महासत्त्वान्यपि विभुं प्रविष्टान्यमितौजसम् नष्टार्कपवनाकाशे सूक्ष्मे जगति संवृते
Even the great beings entered the Lord of immeasurable power, as the subtle world was enveloped, with sun, wind, and sky lost.
संशोषमात्मना कृत्वा समुद्रानपि देहिनः दग्ध्वा संप्लाव्य च तथा स्वपित्येकः सनातनः
Having dried up even the oceans by his own power, and having burned and flooded all embodied beings, the Eternal One alone sleeps.
पौराणं रूपमास्थाय स्वपित्यमितविक्रमः एकार्णवजलव्यापी योगी योगमुपाश्रितः
Assuming his ancient form, the one of boundless might sleeps, pervading the single ocean of water, the yogi established in yoga.
अनेकानि सहस्राणि युगान्येकार्णवाम्भसि न चैनं कश्चिदव्यक्तं व्यक्तं वेदितुमर्हति
For many thousands of ages, in the waters of the single ocean, no one is able to know him—unmanifest or manifest.
कश्चैव पुरुषो नाम किंयोगः कश्च योगवान् असौ कियन्तं कालं च एकार्णवविधिं प्रभुः
Who is this person, what is his yoga, who is the possessor of yoga, and for how long does the Lord maintain the state of the single ocean?
करिष्यतीति भगवान् इति कश्चिन् न बुध्यते
No one understands what the Blessed Lord will do.
न द्रष्टा नैव गमिता न ज्ञाता नैव पार्श्वगः तस्य न ज्ञायते किंचित् तमृते देवसत्तमम्
There is no seer, no goer, no knower, nor anyone beside him; nothing at all is known except for that best of gods.
नभः क्षितिं पवनम् अपः प्रकाशकं प्रजापतिं भुवनधरं सुरेश्वरम् पितामहं श्रुतिनिलयं महामुनिं प्रशाम्य भूयः शयनं ह्यरोचयत्
Having pacified the sky, earth, wind, waters, the illuminator, the lord of creatures, the supporter of worlds, the lord of gods, the grandsire, the abode of the Vedas, and the great sage, he again chose to lie down.
एवमेकार्णवीभूते शेते लोकेमहाद्युतिः प्रच्छाद्य सलिलेनोर्वीं हंसो नारायणस्तदा
Thus, when all became a single ocean, the radiant Lord Nārāyaṇa, covering the earth with water, lay in the form of a swan.
महतो रजसो मध्ये महार्णवसरःसु वै विरजस्कं महाबाहुम् अक्षयं ब्रह्म यद्विदुः
In the midst of the great darkness, in the expanse of the great ocean, is known that stainless, mighty, imperishable Brahman.
आत्मरूपप्रकाशेन तमसा संवृतः प्रभुः मनः सात्त्विकमाधाय यत्र तत्सत्यमासत
The Lord, veiled by darkness, revealed his own true form; establishing the mind in purity, where that exists, there is truth, not untruth.
याथातथ्यं परं ज्ञानं भूतं तद्ब्रह्मणा पुरा रहस्यारण्यकोद्दिष्टं यच्चौपनिषदं स्मृतम्
That supreme knowledge, as it truly is, which existed before, was declared by Brahman as a secret in the forest texts, and is remembered as Upanishadic teaching.
पुरुषो यज्ञ इत्येतद् यत्परं परिकीर्तितम् यश्चान्यः पुरुषाख्यः स्यात् स एष पुरुषोत्तमः
It is said that the person is the sacrifice; that which is called supreme, and any other called 'person'—he is indeed the highest Person.
ये च यज्ञकरा विप्रा ये चर्त्विज इति स्मृताः अस्मादेव पुरा भूता यज्ञेभ्यः श्रूयतां तथा
And those Brahmins who perform sacrifices, and those remembered as officiating priests, all these arose from him in the beginning; now hear how they came from the sacrifices.
ब्रह्माणं प्रथमं वक्त्राद् उद्गातारं च सामगम् होतारमपि चाध्वर्युं बाहुभ्यामसृजत्प्रभुः
From his mouth, the Lord created Brahman as the first, and the chanter of the Sama, the Hotṛ priest, and also the Adhvaryu from his arms.
ब्रह्मणो ब्राह्मणाच्छंसि प्रस्तोतारं च सर्वशः तौ मित्रावरुणौ पृष्ठात् प्रतिप्रस्तारमेव च
From Brahman's mouth, he created the Brahman priest, the Prastotṛ in every way; from the back, Mitra and Varuṇa, and also the Pratiprastotṛ.
उदरात्प्रतिहर्तारं पोतारं चैव पार्थिव अच्छावाकमथोरुभ्यां नेष्टारं चैव पार्थिव
From the belly, he created the Pratihartṛ and the Potṛ, O King; from the thighs, the Acchāvāka, and from the knees, the Neṣṭṛ, O King.
पाणिभ्यामथ चाग्नीध्रं सुब्रह्मण्यं च जानुतः ग्रावस्तुतं तु पादाभ्याम् उन्नेतारं च याजुषम्
Then from the hands, the Agnīdhra, and from the knees, the Subrahmaṇya; from the feet, the Grāvastut, and the Unnetṛ of the Yajurveda.
एवमेवैष भगवान् षोडशैव जगत्पतिः प्रवक्तॄन्सर्वयज्ञानाम् ऋत्विजो ऽसृजदुत्तमान्
Thus indeed, the Blessed Lord, the ruler of the world, created these sixteen foremost officiants, the proclaimers of all sacrifices.
तदेष वै वेदमयः पुरुषो यज्ञसंज्ञितः वेदाश्चैतन्मयाः सर्वे साङ्गोपनिषदक्रियाः
This very Person, called the sacrifice, is composed of the Veda; all these Vedas, with their limbs, Upanishads, and rituals, are made of him.
स्वपित्येकार्णवे चैव यदाश्चर्यमभूत्पुरा श्रूयतां तद्यथा विप्रा मार्कण्डेयकुतूहलम्
Now hear, O Brahmins, the wondrous event that once occurred when he slept alone upon the primeval ocean, which aroused the curiosity of Markandeya.
गीर्णो भगवतस्तस्य कुक्षावेव महामुनिः बहुवर्षसहस्रायुस् तस्यैव वरतेजसा
Swallowed by the Blessed One, the great sage remained in his belly for many thousands of years, sustained by his very radiance.
अटंस्तीर्थप्रसङ्गेन पृथिवीं तीर्थगोचराम् आश्रमाणि च पुण्यानि देवतायतनानि च
He wandered, visiting sacred fords across the earth, entering holy hermitages and abodes of the gods.
देशान्राष्ट्राणि चित्राणि पुराणि विविधानि च जपहोमपरः शान्तस् तपो घोरं समास्थितः
He saw many lands, kingdoms, and ancient, diverse places, devoted to recitation and offering, peaceful, and engaged in severe austerity.
मार्कण्डेयस्ततस्तस्य शनैर्वक्त्राद्विनिःसृतः स निष्क्रामन्न चात्मानं जानीते देवमायया
Then Markandeya, emerging slowly from his mouth, did not recognize himself, bewildered by the divine illusion.
निष्क्रम्याप्यस्य वदनाद् एकार्णवमथो जगत् सर्वतस्तमसाच्छन्नं मार्कण्डेयो ऽन्ववैक्षत
Having come out from his mouth, Markandeya beheld the entire world covered everywhere by darkness, upon the primeval ocean.
तस्योत्पन्नं भयं तीव्रं संशयश्चात्मजीविते देवदर्शनसंहृष्टो विस्मयं परमं गतः
A sharp fear arose in him, and he doubted for his own life; delighted by the vision of the god, he was filled with supreme wonder.
चिन्तयञ्जलमध्यस्थो मार्कण्डेयो विशङ्कितः किं नु स्यान्मम चिन्तेयं मोहः स्वप्नो ऽनुभूयते
Standing with folded hands, Markandeya, anxious, pondered: 'What could this be for me? Is this confusion, or am I experiencing a dream?'
व्यक्तमन्यतमो भावस् तेषां संभावितो मम न हीदृशं जगत्क्लेशम् अयुक्तं सत्यमर्हति
It is clear that another state of being is possible for them, as I have considered; for such suffering in the world, unfitting and real, should not be deserved.
नष्टचन्द्रार्कपवने नष्टपर्वतभूतले कतमः स्यादयं लोक इति चिन्तामवस्थितः
With the moon and sun lost to the wind, and the mountains vanished from the earth, he wondered, 'What kind of world could this be?' and remained in anxious thought.