Garuda Mahā Purana - Achara Khaṇḍa
233 - Mrutyvashtaka Hymn
Suta said:
1. I shall mention the Hymn sung by Markandeya. (The hymn begins) I have sought refuge in Damodara. What can Mrutyu (God of Death) do unto me?
2. I have sought refuge in the deity bearing Shankha and Chakra, the unchanging, whose form is manifest and who is called Adhokshaja. What can Mrutyu do unto me?
3. I have sought refuge in the Divine Varaha (Boar), Vamana (dwarf), Vishnu, Narasimha, Janardana and Madhava. What can Mrutyu do unto me?
4. I have sought refuge in the great Purusha, the seed of Puşhkarakşhetra, the holy lord of the universe and the master of the worlds. What can Mrutyu do unto me?
5. I have sought refuge in the thousand-headed deity, the manifest and the unmanifest, the eternal and the great Yogi. What can Mrutyu do unto me?
6. I have sought refuge in the deity who is the inner soul of all living beings, the noble soul, the source of sacrifices, not born of any womb, and the multi-formed. What can Mrutyu do unto me? (The hymn ends).
7. On hearing this hymn sung by the noble soul (Markandeya), the god of Death left the place repulsed by the emissaries of Vishnu.
8. Thus, the god of Death was conquered by Markandeya the intelligent. There is nothing impossible of realisation if the lotus-eyed Narsimha is delighted.
9. These eight stanzas are of holy potentialities and quell death. For the sake of the benefit of Markandeya, Vishnu Himself mentioned this.
10. He who reads this hymn thrice a day, with great devotion regularly and pure-minded will never have a premature death. His mind is fixed in Achyuta.
11. That Yogin defied Mrutyu by contemplating within himself in the lotus of his heart the ancient Purusha Narayana, the permanent and the immeasurable.
Summary of chapter 233 of the Garuda Mahā Purana - Achara Khaṇḍa is as follows:
The Supreme Being re-affirms righteous conduct, Sadāchāra, as the highest supreme Dharma sustaining both personal peace and universal order. As it happens, Bhagavān Vishṇu emphasizes that ethical living, truthfulness, non-violence, and reverence toward Guru and elders form the indispensable foundation for all spiritual growth.