ददर्श चापि पुरुषं स्वपन्तं पर्वतोपमम् सलिले ऽर्धमथो मग्नं जीमूतमिव सागरे
And he saw a man, immense as a mountain, sleeping—half his body submerged in the waters, like a raincloud in the ocean.
ज्वलन्तमिव तेजोभिर् गोयुक्तमिव भास्करम् शर्वर्यां जाग्रतमिव भासन्तं स्वेन तेजसा
He appeared to blaze with radiance, like the sun yoked to cows, shining in the night as if awake, illumined by his own splendor.
देवं द्रष्टुमिहायातः को भवानिति विस्मयात् तथैव स मुनिः कुक्षिं पुनरेव प्रवेशितः
Amazed, he wondered, 'Who are you who has come here to see the god?' And just then, that sage was once again drawn into the belly.
सम्प्रविष्टः पुनः कुक्षिं मार्कण्डेयो ऽतिविस्मयः तथैव तु पुनर्भूयो विजानन्स्वप्नदर्शनम्
Entering the belly again, Mārkaṇḍeya was filled with great wonder, yet once more he recognized it as a vision seen in a dream.
स तथैव यथापूर्वं यो धरामटते पुरा पुण्यतीर्थजलोपेतां विविधान्याश्रमाणि च
Just as before, he wandered the earth as in ancient times, filled with sacred waters and various hermitages.
क्रतुभिर्यजमानाश्च समाप्तवरदक्षिणान् अपश्यद्देवकुक्षिस्थान् याजकाञ्छतशो द्विजान्
He saw hundreds of priests, dwelling in the divine womb, who had completed their sacrifices and received their gifts, along with sacrificers and their rituals.
सद्वृत्तमास्थिताः सर्वे वर्णा ब्राह्मणपूर्वकाः चत्वारश्चाश्रमाः सम्यग् यथोद्दिष्टा मया तव
All the classes, led by the Brāhmaṇas, were established in good conduct; and the four stages of life, just as I have described to you, were properly observed.
एवं वर्षशतं साग्रं मार्कण्डेयस्य धीमतः चरतः पृथिवीं सर्वां न कुक्ष्यन्तः समीक्षितः
Thus, for more than a hundred years, the wise Mārkaṇḍeya traveled the whole earth, yet saw nothing within the belly.
ततः कदाचिदथ वै पुनर्वक्त्राद्विनिःसृतः सुप्तं न्यग्रोधशाखायां बालमेकं निरैक्षत
Then, at some point, he emerged again from the mouth, and saw a single child sleeping on the branch of a banyan tree.
तथैवैकार्णवजले नीहारेणावृताम्बरे अव्यग्रः क्रीडते लोके सर्वभूतविवर्जिते
In the same way, in the one ocean of water, with the sky covered in mist, the child played untroubled in a world devoid of all beings.
स मुनिर्विस्मयाविष्टः कौतूहलसमन्वितः बालमादित्यसंकाशं नाशक्नोदभिवीक्षितुम्
That sage, filled with wonder and curiosity, could not bring himself to gaze directly at the child, who shone like the sun.
स चिन्तयंस्तथैकान्ते स्थित्वा सलिलसंनिधौ पूर्वदृष्टमिदं मेने शङ्कितो देवमायया
Standing apart, reflecting by the water, he thought, 'This is what I saw before,' and, suspicious, considered it the work of divine illusion.
अगाधसलिले तस्मिन् मार्कण्डेयः सविस्मयः प्लवंस्तथार्तिम् अगमद् भयात्संत्रस्तलोचनः
In those deep waters, Mārkaṇḍeya, astonished, began to float, overcome by distress, his eyes wide with fear.
स तस्मै भगवानाह स्वागतं बालयोगवान् बभाषे मेघतुल्येन स्वरेण पुरुषोत्तमः
Then the Blessed Lord, the supreme person, spoke to him: 'Welcome, child, endowed with yoga,' in a voice like thunderclouds.
मा भैर्वत्स न भेतव्यम् इहैवायाहि मे ऽन्तिकम् मार्कण्डेयो मुनिस्त्वाह बालं तं श्रमपीडितः
'Do not fear, my child, there is nothing to be afraid of. Come here to me.' So spoke the Lord, and the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, weary and afflicted, addressed the child.
को मां नाम्ना कीर्तयति तपः परिभवन्मम दिव्यं वर्षसहस्राख्यं धर्षयन्निव मे वयः
'Who calls me by name, as if scorning my asceticism, as if challenging my divine thousand-year penance and my age?'
न ह्येष वः समाचारो देवेष्वपि ममोचितः मां ब्रह्मापि हि देवेशो दीर्घायुरिति भाषते
For this conduct of yours is not fitting, not even among the gods, nor is it proper for me; even Brahmā, the lord of the gods, though long-lived, does not speak to me in this way.
कस्तमो घोरमासाद्य मामद्य त्यक्तजीवितः मार्कण्डेयेति मामुक्त्वा मृत्युमीक्षितुमर्हति
Who, having encountered such terror, would abandon his life for my sake? Who, after calling me Mārkaṇḍeya, would wish to look upon Death?
एवमाभाष्य तं क्रोधान् मार्कण्डेयो महामुनिः तथैव भगवान्भूयो बभाषे मधुसूदनः
Having spoken thus in anger to him, the great sage Mārkaṇḍeya, the blessed Madhusūdana again addressed him in the same manner.
अहं ते जनको वत्स हृषीकेशः पिता गुरुः आयुष्प्रदाता पौराणः किं मां त्वं नोपसर्पसि
I am your father, dear child, Hṛṣīkeśa, your teacher, the ancient giver of life; why do you not approach me?
मां पुत्रकामः प्रथमं पिता ते ऽङ्गिरसो मुनिः पूर्वमाराधयामास तपस्तीव्रं समाश्रितः
Desiring a son, your father, the sage Aṅgiras, first worshipped me in former times, undertaking severe austerity.
ततस्त्वां घोरतपसा प्रावृणोदमितौजसम् उक्तवानहमात्मस्थं महर्षिम् अमितौजसम्
Then, by his fierce austerity, he obtained you, endowed with immeasurable energy; I declared you to be a great sage, abiding in the Self, of boundless might.
कः समुत्सहते चान्यो यो न भूतात्मकात्मजः द्रष्टुमेकार्णवगतं क्रीडन्तं योगवर्त्मना
Who else would have the courage, who is not born of the Lord of beings, to behold me, sporting in the midst of the single ocean, by the path of yoga?
ततः प्रहृष्टवदनो विस्मयोत्फुल्ललोचनः मूर्ध्नि बद्धाञ्जलिपुटो मार्कण्डेयो महातपाः
Then Mārkaṇḍeya, the great ascetic, with face beaming with joy and eyes wide with wonder, joined his hands in reverence upon his head.
नामगोत्रे ततः प्रोच्य दीर्घायुर्लोकपूजितः तस्मै भगवते भक्त्या नमस्कारमथाकरोत्
Having spoken his name and lineage, long-lived and honored by the world, he then made a reverent salutation to the Blessed Lord with devotion.
इच्छेयं तत्त्वतो मायाम् इमां ज्ञातुं तवानघ यदेकार्णवमध्यस्थः शेषे त्वं बालरूपवान्
I wish to know truly this Māyā of yours, O faultless one—how you, in the midst of the single ocean, remain in the form of a child.
किंसंज्ञश्चैव भगवांल् लोके विज्ञायसे प्रभो तर्कये त्वां महात्मानं को ह्यन्यः स्थातुमर्हति
By what name, O Lord, are you known in the world? I ponder upon you, the great soul—who else is worthy to stand firm?
अहं नारायणो ब्रह्मन् सर्वभूतविनाशनः अहं सहस्रशीर्षाख्यो यः पदैरभिसंज्ञितः
I am Nārāyaṇa, O brāhmaṇa, the destroyer of all beings; I am he who is called the Thousand-headed, known by those very names.
आदित्यवर्णः पुरुषो मखे ब्रह्ममयो मखः अहमग्निर्हव्यवाहो यादसां पतिरव्ययः
I am the Person of the color of the sun, the sacrifice filled with Brahman; I am Agni, the bearer of offerings, and the imperishable lord of the waters.
अहमिन्द्रपदे शक्रो वर्षाणां परिवत्सरः अहं योगी युगाख्यस्य युगान्तावर्त एव च
In the station of Indra, I am Śakra; of the rains, I am the year; I am the yogin of the age called Yuga, and the very revolution at the end of the age.