03186001a tatasH sa punar evAtha mArkaNDeyaM yazasvinam 'Then the virtuous king yudhiSThira
03186001c papraccha vinayopeto dharmarAjo yudhiSThiraH in all humility again enquired of the illustrious Markandeya, saying,
03186002a naike yugasahasrAntAs tvayA dRSTA mahAmune 'O great Muni, thou hast seen many thousands of ages pass away.
03186002c na cApIha samaH kaz cid AyuSA tava vidyate In this world there is none so long-lived as thou! O best of those that have attained the knowledge of Supreme Spirit, there is none equal to thee in years
03186002e varjayitvA mahAtmAnamM brAhmaNamM parameSThinam except the great-minded brahmA living in the most exalted place.
03186003a anantarikSe loke 'smin devadAnavavarjite At the time of the great dissolution of the universe, when this world is without sky and without the gods and dAnavas.
03186003c tvam eva pralaye vipra brahmANam upatiSThasi thou alone, O brAhmaNa, worshippest brahmA.
03186004a pralaye cApi nirvRtte prabuddhe ca pitAmahe And when that cataclysm ceaseth and the Grandsire awaketh,
03186004c tvam eva sRjyamAnAni bhUtAnIha prapazyasi thou alone, O regenerate RSi, beholdest brahmA duly re-create
03186005a caturvidhAni viprarSe yathAvat parameSThinA the four orders of beings
03186005c vAyubhUtA dizaH kRtvA vikSipyApas tatas tataH after having filled the cardinal points with air and consigned the waters to their proper place.
03186006a tvayA lokagurusH sAkSAt sarvalokapitAmahaH Thou, O great brAhmaNa, hast worshipped in his presence the great Lord and Grandsire of all creatures
03186006c ArAdhito dvijazreSTha tatpareNa samAdhinA with soul rapt in meditation and entirely swallowed up in Him!
03186007a tasmAt sarvAntako mRtyur jarA vA dehanAzinI
03186007c na tvA vizati viprarSe prasAdAt parameSThinaH And, O brAhmaNa, thou hast many a time witnessed with thy eyes, the primeval acts of creation, and, plunged in severe ascetic austerities, thou hast also surpassed the Prajapatis themselves! Thou art esteemed as one who is nearest to nArAyaNa, in the next world. Many a time in days of yore hast thou beheld the Supreme Creator of the universe with eyes of spiritual abstraction and renunciation, having first opened thy pure and lotus-like heart--the only place where the multiform viSNu of universal knowledge may be seen! It is for this, O learned RSi, by the grace of God neither all-destroying Death, nor dotage that causeth the decay of the body, hath any power over thee!
03186008a yadA naiva ravir nAgnir na vAyur na ca candramAH When neither fire, nor earth, nor the moon,
03186008c naivAntarikSanM naivorvI zeSamM bhavati kiJM cana nor the sun, nor air, nor sky remains,
03186009a tasminn ekArNave loke naSTe sthAvarajaGgame when all the world being destroyed looketh like one vast ocean,
03186009c naSTe devAsuragaNe samutsannamahorage when the Gods and asuras and the great uragas are annihilated, and when the great-minded brahmA,
03186010a zayAnam amitAtmAnamM padme padmaniketanam taking his seat on a lotus flower, sleepeth there,
03186010c tvam ekasH sarvabhUtezamM brahmANam upatiSThasi then thou alone remainest to worship him, the Lord of all creatures!
03186011a etat pratyakSatasH sarvamM pUrvavRttanM dvijottama And, O best of brahma as thou hast seen all this that occurred before, with thy own eyes.
03186011c tasmAd icchAmahe zrotuM sarvahetvAtmikAGM kathAm Therefore do I long to hear any discourse explaining the causes of things!
03186012a anubhUtaM hi bahuzas tvayaikena dvijottama And thou alone hast witnessed many things by the senses,
03186012c na te 'sty aviditaGM kiJM cit sarvalokeSu nityadA and never in all the worlds hath there been any thing unknown to thee!
03186013 mArkaNDeya uvAca
03186013a hanta te kathayiSyAmi namaskRtvA svayambhuve
03186013c puruSAya purANAya zAzvatAyAvyayAya ca 'Markandeya replied, 'Indeed, I shall explain all, after having bowed down to that Self-existent, Primordial Being, who is eternal and undeteriorating and inconceivable, and who is at once vested with and divested of attributes.
03186014a ya eSa pRthudIrghAkSaH pItavAsA janArdanaH
03186014c eSa kartA vikartA ca sarvabhAvanabhUtakRt O tiger among men, this janArdana attired in yellow robes is the grand Mover and Creator of all, the Soul and Framer of all things, and the lord of all!
03186015a acintyamM mahad AzcaryamM pavitram api cottamam He is also called the Great, the Incomprehensible, the Wonderful and the Immaculate.
03186015c anAdinidhanamM bhUtaM vizvam akSayam avyayam He is without beginning and without end, pervades all the world, is Unchangeable and Undeteriorating.
03186016a eSa kartA na kriyate kAraNaJM cApi pauruSe He is the Creator of all, but is himself uncreate and is the Cause of all power.
03186016c yo hy enamM puruSaM vetti devA api na taM viduH His knowledge is greater than that of all the gods together.
03186017c Adito manujavyAghra kRtsnasya jagataH kSaye O best of kings and pre-eminent of men, after the dissolution of the universe, all this wonderful creation again comes into life.
03186018a catvAry AhusH sahasrANi varSANAnM tat kRtaM yugam
03186018c tasya tAvac chatI sanMdhyA sanMdhyAMzaz ca tataH param Four thousand years have been said to constitute the Krita Yuga. Its dawn also, as well as its eve, hath been said to comprise four hundred years.
