A sage who lived through ages of penance, asked to see the Lord's maya, and saw the end of the world from inside it.
Appears in
Markandeya sees the dissolution — Skandha 12, adhyayas 8-10 — A sage asks to see the Lord's maya, is swept into a flood that drowns the worlds, and finds a child asleep on a banyan leaf.
Embodies
Time and dissolution — Seven days to live, an age in decline, a flood that swallows the worlds — the Bhagavatam is told under a deadline.
Questions to explore
How long did Markandeya perform penance?
What did Markandeya see when the infant breathed him in?
