मार्कण्डेय
[markandeya] IAST: MĀRKAṆḌEYA
The son of मृकण्डु . He was a great devotee of शिव .
भृगु , son of ब्रह्मा , begot of his wife ख्याति a daughter named लक्ष्मी and two sons named धाता and विधाता .
धाता and विधाता married आयति and नियति daughters of महामेरु . धाता begot of his wife आयति a son named प्राण and नियति bore विधाता a son named मृकण्डु मार्कण्डेय was the son of मृकण्डु and वेदशिरस् was the son of मार्कण्डेय .
मृकण्डु did not have sons for a long time and so he performed penance for several years to please शिव to get a son. शिव appeared before him in person and asked him thus "Do you desire to have a virtuous, wise and pious son who would live up to sixteen years or a dullwitted evil-natured son who would live long?" मृकण्डु chose the first type and soon a son was born. He was named मार्कण्डेय . Even from boyhood मार्कण्डेय knew all the वेदस् and शास्त्रस् . His pleasing manners got the approval of his teachers and the boy was liked by one and all. But the parents were sad and whenever they looked at their son a gloom spread over their face. The secret of the short span of his life was hidden from him.
The sixteenth year was fast approaching and one day unable to control their grief they wept before him. मार्कण्डेय asked them the reason why they wept. मृकण्डु with tears running down his cheeks told him the story. From that day onwards मार्कण्डेय started performing penance wearing barks of trees for his dress and growing matted hair. The boy was soon engrossed in severe austerities.
The day of his death came and the boy sat before the idol of शिव in deep meditation. The servants of the god of Death could not approach मार्कण्डेय for the radiation from him was too hot for them. So यम , the god of Death, himself came to fetch him. Then मार्कण्डेय crying loudly for help embraced the idol before him. यम threw his rope in a loop and it went and circled round the idol also. Angry शिव rose from the idol and coming down killed यम to save the child. From that day onwards शिव got the names मृत्युञ्जय and कालकाल . After that at the request of the देवस् शिव gave life to यम again and made मार्कण्डेय to be of sixteen years for ever.
Penance of मार्कण्डेय
The पुराणस् state that after getting the blessing from शिव , मार्कण्डेय lived for ten crores of years. While he was in deep meditation six मन्वन्तरस् passed away. When मार्कण्डेय continued his meditation to the seventh मन्वन्तर इन्द्र got frightened and he made an attempt to abort the penance of मार्कण्डेय . इन्द्र sent his troops of गन्धर्वस् , nymphs, मन्मथ and वसन्त to the आश्रम of मार्कण्डेय . The आश्रम of मार्कण्डेय was at a place which was on the northern side of the हिमालयस् and was famous by the presence there of the river पुष्पभद्रा and the rock चित्र . The agents of इन्द्र came there and tried to entice him with many temptations. Beautiful celestial maidens danced around the आश्रम . Flowers fell from their hair when their waists shook by the weight of their heavy breasts. Enchanting girls played with balls here and there. As they played the bracelets on their waists fell down and the thin garments that hid their bodies flew up showing an alluring nakedness. काम (God of Love) sent his arrows at that time against the sage. But मार्कण्डेय sat unconcerned as rigid as a rock and इन्द्र accepted defeat. When इन्द्र and his troops returned disappointed महाविष्णु with many sages went to मार्कण्डेय . He awoke from his meditation and worshipped विष्णु .
Vision of Pralaya ---
On one evening at dusk मार्कण्डेय was sitting at पुष्पभद्रातीर when from somewhere a wind began to blow. The wind increased in strength and the sky became covered with clouds. The place resounded with peals of thunder and soon it began to rain. Rains became heavy. Rivers became flooded and water-level in the oceans rose. Everything around was submerged in water and मार्कण्डेय alone stood there with his matted hair swinging in the wind. It was impossible to know the directions and मार्कण्डेय started walking. He fell into whirlpools but was the next instant thrown up on to the top of surging waves. Then he saw on the top of a high wave a banyan tree. On a branch on the north-east of the tree he saw an infant lying, devouring the darkness by its effulgence. He was attracted to the infant by its vital force and went inside the infant as it inhaled. Inside the belly of the kid मार्कण्डेय had a vision of the entire universe. He saw the sky, the horizon, the stars, the oceans, the mountains expanses of land, सुरस् , असुरस् , forests and all that the universe contained in its proper set-up. He saw passing before his eyes the elements, the Yugas and the मन्वन्तरस् . After some time he was thrown out by an exhalation of the infant. He stood on the waters. The old banyan tree was still there. An infant was still lying on a leaf on that tree. मार्कण्डेय then knew it was महाविष्णु . He rushed to embrace the child; but the child disappeared before he reached it. मार्कण्डेय praised महाविष्णु .
पार्वती and परमेश्वर come to मार्कण्डेय
When महाविष्णु disappeared from his vision he felt he was sitting at पुष्पभद्रातीर and he again went into meditation. At that time पार्वती and परमेश्वर came that way and appeared before मार्कण्डेय . The sage worshipped them and they both blessed मार्कण्डेय and said "Every desire of yours will be fulfilled. You will never be rugous or grey-haired and will live virtuous and famous till the end of the world. Omniscience will be an asset for you". After having said so much पार्वती and परमेश्वर disappeared. The पुराणिच् belief is that the realised soul of मार्कण्डेय is moving about in the universe. (10th Skandha, Chapters 8 to 11, Bhāgavata)
Details from महाभारत relating to मार्कण्डेय
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This sage shone in the court of धर्मपुत्र . [mh-2-4-15 ] .
He sits in the court of ब्रह्मा and worships him [mh-2-11-12 ] .
Once मार्कण्डेय gave धर्मोपदेश to the पाण्डवस् . [mh-3-25-1 ] .
मार्कण्डेय sitting on the banks of the river पयोष्णी sang praises about river पयोष्णी and king नृग . [mh-3-88-5 ] .
Once मार्कण्डेय narrated to धर्मपुत्र stories about Kings and ऋषिस् . [mh-3-186-1 ] .
मार्कण्डेय had a vision of the great deluge. [mh-3-188-1 ] .
This sage entered the belly of बालमुकुन्द . [mh-3-188-100 ] .
मार्कण्डेय gave a description of कलियुग . [mh-3-190-7 ] .
He described at another time the incarnation of कल्कि . [mh-3-19-93 ] .
Once मार्कण्डेय narrated the story of त्रिपुरवध to धर्मपुत्र . [mh-8-33-2 ] .
मार्कण्डेय was also one among the several sages who visited भीष्म lying on his bed of arrows. [mh-12-47-11 ] .
मार्कण्डेय learnt सहस्रनाम (thousand names) of शिव from नचिकेतस् and taught the same to उपमन्यु . [mh-13-17-79 ] .
Once मार्कण्डेय discussed with नारद topics on many different subjects. [mh-13-22-1 ] Dākṣiṇātya Pāṭha .
Once मार्कण्डेय explained the evils of taking flesh as food. [mh-13-115-37 ] .
The name of the wife of मार्कण्डेय was धूमोर्णा . [mh-13-146-4 ] .
युधिष्ठिर worshipped मार्कण्डेय also when he worshipped great sages before commencing the महाप्रस्थान . [mh-17-1-12 ] .
महाभारत gives the following synonyms for मार्कण्डेय :-- भार्गव , भार्गवसत्तम , भृगुकुलशार्दूल , भृगुनन्दन , ब्रह्मर्षि and विप्रर्षि .
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