Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi

Mārkaṇḍeya, “the son of Mṛkaṇḍu”

Kuśa has other meanings too: see all meanings of Kuśa. Rajas has other meanings too: see all meanings of Rajas. Cakratīrtha has other meanings too: see all meanings of Cakratīrtha. Antariksha has other meanings too: see all meanings of Antariksha. Kalpa has other meanings too: see all meanings of Kalpa. Citrā has other meanings too: see all meanings of Citrā.

Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi, the son of Mṛkaṇḍa and Manasvī in the line of Bhṛgu Maharshi, is a cirañjīva, one who lives on through the ages. Born under the blessing of Harihara with a span of only sixteen years, he took refuge in Bhagavān Śiva; when Yama came for him he clung to the liṅga, Śiva came forth to protect him, and he became a conqueror of death. He performed long tapas to Bhagavān Vishṇu and to Bhagavān Śiva, asked only to keep his bhakti unbroken, and saw the dissolution of the worlds and the divine child on the banyan leaf. While the Pāṇḍavas live in the forest he teaches dharma to Yudhishṭhira; he teaches Gauramukha about the Pitṛdevatās and Kroshṭhika about creation; and he sends Jaimini to the wise birds of the Vindhya, whose answers became the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa.

The Vāmana Purāṇa remembers him as the mahāmuni who saw the Sarasvatī while she was still in the plaksha tree, praised her as the mother of all the worlds and the Parāśakti, and led her into Kurukshetra, where she followed him without rest. It is at his humble questions that Sanatkumāra, seated near the Sthāṇuvaṭa, tells the glory of the lake of Kurukshetra, its tīrthas and its liṅgas, the Saro Māhātmya, as he had heard it from Brahmā; and with Sanatkumāra’s last answer to him the Vāmana Purāṇa itself comes to its close. Bhagavān Vishṇu names him among the great ṛshis in the blessing he gave to Skanda. The Agni Purāṇa, in its account of the lines of Daksha‘s daughters, places him in the line of Bhṛgu Maharshi through Vidhātā and Mṛkaṇḍu, and names his son Vedaśiras.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 32; Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 11, 21–22, 28; Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 20

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa gives his holy account in the last skandha, as Sūta Maharshi tells it to Śaunaka Maharshi, who is of the same Bhṛgu line. The son of Mṛkaṇḍa, Mārkaṇḍeya kept lifelong brahmacarya and for ten crore years worshipped Śrī Hari, and so conquered death, to the wonder of Brahmā and all beings. When Indra sent Manmatha, Vasanta and the apsarās to break his tapas at his āśrama on the Pushpabhadrā, on the northern side of Himavat, they were scorched by his tejas and turned back, and no anger rose in him. Śrī Hari appeared to him as Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and Mārkaṇḍeya, asking for no vara but to see the māyā of Śrī Hari, was shown it: a pralaya that drowned the three worlds, the divine child on a leaf of the banyan, and the whole world within the child’s body. Then Bhagavān Śiva and Devī Pārvatī came to him; Śiva entered his heart, and granted him fame till the end of the kalpa, freedom from old age and death, knowledge of the three times and the office of ācārya of the Purāṇas. He moves about as he wishes even today, and the Bhāgavata names him among the siddhas who wander granting ātma-jñāna, and among the maharshis who sing the fame of Śrī Rāma.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 15; Skandha 9, Chapter 11; Skandha 12, Chapters 8–10

Early Life and Ancestry

Mārkaṇḍeya is celebrated as a cirañjīva, one destined for long life. His grandfather was Vidhāta, born to Bhṛgu Maharshi, who married Niyati and begot a son named Mr̥kaṇḍa. Mr̥kaṇḍa, together with his wife Manasvī, adhered to the duties of householders even while practicing austere tapas. Their devotion was rewarded when Manasvī gave birth to their son, whom they named Mārkaṇḍeya.

The Agni Purāṇa gives the same line from Bhṛgu Maharshi. Bhṛgu married Khyāti, a daughter of Daksha, and she bore him the devas Dhātā and Vidhātā, and Lakshmī. Dhātā’s son was Prāṇa; Vidhātā’s son was Mṛkaṇḍu; Mṛkaṇḍu’s son was Mārkaṇḍeya; and Mārkaṇḍeya’s son was Vedaśiras (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 20).

Boon of Harihara

In gratitude for the birth of his first son, Mr̥kaṇḍa performed tapas dedicated to Harihara (the combined form of Vishṇu and Śiva). When both appeared before him, Mr̥kaṇḍa first addressed Hari (Vishṇu), praying for a son endowed with virtue, reputation, and noble qualities. Vishṇu granted this vara (boon), assuring him that such a child would be born. Next, Mr̥kaṇḍa implored Hara (Śiva) to spare his son from the pains of old age and disease, without asking for immortality. Śiva blessed the boy to be free from fevers and infirmities. Yet Vishṇu revealed that the child’s lifespan would be limited. Thus, Mārkaṇḍeya was born under the combined blessings of Harihara.

Resolve to Conquer Death

When Mr̥kaṇḍa and Manasvī learned of Vishṇu’s decree that their son’s life would be short, great sorrow befell them. Mārkaṇḍeya, filled with compassion for his parents, bowed before them and vowed: by meditating on Parameśvara, he would conquer death itself and dispel their grief. He resolved to undertake intense tapas to overcome Mṛtyu and obtain the vara of cirañjīvatva.

Confrontation with Yama

From the moment of his birth, Mārkaṇḍeya’s devotion to Śiva suffused his perception of all creation. Upon reaching the sixteenth year—his allotted span—Yama, the deva of death, appeared to claim him. Yama cast his noose around Mārkaṇḍeya’s body, but the young ṛshi clung to a Liṅga, chanting Śiva’s name with unwavering faith.

Śiva’s Intervention and Victory

Moved by his devotee’s cry, Śiva came forth in his fierce form to defend Mārkaṇḍeya. Yama, confronted by Śiva’s fierce power, sought refuge at the ṛshi’s feet, for one protected by Śiva’s mercy cannot be bound by death. Śiva rebuked Yama, declaring that whoever remembers Him at the moment of departure shall never truly die. Thus, Mārkaṇḍeya triumphed over mortality and was honored as a cirañjīva.

Other Conquerors of Death

Sanātana Dharma remembers three mortals who overcame Yama:

• Savitṛī, who rescued her husband Satyavān through steadfast love and debate;
• Mārkaṇḍeya, who attained immortality by unwavering Śivabhakti;
• Nachiketā, who gained the secret of the Self from Yama himself.

Each represents a distinct path—devotion, love, and spiritual inquiry—by which death is transcended.

Legacy as a Cirañjīva

Through his victory over death, Mārkaṇḍeya epitomizes the power of devotion to transcend divine decree. Though his natural lifespan was fixed at sixteen years, his tapas and surrender to Śiva granted him perpetual life in the spiritual realm. He remains revered in the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, and devotional stotras, a living testament to the triumph of divine grace over the finality of death.

Eternal Life and Vishṇu’s Vara

Ultimately, at just one muhurta short of sixteen years, Mārkaṇḍeya became śāśvata and nitya. Thereafter he again undertook intense tapas directed to Vishṇu, performing austerities for ten thousand years. Vishṇu at length appeared and invited him to ask for a vara.

Mārkaṇḍeya replied that he wished only that the divine practice of remembering Hari’s name should endure in this land through countless yugas. He did not seek longevity per se—for even if one body perishes and another is born, steadfast devotion to Hari might not return. Having once possessed unshakable devotion, he saw no need to die. To avoid any risk of lapse, he asked simply to remain forever in this body and continue his tapas.

Vishṇu accepted with the word “Tathāstu,” then disappeared. From that time forward, Mārkaṇḍeya constantly meditated on both Hari and Hara: his pūjā (worship) was directed to Śiva, his dhyāna (meditation) to Vishṇu—yet both were one reality for him. He continued this devotion for a hundred years.

Cosmic Flood and Banyan-Leaf Vision

During his meditation, a dreadful cosmic deluge descended: the sky became thick with clouds and torrential kumbhavṛshṭi rain fell as if the entire earth would shatter. In that profound darkness even sunlight could not penetrate, and the world was inundated. Mārkaṇḍeya found himself submerged in that flood, unaware of time or place—lost in a dreamlike calamity of water.

Suddenly, upon a single banyan leaf he beheld a small child floating amid the waters, radiant with divine light in the posture of Vata-patraśāyī. This vision signified that Mārkaṇḍeya’s wish to witness the end of an age had been granted—he had indeed seen the dissolution of a world-cycle.

Gazing at the Vata-patraśāyī and offering salutations, Mārkaṇḍeya felt himself transported into the child’s being, merging with that vision of cosmic destruction in samādhi. Then, as swiftly as it had come, the darkness and floodwaters vanished, the earth reemerged, and all creation was restored.

Inner Yogic Experience and Śiva’s Darśana

Later, Parvatī and Parameśvara perceived Mārkaṇḍeya in deep tapas. Into his heart Śiva manifested in four-armed form, adorned with vibhūti, dr̥ḍha rudrāksha-mālikā, holding triśūla and ḍamaru, riding vṛshabha, accompanied by Parvatī—radiant with the splendour of the golden orb (brahmāṇḍa). Mārkaṇḍeya bowed and offered stotras in his heart.

Śiva, pleased by his devotion, said, “For your tapas I would grant you any vara—ask what you will.” Mārkaṇḍeya answered that he wished to know that power called Harimāya, to overcome māyā through tapas and become mṛtyuṃjaya.

Śiva granted this vara with “Tathāstu” and vanished once more.

Final Cosmic Vision and Re-creation

On another pilgrimage Mārkaṇḍeya again witnessed a great flood and was submerged. He questioned whether he was awake, dreaming, or in sushupti, uncertain of reality. Then a majestic being of mountain-like size appeared, radiating light. As that Being breathed, Mārkaṇḍeya entered into his heart.

Within that inner cosmos, he beheld the entire world, and as he observed, all creation was drawn into that Being’s eternal form. Then, as he emerged again, the universe stood restored once more—his vision had encompassed both dissolution and re-creation.

That great Being explained that this marvel was māyā, the principle by which the world appears and vanishes within his own Self. He assured Mārkaṇḍeya that as long as creation endures, the ṛshi might dwell without fear in his heart.

Finally, Brahmā appeared and, at his permission, Mārkaṇḍeya emerged to live out his days in joy and peace.

This incident is recounted in Araṇya Parva of Mahābhārata.

Per Bhāgavata Purāṇa

Śaunaka’s question

Śaunaka Maharshi asked Sūta Maharshi: “People say that Mārkaṇḍeya, the son of Mṛkaṇḍu Maharshi, is a cirañjīvī who remains even when the end of the kalpa swallows the world. Yet that Mārkaṇḍeya, best of the Bhṛgu line, was born in this very kalpa, in our own line, and no pralaya of beings has yet taken place. It is said that, wandering in the waters of pralaya, he saw a wondrous child with the form of a purusha lying in a cup made of a leaf of the aśvattha. How can that be?” Sūta answered that the question would remove people’s delusions, for in it is sung the account of Nārāyaṇa, which removes the fault of Kali.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 8

His birth and his tapas

Mārkaṇḍeya was born to Mṛkaṇḍa Maharshi in the line of Bhṛgu: to Bhṛgu and Khyāti were born Dhātā and Vidhātā; Meru gave them his daughters Āyati and Niyati, and to these couples were born Mṛkaṇḍa and Prāṇa; to Mṛkaṇḍa was born Mārkaṇḍeya, and to Prāṇa, Vedaśiras.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 1

From his father Mārkaṇḍeya received the saṃskāras in due order, from the jātakarma to the upanayana. He studied the Vedas according to dharma and was steadfast in tapas and svādhyāya (Veda study). He took the vow of naishṭhika brahmacarya (lifelong celibacy). Peaceful, he wore jaṭā and clothes of bark, carried a kamaṇḍalu and a daṇḍa, and wore a girdle of muñja grass and the yajñopavīta; for the growth of dharma he wore the skin of the black antelope and carried a japa-mālā and darbha grass. At the two sandhyās he worshipped Śrī Hari in five places: in Agni, in Sūrya, in the guru, in the brāhmaṇa and in his own ātmā. Keeping silence, morning and evening he brought food got by bhikshā and offered it to his guru; with the guru’s permission he ate once, and without it he fasted.

So, steadfast in tapas and the Veda, for ten crore years without a break he worshipped Śrī Hari, the antaryāmī of the senses, and conquered death, which is so hard to conquer. Brahmā, and Bhṛgu, Śiva, Daksha and the other sons of Brahmā, humans, devatās, pitṛs and all beings were filled with wonder. By tapas, svādhyāya and mastery of the senses he destroyed the kleśas of the mind, avidyā, asmitā and the rest, and with a one-pointed mind meditated on Śrī Hari, who is beyond the reach of perception and the other means of knowing. While he meditated, a span of time equal to six manvantaras passed.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 8

Indra sends Manmatha

In this seventh, the Vaivasvata manvantara, Indra came to know of his tapas and, fearing for his own position, set out to obstruct it. He sent the gandharvas, the apsarās, Manmatha, Vasanta, the Malaya breeze, and Lobha and Garva, the offspring of rajo-guṇa. They went to the maharshi’s āśrama on the northern side of Mount Himavat, where flow the river Pushpabhadrā and stands the rock called Citrā. Sacred trees and creepers seemed to worship that holy place; it rang with the music of bees, the calls of cuckoos and the dance of peacocks, and had a pond of clear water. A breeze carrying the spray of mountain streams blew through it, and at the evening sandhyā, as the moon rose, Vasanta appeared and the creepers and branches bent to the ground with new shoots.

Manmatha, leader of the host of apsarās, appeared with an arrow on his bow, followed by crowds of gandharvas. They found the maharshi seated after his homa with his eyes closed, like Agni in bodily form, not to be overcome. The apsarās danced and the gandharvas sang before him with mṛdaṅgas, vīṇās and drums. Manmatha set on his bow his astra of five faces, Śoshaṇa (the drier), Mohana (the bewilderer), Sandīpana (the kindler), Tāpana (the burner) and Unmādana (the maddener), and Vasanta, Lobha and the others tried to make the maharshi’s mind waver. The apsarā Puñjikasthalī played with balls before him, and as she leapt after them her girdle broke and the wind carried off her garment. At that moment Manmatha loosed his arrow and thought he had won, but it was all in vain, like the effort of an unfortunate man without power. Scorched by Mārkaṇḍeya’s tejas, they turned back at once, like children who go to play with a rope and find it is a snake. Though Indra’s followers had harmed him so, no anger, born of ahaṅkāra, rose in him; such forbearance in mahātmās is no wonder. Manmatha returned with his army, his face without lustre, and Indra, hearing of the greatness of Mārkaṇḍeya, was astonished.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 8

The darśana of Nara-Nārāyaṇa

As the maharshi fixed his mind on Īśvara, Śrī Hari appeared to bless him in the form of Nara-Nārāyaṇa. Nara was white and Nārāyaṇa dark; both were four-armed, with eyes like newly blossomed lotuses. They wore the skin of the black antelope and saura garments, held bundles of darbha, a kamaṇḍalu and a straight bamboo staff, and wore the yajñopavīta of three strands. Both were tall, held japa-mālās of lotus seeds, a cloth for brushing away ants and small creatures, and the Veda; like tapas itself in bodily form, they shone golden-yellow like lightning, and the leaders of the devas worshipped them.

Seeing them, the avatāras of Śrī Hari himself, Mārkaṇḍeya rose and made sāshṭāṅga namaskāra. His body thrilled, his eyes filled with tears, and he could not lift his eyes to them. He stood with folded hands, bowing, as if longing to embrace them, and in a choked voice said, “Namaskāra, namaskāra.” He gave them seats, washed their feet, and worshipped them with arghya, sandal paste, dhūpa and garlands, and then bowed again and praised them.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 8

Mārkaṇḍeya’s stuti

The stuti, verse by verse:

1. The prāṇa of Brahmā, of Rudra who brings the pralaya, of all beings and of me moves only as you move it, and speech, mind and senses follow it. How shall I describe you? Yet you are the Ātmabandhu, the kinsman of the self, who comes under the control of your bhaktas by their bhakti.
2. These two mūrtis of yours remove the three sufferings of the worlds, give well-being and grant even the conquest of death. In many other forms too you protect the world; like a spider you create all out of yourself and withdraw it into yourself.
3. The afflictions of karma, of the guṇas and of time do not touch one who worships the root of your feet, which the maharshis who know the Vedas praise and meditate on. I serve the root of those feet.
4. For a human being beset by fear on every side there is no safety but refuge at your feet. Even Brahmā, whose span is two parārdhas, fears Time, which is your form; how much more the beings he made.
5. The body and senses are mithyā and perishing, and attachment to them covers the ātmā. So I give up the sense of “I” in them and serve the root of your feet, O satyasaṅkalpa, antaryāmī of the jīva; by that alone a man gains all he desires.
6. Sattva, rajas and tamas, the guṇas of your māyā, are the causes of the sustenance, creation and dissolution of the world, taken up by you in līlā. Only your form in which sattva is foremost gives the highest peace; the other guṇas give sorrow, delusion and fear.
7. So the discerning serve your sāttvika form, dear to your bhaktas, and through it reach the Vaikuṇṭha loka, fearlessness and the bliss of the ātmā.
8. Namaskāra to Nārāyaṇa Maharshi, worshipful, full, all-pervading, whose form is the world, the guru of the world, the Deva of devas, pure, who restrained speech and set the Vedic path going; and to Nara Maharshi, the best of men.
9. Your māyā covers the understanding of the ignorant, so that they do not know you who are in their senses, prāṇas, heart and even in the objects of the senses; yet through the Veda you set going, which Brahmā first received from you, the same man comes to know you.
10. In the Veda is the knowledge that reveals your nature, about which even Brahmā and the learned strive and are bewildered. Your māyā takes forms matching the subjects of all the darśanas; you, whose nature is knowledge, are covered by the body and the rest. I bow to you, Purushottama.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 8

The vara: to see the māyā of Śrī Hari

Pleased, Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa, the friend of Nara (the jīva), said: “You are the best of brahmarshis. By one-pointedness, by unfailing bhakti in me, by tapas, svādhyāya and self-restraint you have become perfected. We are pleased with your long vow of naishṭhika brahmacarya. Ask whatever vara you desire.” Mārkaṇḍeya answered: “O Śrī Hari, ruler even of Brahmā and the leaders of the devas, remover of the suffering of those who take refuge in you! I have seen you; that vara is enough for me. Brahmā and the others, with minds ripened by yoga, saw your lotus feet and were fulfilled, and you have appeared to my eyes. Yet, O Deva with eyes like lotus petals, I wish to see your māyā, by which the world with its lokapālas sees difference in Brahman, the one abode.” Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa smiled, said “So be it”, and went to Badarikāśrama.

The maharshi stayed in his āśrama, thinking only of this. Everywhere, in Agni, Sūrya, Candra, the waters, the earth, Vāyu, ākāśa and the ātmā, he meditated on Śrī Hari and worshipped him in the mind with offerings imagined in contemplation; at times, overwhelmed by the flood of prema, he forgot the pūjā.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 9

The pralaya

One day, as he worshipped Īśvara at the sandhyā on the bank of the Pushpabhadrā, a great wind blew with a terrible roar. Behind it rose fearsome clouds, flashing and thundering, and poured down streams of rain as thick as the axle of a cart. Then the four oceans, driven by the wind, flooded the earth on every side, roaring, full of crocodiles and whirlpools. The maharshi saw waves rising past the sky, unbearable winds and lightning tormenting the world and its four kinds of beings, those born of a womb, of an egg, of sweat and from the earth, and seeing the earth drowned, he was greatly afraid. Even as he looked, the ocean drowned the whole earth with its dvīpas, lands and mountains, and Bhūloka, the antariksha, Dyuloka, the circles of the grahas and nakshatras and the directions sank. The maharshi alone remained.

Like one dull, like one blind, his jaṭā loose, he wandered in endless darkness, tormented by hunger and thirst, harassed by crocodiles and timiṅgilas, buffeted by waves and wind, until he could no longer tell earth from sky. Here he fell into a great whirlpool, there a wave flung him, and elsewhere sea creatures fought to devour him. He felt grief, delusion, sorrow, now and then happiness, and fear; afflicted in body and mind, he was ready to die. While he wandered thus, his own nature covered by Vishṇu-māyā, tens, hundreds, thousands of crores of years passed.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 9

The child on the banyan leaf

One day he saw on a raised place of the earth a young banyan shining with tender shoots and fruits, and on its north-eastern branch a child lying in a cup made of a leaf, swallowing up the darkness with his radiance. The child was dark blue like a great emerald, with a face like a lovely lotus, a neck like a śaṅkha, a broad chest, a fine nose and beautiful brows. The locks on his face moved with his breath; his ears, lovely as the inside of a conch, wore ornaments like pomegranate flowers; his white, nectar-like smile was tinged red by his coral lip. The corners of his eyes were red like the inside of a lotus, his glance and smile enchanting, his deep navel moving with the folds of his belly, which was like an aśvattha leaf. Seeing the child draw up his lotus foot with his two hands, put it in his mouth and suck it, Mārkaṇḍeya was filled with wonder. His weariness left him; his heart and eyes opened wide with joy and his hair stood on end, and yet a doubt arose, and he went forward to question the child.

At that moment, by the child’s breath, the maharshi was drawn into the child’s body like a mosquito. Within, he saw this whole world, just as it had been before the pralaya: ākāśa, the earth, Dyuloka, the stars, mountains, oceans, dvīpas, regions and directions, devatās and rākshasas, forests, lands, rivers, cities, mines, the villages of farmers and of cowherds, the āśramas, the varṇas and their ways; the five great elements, the bodies of beings, and Time reckoned in yugas and kalpas: all place, time and object, the world lit by Īśvara, as if it were the ultimate reality. He saw Himavat, the Pushpabhadrā, his own āśrama and the maharshis. Even as he gazed, he was thrown out by the child’s breath and fell into the ocean of pralaya.

Again he saw the banyan on the raised ground and the child in the cup of its leaf, who cast on him a loving sidelong glance with a nectar-like smile. With his eyes the maharshi set the child in his heart, and seeing in him Śrī Hari, beyond all means of knowing, he struggled forward to embrace him. But the child, Śrī Hari himself, master of yogīs, who dwells in the cave of the intellect, withdrew from sight before he could embrace him, and with him the banyan, the waters and the pralaya vanished. Mārkaṇḍeya stood in his own āśrama, as before.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 9

The darśana of Bhagavān Śiva

Having known the splendour of the māyā of three guṇas that Nārāyaṇa had shown him, Mārkaṇḍeya took refuge in Nārāyaṇa: “O Śrī Hari, who remove the fear of those who come to you, I take refuge at the root of your feet. By your māyā, which shines like jñāna, even the devatās fall into delusion.”

Bhagavān Śiva (Rudra), travelling through the sky with Devī Pārvatī and his gaṇas, saw the maharshi with his mind made one-pointed. Devī Pārvatī said: “Look at this ṛshi, body, senses and mind made one-pointed, like the ocean with its waters and fish standing still when the wind has dropped. Give him the visible fruit of his tapas; you alone are the giver of siddhi.” Bhagavān Śiva answered: “Mārkaṇḍeya is a brahmarshi. He asks for no desire, not even moksha; he has a bhakti surpassing all in the full, changeless Brahman. Even so, let us speak with this sat-purusha, for meeting the good is the highest gain for human beings.” So the refuge of the good, the master of all learning, the antaryāmī of all beings, went to the ṛshi.

The ṛshi was in samādhi, his mind stilled, aware neither of himself nor of the world, and did not know that Devī Pārvatī and Bhagavān Śiva, the very antaryāmīs of the world, had come. Bhagavān Śiva entered the space of consciousness in the cave of his intellect, as air enters an opening. Within himself Mārkaṇḍeya saw him: jaṭās yellow like lightning, three eyes, ten arms, tall like the rising sun, clothed in a tiger skin, holding the śūla, the khaṭvāṅga, a shield, a japa-mālā, the ḍamaru, a kapāla, a sword and a bow. Wondering, “What is this vision?”, the ṛshi came out of samādhi, opened his eyes, and saw Śiva, the one father of the three worlds, with Devī Pārvatī and the gaṇas, and bowed his head to them.

He worshipped Bhagavān Śiva, Devī Pārvatī and the gaṇas with āvāhana, āsana, pādya, arghya, gandha, garlands, dhūpa and dīpa, and said: “O Īśvara, your desires are full in the experience of your own nature; what can we do for you? You gladden the world. You are Śiva, beyond the guṇas: with sattva you are peaceful, with rajas you are not fierce, with tamas you are not deluded. Namaskāra to you.”

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 10

Bhagavān Śiva’s teaching and varas

Bhagavān Śiva, pleased, said with a gracious heart: “Ask any vara you wish. We three, Śrī Hari, Brahmā and I, are the givers of varas; our darśana is never in vain, and from us a man gains amṛtatva (moksha). The knowers of Brahman are devoted to the good of others, peaceful, without attachment, loving all beings; with undivided bhakti for us, they have no enmity and see Īśvara in all alike. The people of the worlds, the lokapālas, Brahmā, Śrī Hari and I all bow to them and serve them, for they see not the least difference among the three of us, nor between themselves and others. Waters alone are not tīrthas and stones alone are not devatās; those purify after a long time, but you purify by mere darśana. You uphold our truth, which is in the form of the three Vedas, by tapas, svādhyāya and mastery of the senses; to such knowers of Brahman we bow. By hearing or seeing you even those burdened with great pāpa and those who harm animals are purified; how much more those who speak with you and bow to you.”

Mārkaṇḍeya listened, and was not satisfied, wishing to hear more; the amṛta of Śiva’s words drove away all the weariness that Vishṇu-māyā had brought him. He said: “This is the līlā of Īśvara, that the masters of the world praise and bow to the jīvas they rule. The great teachers of dharma practise it themselves and praise others who practise it, so that the world takes it up; like a magician’s displays, such acts done for the good of the world do not tarnish the glory of Bhagavān Śrī Hari. As a dreamer makes a world from his mind, Śrī Hari made this world by his mind and entered it as consciousness; the guṇas act, and the Paramātmā seems to be the doer. His nature is pure non-dual consciousness beyond the guṇas; the guru and the Veda are his forms. Your darśana itself is the vara, by which all desires are fulfilled. Yet I ask one vara: radiant bhakti for Śrī Hari, for his single-minded bhaktas, and for you.”

Devī Pārvatī commended the ṛshi, and Bhagavān Śiva granted him these varas:

• all his desires would be fulfilled, his bhakti for Śrī Hari among them;
• purifying fame until the end of the kalpa;
• no old age and no death;
• knowledge of the three times, past, present and future;
• direct experience of the ātmā;
• vairāgya (dispassion);
• the office of ācārya of the Purāṇas.

Then the three-eyed Jagannātha went away, telling Devī Pārvatī on the way of the ṛshi’s tapas and of his experience of the māyā-śakti. Mārkaṇḍeya, best of the Bhṛgu line, gained the glory of great yoga, the siddhis beginning with aṇimā, and undivided bhakti for Śrī Hari, and moves about as he wishes even today.

Sūta closes: so Mārkaṇḍeya directly saw the splendour of the wondrous māyā-śakti of Bhagavān Śrī Hari. That experience of the pralaya ocean and of entering the body of the infant Śrī Hari shone forth only at that time; some who do not know this say it was real and that he lived through many kalpas. The stream of birth and death that human beings know is only the māyā of the Paramātmā.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 10

Other mentions

Citraketu names Mārkaṇḍeya among the siddhas who wander the earth fully free, granting ātma-jñāna to the world: Sanatkumāra, Nārada, Ṛbhu, Aṅgiras, Devala, Asita, Apāntaratama, Vyāsa, Mārkaṇḍeya, Gautama, Vasishṭha, Bhagavān Paraśurāma, Kapila and others. Nārada, telling Yudhishṭhira of the births of Jaya and Vijaya, says that Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi can tell him of the prowess of Śrī Rāma; and Śuka says that even today maharshis such as Mārkaṇḍeya sing the fame of Śrī Rāma in the assemblies of Dharmarāja and others. At the great yajña of Vasudeva at Samantapañcaka, Mārkaṇḍeya was among the maharshis who came to see Balarāma and Śrī Kṛshṇa. In the last skandha Sūta names the holy account of Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi among its matters.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 15; Skandha 7, Chapter 1; Skandha 9, Chapter 11; Skandha 10, Chapter 84; Skandha 12, Chapter 12

Visit to the Pāṇḍavas in Exile

During the time of the Mahābhārata, while the Pāṇḍavas were living in the forest, Śrī Kṛshṇa arrived at their āśrama accompanied by Satyādevī. When Kṛshṇa came, Yudhishṭhira worshipped him and offered praise: “We are grateful that you have come and will not forget us. It is by your protection that we continue to live.”

At that moment, Mārkaṇḍeya also appeared there. Dissolving the doubts of the Pāṇḍavas, Kṛshṇa instructed Mārkaṇḍeya to impart the path of jñāna to them, then departed.

Yudhishṭhira performed the usual honors for the ṛshi, washing his feet, and requested him, “Please teach me the essence of reality.”

Mārkaṇḍeya’s Teaching on Dharma to Yudhishṭhira

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke: “Yudhishṭhira, in the first kalpa Brahmā created only those human bodies endowed with the highest purity, steadfastness in dharma, and minds firmly established in right conduct. Thenceforth he created beings whose very nature was dharma. Those beings were filled with great greatness (mahāsattva), truthfulness, firm resolve in truth, realization of Brahman, spontaneous in their conduct, conquerors of death, knower of dharma, and possessed of all knowledge. They knew no trace of envy or other blemishes, studied many scriptures, and each enjoyed long life with progeny for many thousands of years.

“But at the end of that kalpa, when the cycle began anew, short-lived humans were born. In the earliest cycles of time the most exalted beings first took human form, and only later did shorter-lived and lesser beings appear.”

Mārkaṇḍeya continued: “Now humans have become short-lived, prone to illusion (māyā), coveting worthless treasures and clinging to unrighteousness. The objects they pursue are trivial, offering no true utility. They have neither the lifespan to enjoy what they amass nor the wisdom to make proper use of it, so they remain ever in hope and want—poor in spirit, weak of body, beginning actions that yield no fruit, beset by many diseases, and often atheistic.

“Many wander from birth to death through animal and asura forms, suffering without knowing why, swept along by the wheel of saṃsāra. Their puṇya and pāpa follow them like shadows, conferring pleasures or pains in their next births. Some amass wealth but have no other purpose than enjoyment; they are called atheists, finding this world sufficient and rejecting any beyond.

“Others are more virtuous: they fast, perform pilgrimages, study the Vedas, undertake observances so severe that they emaciate their bodies, yet live in rightful conduct as householders and beget noble children. They know some worldly happiness and do not hanker after riches, experiencing abundance here and perhaps glimpsing svarga later. Those who deny the fruits of their labors and live only in this world end in naraka through their own neglect.

“Thus humanity divides into three classes: those who enjoy in this life but find no hereafter, those who enjoy both here and hereafter, and those who enjoy neither. Their actions (karma) determine their fate.”

Having heard this, Dharma-rāja asked, “Prasthāna, what is the nature of the brilliance and power that attend a brāhmaṇa of virtuous conduct?”

He then recounted the story of Dhundhumāru, the prince who in hunting accidentally killed the young ṛshi who was Daksha’s son, and who, terrified, sought forgiveness at the ṛshi’s feet. Dressed in repentance, he bowed before Daksha, asking mercy. Daksha answered, “Since you have slain my son in error, I understand and will protect you. Remain in my āśrama; I will avert death and preserve your life,” and he called back his son to life. Mārkaṇḍeya praised Daksha’s greatness: though the murdered child was his own son, the ṛshi spared the culprit, placing his own son’s life at risk to relieve another’s pāpa. This episode is preserved in the text known as Sarasvatī-gīta, and illustrates the power of forgiveness over wrath.

Through such teachings on compassion, forgiveness, and the workings of karma, Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi instructed Dharma-rāja in the highest virtues befitting a sovereign.

Gauramukha’s Inquiry About the Pitṛdevatās

While King Gauramukha was engaging in tapas and worshipping Vishṇu as his foremost object of devotion, Mārkaṇḍeya arrived. The king greeted him with reverence and said, “Mahārshi, your appearance is most auspicious. I have heard that the Pitṛdevatās indeed exist. If so, how do they live? I long to know the truth. I wondered whom to ask, and you have come. Please tell me: do the Pitṛdevatās abide eternally? Are they all alike in form, or do they differ? Kindly explain these matters.”

Mārkaṇḍeya’s Explanation of the Pitṛdevatās

“Thereafter, they followed the path of pravṛtti, married, and begot children. They ascended to Svarga, yet ignorance and death once again overtook them. Death is the sign of avidyā, of ignorance. In Svarga they delight in seeing their progeny on earth performing śrāddha and other rites for their benefit—an endless source of joy for them, yet all this is but the play of ignorance brought on by Brahmā’s śāpa (curse).

“Originally Brahmā’s own offspring and hence fathers even to the devas, among those seven three are amūrta (formless) and four are sāmūrta (having form). The devas themselves revere these Pitṛdevatās at all times. They remain for three yugās in their roles; thereafter they are reborn for knowledge (Brahmavidyā), and gradually take human birth. After sojourning in the Sāṅkhya paths, they attain yoga-siddhi in the path where rebirth ceases. Moreover, they aid the tapasvīs and seekers of moksha by bestowing on them the fruits of yoga.

“In honour of the eternal Pitṛdevatās, all beings perform śrāddha and related karmas according to our tradition. In the original Pitṛ-sarga, these seven preside. Beyond them, many Pitṛs stand in the seven lokas: Bhūr­loka’s Pitṛs are worshipped by earth-dwellers; Svarga­loka’s by the Kumāras; Mahar­loka’s by the Jana­loka ṛshis; Jana­loka’s by the Tapas­loka ascetics; and the Pitṛs of Satya­loka above all. All varṇas—brāhmaṇas, kshatriyas, vaiśyas—equally revere these Pitṛdevatās.

“For things, sādhyas, Rudras, Ādityas, Aśvins, and Maruts alike, these Pitṛdevatās are the principal devatās. Since the Rudras have no other Pitṛdevatās, they too worship these same ancestors. Their deeper meanings lie hidden as mysteries within the Vaidika sciences.

“Each varṇa and āśrama has its own prescribed manner—cited in the Purāṇas and mantras—for honoring the Pitṛdevatās. I have taught you the appropriate times (muhurta) and qualifications for śrāddha and related karmas. Those who worship the supreme Purushottama with devotion gain both here and beyond; those who neglect devotion go to higher lokas by merit or fall by demerit.

“Regarding śrāddha timing, the Dharmaśāstra prescribes that one observe annual rites on the very tithi of one’s ancestor’s passing. Yet the texts caution that when the tithi or nakshatra is ‘fierce’ or ‘inauspicious,’ one should delay until a milder nakshatra prevails. Such inauspicious times, if ignored, can bring death upon the household. Since śrāddha is itself neither a śubha nor a aśubha karma, one should select only benign times for both. When performed under inauspicious nakshatras and tithis, the rite invites misfortune.

“In truth, all ceremonies—from marriage to death rites—should be performed with śraddhā (careful devotion).”

Mārkaṇḍeya Puraṇa

One day, Jāimini Maharshi—disciple of Vyāsa—came to the āśrama of Mārkaṇḍeya. He respectfully addressed the ṛshi: “Mahārshi, your composition of the Bhāratagrantha is vast and profound. I am beset by many doubts regarding it, and I have come to you seeking clarification.”

Mārkaṇḍeya replied, “It is now time for my sandhyāvandanā. I must take my leave and cannot answer you in full. In Vindhyachal there dwell the Dharma-pakshas, scholars versed in Dharma in the form of birds. Go to them and put your questions.”

“In what form are these Dharma-pakshas?” asked Jāimini.

Mārkaṇḍeya explained, “They are not ordinary birds, but apsarās born as fowl by the śāpa (curse) of Durvāsa. Known as Dakshī in their bird form, they incubated their eggs through the grace of the ṛshi Mandapāla. During the time of the Bhārata War, they soared above the battlefield and witnessed all events. When Bhagdatta rode his elephant into battle, an arrow from Arjuna struck one of these birds, releasing them from the śāpa. Their unborn chicks were rescued and reared by the ṛshi Śamīka, and by virtue of their forebears’ tapas they acquired mastery of the Vedas and the Śāstras. They know past and future alike and are trikaala-vedins. Seek them out.”

Accordingly, Jāimini journeyed to Vindhyavana, met these Dharma-pakshas, questioned them at length, and thereby dispelled all doubts regarding the Bhārata. Since Vyāsa is the author of the Mahābhārata, Jāimini—though Vyāsa’s own disciple—had hesitated. But the Dharma-pakshas affirmed that “what Mārkaṇḍeya taught us is our message to you.” Upon hearing this, Jāimini understood that Mārkaṇḍeya had rightly sent him, saying, “I lack the time to answer; go to them.” The cumulative teachings of these birds form the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas, and indeed one of the greatest, for only Mārkaṇḍeya—who has witnessed prior kalpas—could expound the lore of time.

Counsel to Kroshṭhika Muni

At another time, a muni named Kroshṭhika came to Mārkaṇḍeya, requesting, “O ṛshi, kindly enlighten me on the nature of the universe and all creation.”

Mārkaṇḍeya imparted to him the full account of the Mahādādi bhūta-sarga: the origin of greatness, the rise of ahankāra (ego), the birth of Brahmā, the lineage of the eleven Rudras, the succession of Swayambhū Manvantaras, the descendants of Daksha, the Rudra-sarga, the descriptions of various dvīpas and varshas, the Manvantara of Svārochisha, the biography of Sūrya, the genealogies of royal dynasties, and all the details of both the worldly and transcendental principles as preserved in Purāṇic lore. He explained the workings of the indriyas, the successive stations of the mind (mana), and how the mind first engages an object, then perceives with the indriya, and finally manifests through the antaratman.

He also discoursed on the cāturvarṇa-āśrama system, stating that the very aim of tapas is satya (truth), that one must fix the mind perpetually on the pursuit of truth, for truth itself is Brahman and the ultimate creative power. All dualities—dharma-adharma, jñāna-ajñāna, svarga-naraka, pleasure-pain—are merely conventional expressions. One whose knowledge is false holds no true wisdom; hence the guru’s teaching is that each must live in accordance with one’s own experience, not impose one’s truth on others. Real tapas is directed solely at the eradication of falsehood in one’s own heart. True wisdom transcends both knowledge and ignorance as two sides of the same ephemeral coin.

When Kroshṭhika expressed gratitude and offered obeisance, Mārkaṇḍeya assured him that remembrance of the ṛshi always dispels the fear of death.

Thus did Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi illuminate both the cosmic structure and the path to moksha for that seeker.

Mārkaṇḍeya and the Sarasvatī

In the Saro Māhātmya of the Vāmana Purāṇa, the ṛshis asked Romaharshaṇa how the Sarasvatī was born, the best of all the rivers that flow through Kurukshetra, and how this holy stream joined the lake, set up many tīrthas on her banks, and flowed westward, now seen and now unseen. Romaharshaṇa answered. The Sarasvatī, most ancient, who removes all pāpa (sin) by mere remembrance, arose from a plaksha tree, the fig. Splitting her way through thousands of mountains, that great river reached Dvaitavana with her waters of puṇya (merit).

The mahāmuni Mārkaṇḍeya saw her while she was still in the plaksha tree. He bowed his head to the ground and praised Devī Sarasvatī with a stotra (hymn of praise).

Mārkaṇḍeya’s stotra to Sarasvatī

Mārkaṇḍeya praised her in these words, in this order:

• “Devī, you are the mother of all the worlds. You are the Devamātā of auspicious form, the araṇi of the devas, the sacred wood from which their fire is born.”
• “All that is sat and asat (being and non-being), all that grants moksha, and every word that has meaning, is held within you, as all things are held within the womb.”
• “The imperishable Parabrahma-tattva and the perishable, ever-changing universe are both contained in you, the Parāśakti.”
• “As fire is in wood and the quality of smell is in the earth, so the endless world and the Brahma-tattva fill you.”
• “The steady and unsteady order of the three letters and mātrās of the Oṃkāra, the sense of ‘it is’ and ‘it is not’, the three worlds, the three Vedas, the dhātus, the three states, the pitṛs and the three mātrās: all these triads are your form alone, Sarasvatī Devī.”
• “All the different darśanas (visions) of the supreme tattva are your līlā, eternal Mother.”
• “The brahmavādīs perform the soma, havis and pāka yajñas merely by uttering you.”
• “Your paramapada (supreme state), measured as the half-mātrā, cannot be pointed out as ‘this’. It is changeless, imperishable, divine and free of every transformation. Not I alone: no one can describe that divine form of yours. Neither mouth nor tongue nor palate nor lips have the power to tell it.”
• “That form of yours is Vishṇu, Śiva and Brahmā, the sun, the moon and fire. It is the support of the world, and it is the universe itself. It is the ātmā of the universe; it is Sāṅkhya. The Vedas, spread in many śākhās, declare it to be without middle or end, to be sat and to be asat.”
• “Though one, it is many, and it rests on a single bhāva. It has no name, yet it is named in six ways and in many ways. It is joined with the three guṇas; it knows the tattva of many śaktis and is the gathering of many śaktis.”
• “It is the happiness of all happinesses. Your form is the great happiness, whose nature is all tattvas and guṇas.”
• “Bhagavatī, with this wondrous form you pervade this whole universe, saguṇa and nirguṇa (with qualities and without). You yourself act as the non-dual Brahman and as the dual Brahman.”
• “You are the support of all things, on this earth, in the mid-space or anywhere else, eternal and passing, gross and subtle.”
• “Devī, this whole universe, having form and yet unseen by the eye, appearing as one and as many, as separate and as joined, is the gathering of svaras and vyañjanas (vowels and consonants) that you are, your lovely arrangement.”

The Sarasvatī follows him into Kurukshetra

Sarasvatī Devī, who is the tongue of Vishṇu, answered the mahātmā who had praised her so: “Best of vipras, wherever you lead me, I will come with you there without rest. Walk on.”

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Mother, flow swiftly with your holy waters through the middle of the holy kshetra that was first famed as Brahma-sarovara, then as Rāma-saras, and after that, when Maharshi Kuru ploughed it, as Kurukshetra.”

Hearing the words of the wise Mārkaṇḍeya, the Sarasvatī entered Kurukshetra as a flowing stream. That river of holy waters reached Rantuka and, wetting Kurukshetra, turned westward. A thousand tīrthas, served by maharshis, stand there along her course.

Seven Sarasvatīs come together at the Sapta Sārasvata tīrtha, the Saro Māhātmya tells, and six of them came to Kurukshetra at the call of Maṅkaṇa Maharshi. Of the seventh it says: pleased with the stotra of the great Mārkaṇḍeya Muni, the Sarasvatī of holy waters came to the middle of the lake.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 11–12, 16

Mārkaṇḍeya’s questions to Sanatkumāra

The glory of the lake of Kurukshetra, the Saro Māhātmya, comes to the world through Mārkaṇḍeya’s questions. The narrator calls the munis to hear with śraddhā (faith) the Vāmana Purāṇa, by merely hearing which mukti comes through the grace of Śrī Vāmanadeva, and tells how it began.

Near the Sthāṇuvaṭa, the vaṭa tree of Sthāṇu, Sanatkumāra, the mind-born son of Brahmā, sat with the great sons of Brahmā, the Vālakhilyas and other munis. Mārkaṇḍeya Muni came to him, humbly offered abhivādana (salutation), and asked him to tell the extent, the glories and the situation of that lake. These were his questions, in order:

1. “Brahmakumāra, son of Brahmā, learned in all the śāstras, I wish to know the glory of the lake that washes away all pāpa.”
2. “Which tīrthas are there in plain sight, and which are hidden?”
3. “Which are the most holy liṅgas nearest to Sthāṇu? Tell me of the liṅgas that give mukti by mere darśana.”
4. “Tell me the puṇya of the darśana of the holy vaṭa tree and how it arose, and the fruit of pradakshiṇa (going round it) and of bathing in the tīrtha.”
5. “Tell me the fruit of worshipping the devatās who are there, seen and unseen.”
6. “How does Sthāṇu, the Devādideva, stand in the middle of the lake, and how did Śakra (Indra) fill that tīrtha with earth?”
7. “Tell me the glory of that Sthāṇu tīrtha, and the glories and special features of the Cakratīrtha, the Sūryatīrtha and the Somatīrtha.”
8. “Mahāmuni, with the details you learned from Brahmā’s own mouth, tell me in full the secret places of Īśvara, the places of Vishṇu, the account of the Sarasvatī, the glory of the Devādideva and all the rest.”

Hearing Mārkaṇḍeya, Sanatkumāra, a mahāmuni whose self was Brahman and who was full of śraddhā for the tīrthas, left his seated posture with great bhakti, bowed to Paramaśiva, and began to tell all that he had heard long ago from Brahmā. Bowing to Maheśvara, the giver of varas (boons) and doer of good, he taught Mārkaṇḍeya that the ātmā is itself the true tīrtha, shining with the holy waters of restraint, truth, good conduct and samādhi, and that purity of the inner self cannot come from water. Then he told of the origin of Brahmā, of the lake and of the Sthāṇuvaṭa that rose in its middle, of the tapas of the Vālakhilyas in the Devadāruvana, of how Bhagavān Śiva came to their āśramas and how his liṅga fell, and of Brahmā’s words to the munis.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 21–22

The Sthāṇu tīrtha and the Caturmukha liṅga

Later Mārkaṇḍeya asked again: “Mahāmuni, I wish to hear the glory of the Sthāṇu tīrtha in full. Who attained there the siddhi that removes all pāpa?” Sanatkumāra answered: “Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi, the glory of this most excellent Sthāṇu tīrtha must be heard in full. A man who hears it becomes free of all pāpa.” Then he told him the account of King Vena, the reviler of the Vedas, who was freed at the Sthāṇu tīrtha, sang his stotra to Sthāṇu and was blessed by Bhagavān Śiva.

Once more Mārkaṇḍeya asked: “You who are free of pāpa, I wish to hear in detail how Caturmukha and Brahmeśvara arose. Tell me.” Sanatkumāra answered: “Mārkaṇḍeya, free of pāpa, hear. I shall tell you in full the whole account of what happened when Brahmā, born of the lotus, wished to create.” He told of Brahmā’s pāpa and his pūjā at the Sthāṇu tīrtha, Brahmā’s stotra to Bhagavān Śiva, the origin of the Sthāṇu liṅga, the four liṅgas Brahmā set up, and the Caturmukha liṅga on the northern bank of the Sarasvatī.

At the end Sanatkumāra said: “In this way I have told you the māhātmya in full. The man who hears it is freed from all pāpa and gains mukti.” With these words the Saro Māhātmya ends, and with it the Śrī Vāmana Purāṇa is complete.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 26–28

Named in the svastivācana and the stotra

When the devas had consecrated Kumāra (Skanda) as commander of the deva armies, Devī Pārvatī sent him to bow at the feet of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Skanda bowed to Janārdana and stood with joined palms, and Bhagavān Vishṇu blessed him with a svastivācana, a recitation of blessings for his well-being. In it he called on Marīci, Atri, Pulaha, Pulastya, Kratu, Vasishṭha, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Mārkaṇḍeya and the seven great ṛshis always to give Skanda kalyāṇa (auspiciousness).

In the second pāpa-śamana stotra, the stotra that destroys pāpa, which Pulastya Maharshi taught Nārada Maharshi, the salutations run in this order: Avimukta-prabhu, Lola, Jyeshṭheśvara, Madhyama, Upaśānta, and Mārkaṇḍeya and Jambuka.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 32, 61

Per Bhavishya Purāṇa

Vyāsa tells Yudhishṭhira that all he ought to do has been told him by Vyāsa himself, by Bhīshma, by Maharshi Mārkaṇḍeya, by Dhaumya and by Lomaśa. (Uttara Parva, Chapter 1) Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa tells Yudhishṭhira that Maharshi Mārkaṇḍeya told him the forms of dhyāna: Ādya, Raudra, Dharmya and Śukla. (Uttara Parva, Chapter 126)

Sources

• Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 20
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 1; Skandha 6, Chapter 15; Skandha 7, Chapter 1; Skandha 9, Chapter 11; Skandha 10, Chapter 84; Skandha 12, Chapters 8–10, 12
• Mahābhārata, Araṇya Parva
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 32, 61
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 11–12, 16, 21–22, 26–28
• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 1, 126