Images of Sanatan - How Shiva rescued Markandeya

Do you know the secret story behind this photo - and how this guy cheated death itself by praying to Lord Shiva?

Here’s the tea!

Welcome to another episode of our series “Images of Sanatan” in which I break down the meanings & backstories behind famous Hindu visuals & photographs that you’ve definitely seen but never really understood.

This one is from Raja Ravi Varma’s collection somewhere in the early 1900s & it shows an iconic scene from the Shiva, Linga & Bhagvata Puranas.

Rishi Mrikandu & Marudmati had performed a severe tapasya or austerity to ask Lord Shiva to bless them with a child, and Shiva appeared to give them a boon with a choice - either they could have a son who was dull & spiritually blind but live a long life, or a son who was exceptionally brilliant with supreme spiritual merit but was destined to pass away at the age of 16.

The parents chose the latter & Markandeya was born. As he reached the age of sixteen, they started fearing his end but he overcame the fear by chanting the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, which is said to remove one’s anxiety of dying.

The Yamadutas or servants of the collector of souls, Yamaraj, came to his doorstep, as Markandeya clutched on tightly to the sacred Shiva Linga in deep meditation, the Linga being the infinite burning pillar of divine light that Shiva is.

Then, Yama himself stepped in on his water buffalo, his vahana, and unleashed his fatal noose. The weapon ensnared the boy as well as the sacred Linga.

Furious at such a desecration of his own symbol & threat to his devotee, Shiva appeared in his terrifying Kalantaka Avatar, the Ender of Time.

He made the ultimate exception to halt the natural cycle of life & death, striking Yama in the chest & un-aliving him, only bringing him back at the Gods’ request for the sake of nature’s continuity.

Rishi Markandeya was blessed with the Cheeranjeevi immortality status, destined to roam around in the dark cosmic waters even after the great flood (pralaya) washed away the whole world.

There, he got Vishnu Narayana’s darshana in his baby infant form, witnessing the entire cosmos safely functioning within his mouth, showing his mastery over the cosmic cycle.

For his timeless wisdom, Markandeya was elevated to the status of a Rishi, with a whole Purana being attributed to him as the chief narrator.

It is in this Markandeya Purana, one of the oldest texts in the group, that we see not only hymns praising Agni & Surya but also a later-added Devi Mahatmya or Durga Saptashati, declaring the Shakti as the Ultimate Power, detailing her epic victories in battles against various demons in her fierce forms.

Next time you’re worrying about the mortality & temporariness of life, remember Markandeya & let the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra be your guide.