प्राप्तद्विजातिसंस्कारो मार्कण्डेय: पितु: क्रमात् । छन्दांस्यधीत्य धर्मेण तप:स्वाध्यायसंयुत: ॥ ७ ॥ बृहद्व्रतधर: शान्तो जटिलो वल्कलाम्बर: । बिभ्रत् कमण्डलुं दण्डमुपवीतं समेखलम् ॥ ८ ॥ कृष्णाजिनं साक्षसूत्रं कुशांश्च नियमर्द्धये । अग्न्यर्कगुरुविप्रात्मस्वर्चयन् सन्ध्ययोर्हरिम् ॥ ९ ॥ सायं प्रात: स गुरवे भैक्ष्यमाहृत्य वाग्यत: । बुभुजे गुर्वनुज्ञात: सकृन्नो चेदुपोषित: ॥ १० ॥ एवं तप:स्वाध्यायपरो वर्षाणामयुतायुतम् । आराधयन् हृषीकेशं जिग्ये मृत्युं सुदुर्जयम् ॥ ११ ॥
prāpta-dvijāti-saṁskāro mārkaṇḍeyaḥ pituḥ kramāt chandāṁsy adhītya dharmeṇa tapaḥ-svādhyāya-saṁyutaḥ bṛhad-vrata-dharaḥ śānto jaṭilo valkalāmbaraḥ bibhrat kamaṇḍaluṁ daṇḍam upavītaṁ sa-mekhalam kṛṣṇājinaṁ sākṣa-sūtraṁ kuśāṁś ca niyamarddhaye agny-arka-guru-viprātmasv arcayan sandhyayor harim sāyaṁ prātaḥ sa gurave bhaikṣyam āhṛtya vāg-yataḥ bubhuje gurv-anujñātaḥ sakṛn no ced upoṣitaḥ evaṁ tapaḥ-svādhyāya-paro varṣāṇām ayutāyutam ārādhayan hṛṣīkeśaṁ jigye mṛtyuṁ su-durjayam
- 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
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.