Source: http://vedabase.net/sb/11/4/en1
From Srimad Bhagavatam :: Canto 11, Chapter 4
SB 11.4.6: Nara-Narayana Rishi, who is perfectly
peaceful and is the best of sages, was born as the son of Dharma and his wife Murti, the daughter of Daksha. Nara-Narayana Rishi taught the devotional service of the Lord, by which material work
ceases, and He Himself perfectly practiced this knowledge. He is living even
today, His lotus feet served by the greatest of saintly persons.
SB 11.4.7: King Indra became fearful, thinking that Nara-Narayana Rishi would become very powerful by His severe penances and seize Indra's
heavenly kingdom. ThusIndra, not knowing the transcendental glories of the incarnation of the
Lord, sent Cupid and his associates to the Lord's residence in Badarikasrama.
As the charming breezes of spring created a most sensuous atmosphere, Cupid
himself attacked the Lord with arrows in the form of the irresistible glances
of beautiful women.
SB 11.4.8: The primeval Lord,
understanding the offense committed by Indra, did not become proud. Instead He
spoke laughingly as follows to Cupid and his followers, who were trembling
before Him: "Do not fear, O mighty Madana, O wind-god and wives of the
demigods. Rather, please accept these gifts I am offering you and kindly
sanctify My asrama by
your presence."
SB 11.4.9: My dear King Nimi,
when Nara-Narayana Rishi thus spoke, eradicating the fear of the demigods, they bowed their
heads with shame and addressed the Lord as follows, to invoke His compassion:
Our dear Lord, You are always transcendental, beyond the reach of illusion, and
therefore You are forever changeless. Your causeless compassion toward us,
despite our great offense, is not at all unusual in You, since innumerable
great sages who are self-satisfied and free from anger and false pride bow down
humbly at Your lotus feet.
SB 11.4.10: The demigods place many
obstacles on the path of those who worship You to transcend the temporary abodes
of the demigods and reach Your supreme abode. Those who offer the demigods
their assigned shares in sacrificial performances encounter no such obstacles.
But because You are the direct protector of Your devotee, he is able to step
over the head of whatever obstacle the demigods place before him.
SB 11.4.11: Some men practice
severe penances to cross beyond our influence, which is like an immeasurable
ocean with endless waves of hunger, thirst, heat, cold and the other conditions
brought about by the passing of time, such as the sensuous wind and the urges of
the tongue and sex organs. Nevertheless, although crossing this ocean of sense
gratification through severe penances, such persons foolishly drown in a cow's
hoofprint when conquered by useless anger. Thus they exhaust the benefit of
their difficult austerities in vain.
SB 11.4.12: While the demigods were
thus praising the Supreme Lord, the all-powerful Lord suddenly manifested
before their eyes many women, who were astonishingly gorgeous, decorated with fine
clothes and ornaments, and all faithfully engaging in the Lord's service.
SB 11.4.13: When the followers of
the demigods gazed upon the fascinating mystic beauty of the women created by Nara-Narayana Rishi and smelled the fragrance of their bodies, the minds of these
followers became bewildered. Indeed, upon seeing the beauty and magnificence of
such women, the representatives of the demigods were completely diminished in
their own opulence.
SB 11.4.14: The Supreme Lord of
lords then smiled slightly and told the representatives of heaven, who were
bowing down before Him, "Please choose one of these women, whomever you
find suitable for you. She will become the ornament of the heavenly
planets."
SB 11.4.15: Vibrating the sacred
syllable om, the servants of the demigods selected Urvasi,
the best of the Apsaras. Placing her in front of them out of respect, they
returned to the heavenly planets.
SB 11.4.16: The servants of the
demigods reached the assembly of Indra, and thus, while all the residents
of the three heavens listened, they explained to Indra the supreme power of Narayana. When Indra heard of Nara-Narayana Rishi and became aware of his offense, he was both frightened and
astonished.
Source: http://vedabase.net/sb/12/8/en1
From Srimad Bhagavatam :: Canto 12, Chapter 8
SB 12.8.1: Sri Saunaka said: O Suta,
may you live a long life! O saintly one, best of speakers, please continue
speaking to us. Indeed, only you can show men the path out of the ignorance in
which they are wandering.
SB 12.8.2-5: Authorities say that Markandeya Rishi, the son of Mrikandu.
was an exceptionally long-lived sage who was the only survivor at the end of Brahma's day, when the entire
universe was merged in the flood of annihilation. But this same Markandeya Rishi, the foremost descendant
of Bhrigu, took birth in my own family during
the current day of Brahma, and we have not yet seen
any total annihilation in this day of Brahma. Also, it is well known
that Markandeya while wandering helplessly in the
great ocean of annihilation, saw in those fearful waters a wonderful
personality -- an infant boy lying alone within the fold of a banyan leaf. O Suta, I
am most bewildered and curious about this great sage, Markandeya Rishi. O great yogi, you are universally
accepted as the authority on all the Puranas. Therefore kindly dispel my
confusion.
SB 12.8.6: Suta Gosvami said: O great sage Saunaka,
your very question will help remove everyone's illusion, for it leads to the
topics of Lord Narayana, which cleanse away the
contamination of this Kali age.
SB 12.8.7-11: After being purified by his father's performance of the
prescribed rituals leading to Markandeya's brahminical initiation, Markandeya 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, brahmacari belt, black deerskin, lotus-seed
prayer beads and bundles of kusa 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 brahmanas 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, Markandeya Rishi worshiped the supreme master of the senses, the Personality of
Godhead, for countless millions of years, and in this way he conquered
unconquerable death.
SB 12.8.12: Lord Brahma, Bhrigu Muni, Lord Siva, Prajapati Daksha,
the great sons of Brahma, and many others among
the human beings, demigods, forefathers and ghostly spirits -- all were
astonished by the achievement of Markandeya Rishi.
SB 12.8.13: In this way the
devotional mystic Markandeya maintained rigid celibacy through
penance, study of the Vedas and self-discipline. With his mind thus free of all
disturbances, he turned it inward and meditated on the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who lies beyond the material senses.
SB 12.8.14: While the mystic sage
thus concentrated his mind by powerful yoga practice, the tremendous period of six lifetimes of Manu passed by.
SB 12.8.15: O brahmana, during the seventh reign of Manu, the current age, Lord Indra came to know of Markandeya's austerities and became
fearful of his growing mystic potency. Thus he tried to impede the sage's
penance.
SB 12.8.16: To ruin the sage's
spiritual practice, Lord Indra sent
Cupid, beautiful celestial singers, dancing girls, the season of spring and the
sandalwood-scented breeze from the Malaya Hills, along with greed and intoxication personified.
SB 12.8.17: O most powerful Saunaka,
they went to Markandeya's hermitage, on the northern
side of the Himalaya Mountains where the Pushpabhadra River passes by the famous peak Citra.
SB 12.8.18-20: Groves of pious trees decorated the holy asrama of Markandeya Rishi, and many saintly
brahmanas lived there, enjoying the abundant pure, sacred ponds. The asrama resounded with the buzzing of
intoxicated bees and the cooing of excited cuckoos, while jubilant peacocks
danced about. Indeed, many families of maddened birds crowded that hermitage.
The springtime breeze sent by Lord Indra entered
there, carrying cooling drops of spray from nearby waterfalls. Fragrant from
the embrace of forest flowers, that breeze entered the hermitage and began
evoking the lusty spirit of Cupid.
SB 12.8.21: Springtime then
appeared in Markandeya's asrama.
Indeed, the evening sky, glowing with the light of the rising moon, became the
very face of spring, and sprouts and fresh blossoms virtually covered the
multitude of trees and creepers.
SB 12.8.22: Cupid, the master of
many heavenly women, then came there holding his bow and arrows. He was
followed by groups of Gandharvas playing musical instruments and singing.
SB 12.8.23: These servants of Indra found the sage sitting in meditation,
having just offered his prescribed oblations into the sacrificial fire. His
eyes closed in trance, he seemed invincible, like fire personified.
SB 12.8.24: The women danced before
the sage, and the celestial singers sang to the charming accompaniment of
drums, cymbals and vinas.
SB 12.8.25: While the son of
passion [greed personified], spring and the other servants of Indra all tried to agitate Markandeya's mind, Cupid drew his
five-headed arrow and fixed it upon his bow.
SB 12.8.26-27: The Apsara Punjikasthali made a show of playing with a number
of toy balls. Her waist seemed weighed down by her heavy breasts, and the
wreath of flowers in her hair became disheveled. As she ran about after the
balls, glancing here and there, the belt of her thin garment loosened, and
suddenly the wind blew her clothes away.
SB 12.8.28: Cupid, thinking he had
conquered the sage, then shot his arrow. But all these attempts to seduce Markandeya proved futile, just like the useless
endeavors of an atheist.
SB 12.8.29: O learned Saunaka,
while Cupid and his followers tried to harm the sage, they felt themselves
being burned alive by his potency. Thus they stopped their mischief, just like
children who have aroused a sleeping snake.
SB 12.8.30: O brahmana, the followers of Lord Indra had impudently attacked the saintly Markandeya, yet he did not succumb to any
influence of false ego. For great souls such tolerance is not at all
surprising.
SB 12.8.31: The mighty King Indra was most astonished when he heard of the mystic prowess of the
exalted sage Markandeya and saw how Cupid and his associates
had become powerless in his presence.
SB 12.8.32: Desiring to bestow His
mercy upon the saintly Markandeya, who had perfectly fixed his
mind in self-realization through penance, Vedic study and observance of regulative
principles, the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally appeared before the
sage in the forms of Nara and Narayana.
SB 12.8.33-34: One of Them was of a whitish complexion, the other blackish, and
They both had four arms. Their eyes resembled the petals of blooming lotuses,
and They wore garments of black deerskin and bark, along with the
three-stranded sacred thread. In Their hands, which were most purifying, They
carried the mendicant's waterpot, straight bamboo staff and lotus-seed prayer
beads, as well as the all-purifying Vedas in the symbolic form of bundles of darbha grass. Their bearing was tall and
Their yellow effulgence the color of radiant lightning. Appearing as austerity
personified, They were being worshiped by the foremost demigods.
SB 12.8.35: These two sages, Nara and Narayana, were the direct personal forms
of the Supreme Lord. When Markandeya Rishi saw Them, he immediately stood up and then with great respect
offered Them obeisances by falling down flat on the ground like a stick.
SB 12.8.36: The ecstasy of seeing
Them completely satisfied Markandeya's body, mind and senses and
caused the hairs on his body to stand on end and his eyes to fill with tears.
Overwhelmed, Markandeya found it difficult to look at Them.
SB 12.8.37: Standing with his hands
folded in supplication and his head bowed in humility, Markandeya felt such eagerness that he imagined
he was embracing the two Lords. In a voice choked with ecstasy, he repeatedly
said, "I offer You my humble obeisances."
SB 12.8.38: He gave Them sitting
places and washed Their feet, and then he worshiped Them with presentations of arghya,
sandalwood pulp, fragrant oils, incense and flower garlands.
SB 12.8.39: Markandeya Rishi once again bowed down at the lotus feet of those two most worshipable
sages, who were sitting at ease, ready to bestow all mercy upon him. He when
addressed Them as follows.
SB 12.8.40: Sri Markandeya said: O Almighty Lord, how can I
possibly describe You? You awaken the vital air, which then impels the mind,
senses and power of speech to act. This is true for all ordinary conditioned
souls and even for great demigods like Brahma and Siva. So it is certainly true
for me. Nevertheless, You become the intimate friend of those who worship You.
SB 12.8.41: O Supreme Personality
of Godhead, these two personal forms of Yours have appeared to bestow the
ultimate benefit for the three worlds -- the cessation of material misery and
the conquest of death. My Lord, although You create this universe and then assume
many transcendental forms to protect it, You also swallow it up, just like a
spider who spins and later withdraws its web.
SB 12.8.42: Because You are the
protector and the supreme controller of all moving and nonmoving beings, anyone
who takes shelter of Your lotus feet can never be touched by the contamination
of material work, material qualities or time. Great sages who have assimilated
the essential meaning of the Vedash offer their prayers to You. To gain Your
association, they bow down to You at every opportunity and constantly worship
You and meditate upon You.
SB 12.8.43: My dear Lord, even Lord Brahma, who enjoys his exalted
position for the entire duration of the universe, fears the passage of time.
Then what to speak of those whom Brahma creates, the conditioned souls. They encounter fearful dangers at
every step of their lives. I do not know of any relief from this fear except
shelter at Your lotus feet, which are the very form of liberation.
SB 12.8.44: Therefore I worship
Your lotus feet, having renounced my identification with the material body and
everything else that covers my true self. These useless, insubstantial and
temporary coverings are merely presumed to be separate from You, whose
intelligence encompasses all truth. By attaining You -- the Supreme Godhead and
the master of the soul -- one attains everything desirable.
SB 12.8.45: O my Lord, O supreme
friend of the conditioned soul, although for the creation, maintenance and
annihilation of this world You accept the modes of goodness, passion and
ignorance, which constitute Your illusory potency, You specifically employ the
mode of goodness to liberate the conditioned souls. The other two modes simply
bring them suffering, illusion and fear.
SB 12.8.46: O Lord, because
fearlessness, spiritual happiness and the kingdom of God are all achieved
through the mode of pure goodness, Your devotees consider this mode, but never
passion and ignorance, to be a direct manifestation of You, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Intelligent persons thus worship Your beloved
transcendental form, composed of pure goodness, along with the spiritual forms
of Your pure devotees.
SB 12.8.47: I offer my humble
obeisances to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the all-pervading
and all-inclusive form of the universe, as well as its spiritual master. I bow
down to Lord Narayana, the supremely worshipable Deity
appearing as a sage, and also to the saintly Nara, the best of human
beings, who is fixed in perfect goodness, fully in control of his speech, and
the propagator of the Vedic literatures.
SB 12.8.48: A materialist, his
intelligence perverted by the action of his deceptive senses, cannot recognize
You at all, although You are always present within his own senses and heart and
also among the objects of his perception. Yet even though one's understanding
has been covered by Your illusory potency, if one obtains Vedic knowledge from
You, the supreme spiritual master of all, he can directly understand You.
SB 12.8.49: My dear Lord, the Vedic
literatures alone reveal confidential knowledge of Your supreme personality,
and thus even such great scholars as Lord Brahmahimself are bewildered in their
attempt to understand You through empirical methods. Each philosopher
understands You according to his particular speculative conclusions. I worship
that Supreme Person, knowledge of whom is hidden by the bodily designations
covering the conditioned soul's spiritual identity.
Also read about story of Bhakt Dhruva:
http://krishnaseva.blogspot.in/2014/05/story-of-bhakt-dhruva.html
Also read about story of Bhakt Dhruva:
http://krishnaseva.blogspot.in/2014/05/story-of-bhakt-dhruva.html