Shloka 47
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
चकर्षतन्द्रितो राज॑स्तस्मिन् सलिलसंचये । ततो हिमवत: शृड्ूरं यत् परं 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
cakarṣa tandrito rājā tasmin salila-saṃcaye | tato himavataḥ śṛṅgaṃ yat paraṃ bharatarṣabha ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “In that vast accumulation of waters, the king—unceasing and untiring—kept towing (the boat). Then, O bull among the Bharatas, he drew it toward the highest peak of the Himavat. When the whole world appeared as a single ocean, only the Seven Seers, Manu, and the divine Fish were seen. For many years the Fish-Lord, free from sloth, pulled the boat through the immeasurable flood and finally brought it to the loftiest Himalayan summit, instructing the sages to fasten the boat there—hence that peak became famed as ‘Naukā-bandhana’ (the place where the boat was moored).”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is preserved through steadfast effort and divine guidance: in times of overwhelming crisis (the flood), diligence (atandrita) and obedience to wise instruction enable survival and continuity of righteous order.
During the cosmic flood, the divine Fish tows the boat carrying Manu and the sages through the boundless waters and brings it to the highest Himalayan summit, where the sages are told to moor it—giving rise to the famed site ‘Naukā-bandhana’.