarvam āmbhasam eva āsīt; khaṃ dyauś ca, nara-puṅgava. evaṃ-bhūte tadā loke saṃkule, bharatarṣabha, bharata-kula-bhūṣaṇa! nareśvara! ākāśaṃ dyu-lokaś ca sarvaṃ jalamayaṃ iva pratibhāti sma. evaṃ yadā sarvo lokaḥ ekārṇava-jale nimagnaḥ, tadā kevalaṃ saptaṛṣayaḥ manuḥ matsya-bhagavān ca—ete navaiva dṛśyante sma. rājan! evaṃ bahūn varṣān matsya-bhagavān anālasyaḥ san agādha-jala-rāśau tāṃ nāvāṃ ākarṣayan avahat. bharata-kula-tilaka! tad-anantaraṃ himālayasya yaḥ sarvoccaiḥ śikharaḥ, tatra matsya-bhagavān tāṃ nāvāṃ nītvā nyaveśayat. kuru-nandana! atha sa mandam mandam hasann iva tān sarvān ṛṣīn uvāca—“yūyaṃ himālayasya asmin śikhare imāṃ nāvāṃ śīghraṃ badhnīta.” bharata-śreṣṭha! matsyasya vacanaṃ śrutvā te maharṣayaḥ tatraiva himālayasya śikhare tāṃ nāvāṃ kṣaṇāt baddhavantaḥ. tataḥ prabhṛti tad uttamaṃ śikharaṃ “naukā-bandhana” iti nāmnā prasiddham abhavat.
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O lion among men, conqueror of hostile capitals! Manu fastened the boat to the horn. The Lord in the form of a Fish, bound by a rope, then began to draw the boat at great speed across that salty ocean, intent on ferrying them all to safety. At that time the sea seemed to dance with its waves and to roar terribly with its surging swells. Shaken by fierce gusts of wind, the boat swayed and reeled upon the great ocean like an intoxicated woman with a restless mind. Then neither land could be discerned, nor any sense of direction or intermediate direction. Everything appeared to be nothing but water—sky and heaven alike, O best of men. When the whole world had sunk into the waters of a single ocean, only the Seven Sages, Manu, and the Fish-Lord—these nine alone—were visible. Thus for many years the Fish-Lord, never slack in effort, kept drawing the boat through that unfathomable expanse. Thereafter he brought it to the highest peak of the Himalaya. Then, smiling gently, he said to all the sages: ‘Quickly bind this boat to this Himalayan summit.’ Hearing the Fish’s words, the great seers at once tied the boat there. From that time onward, that excellent peak became famed by the name ‘Naukā-bandhana’—‘the place where the boat was moored.’ Ethical sense: in a world overwhelmed by chaos, steadfast guidance, disciplined effort, and trust in divine protection preserve the seeds of dharma and continuity of life.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When the world is overwhelmed by disorder, dharma is preserved through disciplined effort (anālasya), wise leadership (Manu and the sages), and trust in a higher guiding intelligence (Matsya). The episode emphasizes steadiness, cooperation, and safeguarding the seeds of life and knowledge during crisis.
During the cosmic flood, Manu and the Seven Sages ride in a boat tethered by rope to the horn of the divine Fish. The Fish pulls them across the raging ocean for many years, then brings the boat to the highest Himalayan peak and instructs the sages to moor it there, giving rise to the place-name ‘Naukā-bandhana’.