न चैव कश्चिदव्यक्तं व्यक्तो वेदितुमर्हति। कश्चैष पुरुषो नाम किं योगः कश्च योगवान्
No one at all can know the unmanifest or the manifest; who is this person, what is this yoga, who is the possessor of yoga?
न पृष्ठे नैवमभितो नैव पार्श्वे न चाग्रतः। कश्चिद्विज्ञायते तस्य दृश्यते देवसत्तमः
Neither behind, nor around, nor at the sides, nor in front, can anyone perceive him; the best of gods is seen.
नभः क्षितिं पवनमपः प्रकाशनं प्रजापतिं भुवनधरं सुरेश्वरम्। पितामहं श्रुतिनिलयं मुनिं प्रभुं समापयञ्छयनमरोचयत्प्रभुः
He united sky, earth, wind, waters, light, the lord of creatures, the supporter of worlds, the lord of gods, the ancestor, the abode of the Vedas, the sage, the master; arranging them, the Lord created the resting place.
एवमेकार्णवीभूते शेते लोके महाद्युतिः। प्रच्छाद्य सलिलेनोर्वीं हंसो नारायणाय ते
Thus, when the world became a single ocean, the great radiant one lies, covering the earth with water; the swan, for you, is Nārāyaṇa.
महतो रजसो मध्ये महार्णवसमस्य वै। वारिजाक्षो महाबाहुरक्षयं ब्रह्म यद्विदुः
In the midst of the great darkness, in the vast ocean, the lotus-eyed, mighty-armed one is the imperishable Brahman, as the wise know.
आत्मरूपसरूपेण तमसा संवृतः प्रभुः। मनः सात्विकमादाय यत्र तत्सत्वमाहितं
The Lord, enveloped in darkness by his own essential form, having taken up the sattvic mind, where that essence is established.
यथातथ्यं परं ज्ञानं भूताय ब्रह्मणे ततः। रहस्यं च तथोद्दिष्टं यथोपनिषदां स्मृतम्
Thus, the highest knowledge, true as it is, was given to the Brahman; and the secret was declared as remembered in the Upanishads.
पुरुषो यज्ञ इत्येतत्परमं परिकीर्तितम्। यश्चान्यः पुरुषाख्यः स्यात्स एव पुरुषोत्तमः
It is proclaimed that the person is sacrifice; and whoever else is called 'person', he alone is the supreme person.
ये च यज्ञकरा विप्रा ये ॠत्विज इति स्मृताः। अस्मादेव पुरा भूता वक्त्रेभ्यः श्रूयते तथा
And those Brahmins who perform sacrifices, who are known as officiating priests, are said to have formerly arisen from these very mouths.
ब्रह्माणं प्रथमं वक्त्रादुद्गातारं च सामगं। होतारं च तथाद्ध्वर्युं बाहुभ्यामसृजत्प्रभुः
From the first mouth, the Lord created the Brahman, the Udgātṛ, the Sāmagin, the Hotṛ, and likewise the Adhvaryu from his arms.
ब्रह्माणं ब्राह्माणाच्छंसि स्तोतारौ चैव सर्वशः। मेढ्राच्च मैत्रावरुणं प्रतिष्ठातारमेव च
The Brahman, the Brāhmaṇa, the Chāṃsin, and all the Stotṛs, and from the genitals, the Maitrāvaruṇa and the Pratiṣṭhātṛ as well.
उदरात्प्रतिहर्तारं पोतारं चैव पार्थिव। पाणिभ्यामथ चाग्नीध्रमुन्नेतारं च याजुषम्
From the abdomen, the Pratīhārtṛ and the Potṛ, O King, and then from the hands, the Agnīdhra and the Yājñika Unnetṛ.
अच्छावाकमथोरुभ्यां सुब्रह्मण्यं च सामगम्। एवमेवं स भगवान्षोडशैतान्जगत्पतिः
From the thighs, the Acchāvāka and the Sāmagin Subrahmaṇya; thus, in this way, the Blessed Lord, the Lord of the world, created these sixteen.
स्वयंभूः सर्वयज्ञानामृत्विजोऽसृजदुत्तमान्। तदा चैष महायोगी पुरुषो यज्ञसंज्ञितः
The self-born one created the supreme officiating priests for all sacrifices; then that great yogin, the person known as Yajña, was present.
वेदाश्चैव तथा सर्वे सहांगोपनिषत्क्रियाः। स्वपित्येकार्णवे चैव यदाश्चर्यमभूत्पुरा
And likewise, all the Vedas, together with their limbs, the Upaniṣads, and the ritual acts, existed when he lay asleep in the single ocean, as was wondrous in ancient times.
श्रूयतां तु तदा विप्रो मार्कंडेयः कुतूहलात्। गीर्णो भगवता तेन कुक्षावासीन्महामुनिः
Now listen: at that time, the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, out of curiosity, was swallowed by the Blessed Lord and dwelled in his belly, O great sage.
बहुवर्षसहस्रायुस्तस्यैव वरतेजसः। अटंस्तीर्थप्रसंगेन पृथिवीतीर्थगोचरः
Endowed with great splendor and a lifespan of many thousands of years, he wandered among the sacred fords, traversing the holy places of the earth.
आश्रमाणि च पुण्यानि देवतायतनानि च। देशाद्राष्ट्राणि चित्राणि पुराणि विविधानि च
He saw holy hermitages, abodes of the gods, and various wondrous lands, kingdoms, and ancient places.
जपहोमपराः शांतास्तपोभिरमलाः स्मृताः। मार्कंडेयस्ततस्तस्य शनैर्वक्त्राद्विनिर्गतः
Those devoted to recitation and oblation, peaceful and pure through austerities, were remembered; then Mārkaṇḍeya slowly emerged from his mouth.
निष्क्रामन्तं न चात्मानं जानीते देवमायया। निष्क्रम्य तस्य उदरादेकार्णवमथो जगत्
As he was coming out, by the divine illusion, he did not recognize himself; having emerged from his belly, he saw the single ocean and the world.
सर्वतस्तमसाछन्नं मार्कंडेयोन्ववैक्षत। तस्योत्पन्नं भयं तीव्रं व्यत्ययं चात्मजीवितम्
Mārkaṇḍeya beheld everything covered in darkness on all sides; intense fear and anxiety for his own life arose in him.
देवदर्शनसंहृष्टो विस्मयं परमं गतः। सोऽचिंतयदमोघात्मा मार्कंडेयोथ शंकितः
Delighted by the vision of the god, he was filled with supreme wonder; that unfailing-souled Mārkaṇḍeya then became doubtful.
किं नु स्याच्चित्तसंमोहः किं नु स्वप्नोनुभूयते। व्यक्तमन्यतरो भाव एतयोर्भविता मम
Is this confusion of mind? Or am I experiencing a dream? Clearly, one of these two states must be occurring to me.
न हि स्वप्नो ह्ययं सत्ययुक्तं यत्सत्यमर्हति। नष्टचंद्रार्कपवनो नष्टपर्वतभूतलः
But this is not a dream, for it is connected with reality, and what is real is fitting; the moon, sun, wind, mountains, and earth have all vanished.
कतमः स्यादयं लोक इति शोकमुपागतः। ददर्श चापि पुरुषं स्वपंतं पर्वतोपमम्
What world could this be?—thus he was overcome with sorrow; and he saw a man lying asleep, immense as a mountain.
सलिलेऽधमथो मग्नं जीमूतमिव सागरे। तपंतमिव तेजोभिरामुक्तशशिभास्करम्
Immersed and sunk in the water, like a cloud in the ocean, shining with radiance, illuminating the moon and sun.
गांभीर्यात्सागरमिव भासमानम्मवौजसा। देवं द्रष्टुमिहायातः को भवानिति विस्मयात्
With depth like the ocean and radiant with great energy, he wondered in amazement, 'Who are you who has come here to see the god?'
तथैव च मुनिः कुक्षिं पुनरेव प्रवेशितः। संप्रविष्टः पुनः कुक्षिं मार्कंडेयः सविस्मयम्
And then, just as before, the sage was once again drawn into the womb; Markandeya, filled with wonder, entered the womb again.
तथैव च पुनर्भूयो विजानन्स्वप्नदर्शनम्। स तथैव यथापूर्वं पृथिवीमटते वनम्
And again, realizing it was a vision like a dream, he wandered the earth and the forest just as before.
पुण्यतीर्थजलोपेतं विविधान्याश्रमाणि च। क्रतुभिर्यजमानांश्च समाप्तगुरुदक्षिणैः
He saw various hermitages and holy places filled with sacred waters, and sacrificers who had completed their rituals and given the proper gifts to their teachers.