Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 28
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge
खं रोदसी भागणानद्रिसागरान् द्वीपान् सवर्षान् ककुभ: सुरासुरान् । वनानि देशान् सरित: पुराकरान् खेटान् व्रजानाश्रमवर्णवृत्तय: ॥ २८ ॥ महान्ति भूतान्यथ भौतिकान्यसौ कालं च नानायुगकल्पकल्पनम् । यत् किञ्चिदन्यद् व्यवहारकारणं ददर्श विश्वं सदिवावभासितम् ॥ २९ ॥
khaṁ rodasī bhā-gaṇān adri-sāgarān dvīpān sa-varṣān kakubhaḥ surāsurān vanāni deśān saritaḥ purākarān kheṭān vrajān āśrama-varṇa-vṛttayaḥ
圣者看见整个宇宙：虚空、天与地、星辰、群山与大海、巨岛与大陆、四方无边的疆域，以及诸天与阿修罗等众生。又见森林、国土、江河、城邑与矿藏，农耕村落与牧牛之地，并见诸种姓与诸住期（varṇa-āśrama）之职业与修行。亦见构成万有的五大元素及其一切衍生物，并见“时间”本身——它在梵天之日中调御无量劫与诸时代（yuga）的推移。除此之外，为世间生活之用而造的一切也尽现眼前，仿佛皆真实无虚。
FAQs
This verse describes a comprehensive vision of the cosmos—worlds, directions, gods and demons, lands and societies—indicating that the Lord’s māyā can reveal the entire manifested order as an object of perception.
Śukadeva explains Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi’s extraordinary experience to show how the Supreme Lord’s energy can display the full universe and its social-religious structures, emphasizing the Lord’s supremacy over creation and perception.
By recognizing that worldly arrangements—nature, society, and status—are part of a vast, temporary manifestation, one can cultivate detachment and redirect attention toward devotion to the Supreme Lord, the controller of māyā.