VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 10
S'iva, Lord and Helper Glorifies Mârkandeya Rishi
n this chapter Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes how Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi received benedictions from Lord Śiva.
Once, as Lord Śiva was traveling in the sky with his wife, Pārvatī, he came across Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya merged in meditative trance. At the request of Parvatī, Lord Śiva presented himself before the sage to grant him the result of his austerities. Coming out of his trance, Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya saw Lord Śiva, the spiritual master of the three worlds, together with Parvatī, and he worshiped them by offering them obeisances, words of greeting and a sitting place.
Then Lord Śiva praised the saintly devotees of the Personality of Godhead and requested Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya to choose whatever benediction he desired. Mārkaṇḍeya begged for unflinching devotion to the Supreme Lord Śrī Hari, to the devotees of the Supreme Lord and to Lord Śiva himself. Satisfied with Mārkaṇḍeya's devotion, Lord Śiva awarded him the boons of renown, freedom from old age and death until the time of universal dissolution, knowledge of all three phases of time, renunciation, realized knowledge and the position of a teacher of the Purāṇas.
Those who chant and hear the story of Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi will attain liberation from material life, which is based on the accumulated desires generated from fruitive work.
12.10.1
vaibhavaḿ yoga-māyāyās
(1) S'rî Sûta said: "He this way experiencing the might of the yoga-mâyâ as arranged by Nârâyana, went only for the shelter of Him.
12.10.2
(2) S'rî Mârkandeya said [to this]: 'I am surrendered to the soles of the feet of You who bring fearlessness to the surrendered, o Lord who with Your illusory potency in the form of knowledge even bewilders the wise'."
Conditioned souls are attracted to material sense gratification, and thus they meticulously study the workings of nature. Although they appear to be advancing in scientific knowledge, they become increasingly entangled in their false identification with the material body and therefore increasingly merge into ignorance.
12.10.3
(3) Sûta said: "The great lord [S'iva] accompanied by Rudrânî [Umâ] and surrounded by his entourage, saw, traveling through the sky on his bull, him thus absorbed in trance.
12.10.4
nibhṛtātmendriyāśayam
Goddess Umā, seeing the sage, addressed Lord Giriśa: My lord, just see this learned brāhmaṇa, his body, mind and senses motionless in trance.12.10.5
nibhṛtoda-jhaṣa-vrāto
vātāpāye yathārṇavaḥ
He is as calm as the waters of the ocean when the wind has ceased and the fish remain still. Therefore, my lord, since you bestow perfection on the performers of austerity, please award this sage the perfection that is obviously due him.12.10.6
(6) The great lord said: 'I'm sure the brahmin seer doesn't desire any benedictions in any field, not even liberation; he has achieved the transcendental devotional service for the Supreme Lord, the Inexhaustible Original Person.
The words naivecchaty āśiṣaḥ kvāpi indicate that Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi was uninterested in any reward available on any planet within the universe. Nor did he want liberation, for he had achieved the Supreme Lord Himself.
12.10.7
athāpi saḿvadiṣyāmo
(7) Nevertheless, Bhavânî, let's talk with this pure devotee, it is indeed man's highest achievement to associate with the saintly'."
12.10.8
(8) Sûta said: "Thus having spoken he, the master of all knowledge, the controller of all the embodied and the great lord and shelter of the righteous, approached him.
12.10.9
tayor āgamanaḿ sākṣād
īśayor jagad-ātmanoḥ
(9) He, having arrested the functions of his mind, had no knowledge of himself or the outer world, nor of the arrival of the two powers of control over the universe in person.
12.10.10
vāyuś chidram iveśvaraḥ
(10) Understanding that, Giris'a the Controller, the great lord, entered by means of his mystic potency the ethereal privacy of Mârkandeya's heart, just like the wind passing through an opening.
12.10.11-13
samādher virato muniḥ
(11-13) Within himself then S'iva arrived with blonde locks like lightening, having three eyes and ten arms, rising as tall as the sun. Together with a tigerskin for his garment, he exhibited his bow and trident, arrows and sword, shield, prayer beads, damaru (a small drum), ax and skull. Seeing him manifesting suddenly in his heart the sage thereupon desisted from his trance and wondered in surprise: 'Who is this and from where did he come?'
12.10.14
(14) Opening his eyes and seeing that Lord Rudra had arrived with Umâ and his associates, the sage offered with his head the one guru of the three worlds his obeisances.
When Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi saw Lord Śiva and Umā within his heart, he immediately became aware of them and thus also of his own individual self. During his trance, on the other hand, he had simply been absorbed in awareness of the Supreme Lord and had thus forgotten himself as the conscious perceiver.
12.10.15
svāgatāsana-pādyārghya-
(15) Him together with his company and Umâ he offered worship with words of welcome, sitting places, water for their feet, water to drink, perfumed oil, garlands, incense and lamps.
12.10.16
āha tv ātmānubhāvena
yenedaḿ nirvṛtaḿ jagat
(16) He said: 'O mighty one, what can I do for you, o Lord, by whose full satisfaction in your experience of ecstasy the entire world is pacified?
12.10.17
(17) My respects for you devoted to the mode of ignorance, to you terrible in choosing the mode of passion and to you giving pleasure in favor of the mode of goodness'."
12.10.18
parituṣṭaḥ prasannātmā
(18) Sûta Gosvâmî said: "Praised by these words he, the mighty lord, the foremost of the demigods and shelter of the truthful, perfectly satisfied and happy of mind addressed him with a smile.
12.10.19
(19) The great lord said: 'Please, choose a boon to your liking from us the three [guna-avatâra] lords in control by whose audience a mortal being achieves immortality.
12.10.20-21
vandanty arcanty upāsate
(20-21) The local rulers and inhabitants of all worlds, I, the great lord Brahmâ and Hari, the Controller in person, glorify, worship and sit near to those brahmins who are saintly, peaceful, free from material attachment, of care for all living beings and who, free from enmity with an equal vision, are single-minded devotees of us. The inhabitants and ruling demigods of all planets, along with Lord Brahmā, the Supreme Lord Hari and I, glorify, worship and assist those brāhmaṇas who are saintly, always peaceful, free of material attachment, compassionate to all living beings, purely devoted to us, devoid of hatred and endowed with equal vision.
12.10.22
nātmanaś ca janasyāpi
(22) They [these devotees] do not even acknowledge the slightest difference between me, the Infallible One and the one unborn, nor between themselves and other people and for that reason we praise you.
Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are, respectively, manifestations of the creating and annihilating potencies of the Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. Thus unity exists among these three ruling deities of the material world. One should not, on the basis of the modes of nature, find material duality within the ruling potency of the Supreme Lord, although that potency is manifested in three divisions as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva.
12.10.23
na devāś cetanojjhitāḥ
(23) Mere bodies of water are no holy places and deities on themselves are devoid of life; they cleanse the soul only after a long time, but you do so by simply being seen [see also 10.48: 31].
12.10.24
brāhmaṇebhyo namasyāmo
(24) The brahmins who embrace our forms that are represented by the three Vedas, and who by penances, study and yogic concentration [samyama] are absorbed in the True Self, we offer our respects.
A pure devotee of the Supreme Lord is considered the most elevated of brāhmaṇas, since all spiritual endeavor culminates in the loving service of God.
12.10.25
śravaṇād darśanād vāpi
(25) Even the greatest sinners and outcasts find purification by seeing you and hearing about you, and what wouldn't that mean when one directly addresses you [see also 7.14: 17, 10.64: 41-42]?"
12.10.26
dharma-gahyopabṛḿhitam
vaco 'mṛtāyanam ṛṣir
nātṛpyat karṇayoḥ piban
(26) Sûta Gosvâmî said: "Thus filled with the words of the one decorated with the moon who reflects the essence of the religion, the sage who through his ears drank from this reservoir of nectar wasn't satisfied.
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi was not eager to hear himself praised by Lord Śiva, but he appreciated Lord Śiva's deep realization of religious principles and therefore desired to hear more.
12.10.27
bhrāmitaḥ karśito bhṛśam
(27) He who by the mâyâ of Vishnu had to wander for such a long time and was terribly exhausted, saw a great load of trouble undone by the grace of Lord S'iva's nectarine words and addressed him.
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi had desired to see Lord Viṣṇu's illusory energy and had suffered extensive miseries. But now, in the person of Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu again appeared before the sage and relieved all his suffering by imparting blissful spiritual instructions.
12.10.28
yan namantīśitavyāni
(28) S'rî Mârkandeya said: 'Ah, how inconceivable for embodied souls in praise of the rulers of the universe is this pastime of the great controllers who show respect for those who are controlled by them!
In the material world, conditioned souls strive to lord it over one another. Therefore they cannot understand the pastimes of the actual lords of the universe. Such bona fide lords have a wonderfully magnanimous mentality and thus sometimes bow down to the most qualified and saintly among their own subjects.
12.10.29
ācaranty anumodante
(29) In general the authoritative speakers act for the acceptance of the religion and prove for that purpose their sympathy and appreciation for [the proper conduct of] the conditioned souls.
12.10.30
naitāvatā bhagavataḥ
na duṣyetānubhāvas tair
(30) Just like a magician's powers are not spoiled by his tricks, is His authority not in any way compromised by these activities in the creation of His illusory energy.
12.10.31-32
ātmanānupraviśya yaḥ
kevalāyādvitīyāya
(31-32) He who as the Supersoul from His mind [by Himself in the form of Time] creates this universe and subsequently enters it [in the form of the avatâras], by the power of His modes of nature seems to be the doer like someone in a dream. Let me offer my obeisances to Him, the Supreme Personality who acting through the three gunas is the true Self on top of them. He is the pure unequaled spiritual master who is the original form of the Absolute Truth [see B.G. 4: 13, 13: 30, 14: 19].
I offer my obeisances to that Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has created this entire universe simply by His desire and then entered into it as the Supersoul. By making the modes of nature act, He seems to be the direct creator of this world, just as a dreamer seems to be acting within his dream. He is the owner and ultimate controller of the three modes of nature, yet He remains alone and pure, without any equal. He is the supreme spiritual master of all, the original personal form of the Absolute Truth.
The Supreme Lord releases His material potencies, and by their interaction creation takes place. The Lord remains aloof, as the supreme transcendental entity. Still, because the entire creation unfolds according to His design and will, His controlling hand is perceived within all things. People thus imagine that God is the direct builder of this world, although He remains aloof, creating through the manipulation of His multifarious potencies.
12.10.33
(33) What other benediction indeed should I choose from you, o all-pervading one, whose presence itself is the highest [one may attain]? From seeing you a person may achieve all he desires, irrespective of what he desires.
12.10.34
pūrṇāt kāmābhivarṣaṇāt
(34) From Him who stands for the Complete that brings the fulfillment of all desires, I request one benediction though: the unfailing devotional service for the Supreme Personality of Godhead as well as for those dedicated to Him like you'."
The words tat-pareṣu tathā tvayi clearly indicate that Lord Śiva is a devotee of the Supreme Lord, not the Supreme Lord Himself. Because the representative of God is offered the same protocol as God Himself, Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi addressed Lord Śiva as "lord" in previous verses. But now it is clearly revealed that, as stated throughout Vedic literature, Lord Śiva is an eternal servant of God and not God Himself.
Desire manifests itself within the mind and heart according to the subtle laws governing consciousness. Pure desire to engage in the loving service of the Lord brings one to the most exalted platform of consciousness, and such a perfect understanding of life is available only by the special mercy of the Lord's devotees.
12.10.35
ity arcito 'bhiṣṭutaś ca
śarvayā cābhinanditaḥ
(35) Sûta Gosvâmî said: "Thus worshiped and glorified by the well-spoken words of the sage, the great lord S'arva, thereto encouraged by his consort, said:
12.10.36
bhaktimāḿs tvam adhokṣaje
ajarāmaratā tathā
(36) 'O great sage so full of devotion for Adhokshaja, may all you desired be fulfilled. May you also enjoy fame till the end of the kalpa, as well as piety and freedom from old age and death.
12.10.37
purāṇācāryatāstu te
(37) May you have knowledge of the threefold of time [tri-kâlika] o brahmin, and wisdom plus renunciation. May there for you being given the brahminical potency be the status of teacher of the Purâna'."
12.10.38
anubhūtaḿ purāmunā
(38) Sûta Gosvâmî said: "With granting the sage these blessings he, the controller with the three eyes, went away recounting to the goddess all that he [Mârkandeya] in the past had done and experienced.
12.10.39
mahimā bhārgavottamaḥ
vicaraty adhunāpy addhā
harāv ekāntatāḿ gataḥ
(39) He, the best one of Bhrigu, who had achieved the greatest of the great of yoga, even today travels about at will, on his way of serving in his exclusive devotion for the Lord.
12.10.40
anubhūtaḿ bhagavato
(40) This is what I could describe to you of the amazing potency of the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality as experienced by the intelligent Mârkandeya.
12.10.41
etat kecid avidvāḿso
anādy-āvartitaḿ nṝṇāḿ
(41) Unprecedented as it is [this seven kalpas long life of the sage], do some who are not that learned speak of it as [being nothing but] the from time immemorial cycling of the conditioned living beings through the mind-boggling creation of the Supreme Soul.
Mārkaṇḍeya's being drawn into the Lord's body by His inhalation and expelled again by His exhalation should not be considered a symbolic description of the perennial cycles of material creation and annihilation. This portion of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes a real, historical event experienced by a great devotee of the Lord, and those trying to relegate this story to mere symbolic allegory are here declared to be unintelligent fools.
12.10.42
ya evam etad bhṛgu-varya varṇitaḿ
saḿśrāvayet saḿśṛṇuyād u tāv ubhau
(42) For the two kinds of people, o best of Bhrigu, who either hear or describe this [narration] infused with the potency of the Lord who has the Wheel [of Time] in His hand, there will never be the mundane course of existence based on karma."
Thus end of the Twelfth Canto, Tenth Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Śiva and Umā Glorify Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi."
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