prāpta — having received; dvi-jāti — of second birth; saṁskāraḥ — the purificatory rituals; mārkaṇḍeyaḥ — Mārkaṇḍeya; pituḥ — from his father; kramāt — by proper sequence; chandāṁsi — the Vedic hymns; adhītya — studying; dharmeṇa — along with regulative principles; tapaḥ — in austerities; svādhyāya — and study; saṁyutaḥ — full; bṛhat-vrata — the great vow of lifelong celibacy; dharaḥ — maintaining; śāntaḥ — peaceful; jaṭilaḥ — with matted hair; valkala-ambaraḥ — wearing bark as his clothing; bibhrat — carrying; kamaṇḍalum — a waterpot; daṇḍam — a mendicant’s staff; upavītam — the sacred thread; sa-mekhalam — along with the ritual belt of a brahmacārī; kṛṣṇa-ajinam — the skin of a black deer; sa-akṣa-sūtram — and prayer beads made of lotus seeds; kuśān — kuśa grass; ca — also; niyama-ṛddhaye — to facilitate his spiritual progress; agni — in the form of fire; arka — the sun; guru — the spiritual master; vipra — the brāhmaṇas; ātmasu — and the Supersoul; arcayan — worshiping; sandhyayoḥ — at the beginning and the end of the day; harim — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sāyam — in the evening; prātaḥ — in the early morning; saḥ — he; gurave — unto his spiritual master; bhaikṣyam — alms obtained by begging; āhṛtya — bringing; vāk-yataḥ — with controlled speech; bubhuje — he partook; guru-anujñātaḥ — invited by his spiritual master; sakṛt — once; na — not (invited); u — indeed; cet — if; upoṣitaḥ — fasting; evam — in this way; tapaḥ-svādhyāya-paraḥ — dedicated to austerities and studies of the Vedic literature; varṣāṇām — years; ayuta-ayutam — ten thousand times ten thousand; ārādhayan — worshiping; hṛṣīka-īśam — the supreme master of the senses, Lord Viṣṇu; jigye — he conquered; mṛtyum — death; su-durjayam — impossible to conquer.
Translation
After being purified by his father’s performance of the prescribed rituals leading to Mārkaṇḍeya’s brahminical initiation, Mārkaṇḍeya studied the Vedic hymns and strictly observed the regulative principles. He became advanced in austerity and Vedic knowledge and remained a lifelong celibate. Appearing most peaceful with his matted hair and his clothing made of bark, he furthered his spiritual progress by carrying the mendicant’s waterpot, staff, sacred thread, brahmacārī belt, black deerskin, lotus-seed prayer beads and bundles of kuśa grass. At the sacred junctures of the day he regularly worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead in five forms — the sacrificial fire, the sun, his spiritual master, the brāhmaṇas and the Supersoul within his heart. Morning and evening he would go out begging, and upon returning he would present all the food he had collected to his spiritual master. Only when his spiritual master invited him would he silently take his one meal of the day; otherwise he would fast. Thus devoted to austerity and Vedic study, Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi worshiped the supreme master of the senses, the Personality of Godhead, for countless millions of years, and in this way he conquered unconquerable death.
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