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.
अहं सर्वाणि सत्त्वानि दैवतान्यखिलानि तु भुजंगानामहं शेषस् तार्क्ष्यो वै सर्वपक्षिणाम्
I am all beings, indeed all the gods; among serpents, I am Śeṣa, and among all birds, I am Tārkṣya.
कृतान्तः सर्वभूतानां विश्वेषां कालसंज्ञितः अहं धर्मस्तपश्चाहं सर्वाश्रमनिवासिनाम्
I am Death, called Time, of all beings and of all the worlds; I am Dharma and I am austerity, for all who dwell in every order of life.
अहं चैव सरिद्दिव्या क्षीरोदश्च महार्णवः यत्तत्सत्यं च परमम् अहमेकः प्रजापतिः
I am all the divine rivers, the ocean of milk, and the great sea; that which is the supreme truth—I alone am the Lord of creatures.
अहं सांख्यमहं योगो ऽप्यहं तत्परमं पदम् अहमिज्या क्रिया चाहम् अहं विद्याधिपः स्मृतः
I am Sāṃkhya, I am Yoga, and I am that supreme state; I am worship and ritual, and I am known as the Lord of knowledge.
अहं ज्योतिरहं वायुर् अहं भूमिरहं नभः अहमापः समुद्राश्च नक्षत्राणि दिशो दश
I am the light, I am the wind, I am the earth, I am the sky; I am the waters and the oceans, the stars and the ten directions.
अहं वर्षमहं सोमः पर्जन्यो ऽहमहं रविः क्षीरोदसागरे चाहं समुद्रे वडवामुखः
I am the rain, I am the moon, I am the raincloud, I am the sun; in the ocean of milk I am present, and in the sea I am the submarine fire.
वह्निः संवर्तको भूत्वा पिबंस्तोयमयं हविः अहं पुराणः परमं तथैवाहं परायणम्
Becoming the consuming fire, I drink the watery oblation; I am the ancient one, the supreme, and likewise I am the ultimate goal.
अहं भूतस्य भव्यस्य वर्तमानस्य संभवः यत्किंचित्पश्यसे विप्र यच्छृणोषि च किंचन
I am the origin of what has been, what will be, and what is; whatever you see, O sage, and whatever you hear—of that too.
यल्लोके चानुभवसि तत्सर्वं मामनुस्मर विश्वं सृष्टं मया पूर्वं सृज्यं चाद्यापि पश्य माम्
Whatever you experience in this world, remember all that as me; the universe was created by me before, and even now is to be created—behold me.
युगे युगे च स्रक्ष्यामि मार्कण्डेयाखिलं जगत् तदेतदखिलं सर्वं मार्कण्डेयावधारय
In every age, O Markandeya, I will create the entire world; understand, Markandeya, that all this, everything, is truly so.