āhuḥ — they say; cira-āyuṣam — having an extraordinarily long life span; ṛṣim — the sage; mṛkaṇḍu-tanayam — the son of Mṛkaṇḍu; janāḥ — people; yaḥ — who; kalpa-ante — at the end of the day of Lord Brahmā; hi — indeed; urvaritaḥ — remaining alone; yena — by which (annihilation); grastam — seized; idam — this; jagat — entire universe; saḥ — he, Mārkaṇḍeya; vai — indeed; asmat-kula — in my own family; utpannaḥ — born; kalpe — in the day of Brahmā; asmin — this; bhārgava-ṛṣabhaḥ — the most eminent descendant of Bhṛgu Muni; na — not; eva — certainly; adhunā — in our age; api — even; bhūtānām — of all creation; samplavaḥ — annihilation by flood; kaḥ — any; api — at all; jāyate — has arisen; ekaḥ — alone; eta — indeed; arṇave — in the great ocean; bhrāmyan — wandering; dadarśa — he saw; puruṣam — a personality; kila — it is said; vaṭa-patra — of a banyan leaf; puṭe — within the fold; tokam — an infant boy; śayānam — lying; tu — but; ekam — one; adbhutam — wonderful; eṣaḥ — this; naḥ — our; saṁśayaḥ — doubt; bhūyān — great; sūta — O Sūta Gosvāmī; kautūhalam — curiosity; yataḥ — due to which; tam — that; naḥ — for us; chindhi — please cut; mahā-yogin — O great yogī; purāneṣu — of the Purāṇas; api — indeed; sammataḥ — universally accepted (as the expert knower).
Translation
Authorities say that Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi, the son of Mṛkaṇḍu, was an exceptionally long-lived sage who was the only survivor at the end of Brahmā’s day, when the entire universe was merged in the flood of annihilation. But this same Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi, the foremost descendant of Bhṛgu, took birth in my own family during the current day of Brahmā, and we have not yet seen any total annihilation in this day of Brahmā. Also, it is well known that Mārkaṇḍeya, while wandering helplessly in the great ocean of annihilation, saw in those fearful waters a wonderful personality — an infant boy lying alone within the fold of a banyan leaf. O Sūta, I am most bewildered and curious about this great sage, Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi. O great yogī, you are universally accepted as the authority on all the Purāṇas. Therefore kindly dispel my confusion.
Bhāgavatam Detail Source-Anchor Spine
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