Shloka 46
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
अदृश्यन्तर्षय: सप्त मनुर्मत्स्यस्तथैव च । एवं बहून् वर्षगणांस्तां नावं सो5थ मत्स्यक:,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
adṛśyanta ṛṣayaḥ sapta manur matsyas tathaiva ca | evaṁ bahūn varṣagaṇāṁs tāṁ nāvaṁ so 'tha matsyakaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Only the Seven Ṛṣis, Manu, and the divine Fish were visible. Thus, for countless years, while the whole world appeared as a single expanse of water, the Fish—unceasing and vigilant—kept drawing that boat across the immeasurable flood.” In ethical sense, the passage highlights steadfast guardianship in crisis: when the world’s supports vanish, dharma is preserved through divine protection and the disciplined cooperation of the wise.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a time of total collapse (the flood), dharma is safeguarded through unwavering divine guardianship and the steadiness of the wise. The verse emphasizes perseverance and responsibility: protection is not momentary but sustained ‘for countless years,’ until safety is reached.
During the cosmic flood, nothing is visible except nine figures: the Seven Sages, Manu, and the divine Fish. The Fish continuously tows the boat carrying them across the boundless waters for many years, preserving the sages and Manu through the catastrophe.