Conversation with Sahaja Yogis, Ashram of Vienna, (Austria), 9 June 1988. You know the story of Markandeya or not? I tell you the story of Markandeya. You see, his father had no children and the father and mother were unhappy. So they prayed to Shiva and they said that we want to have a son. Shiva said, "I'll give you the son, but I will have to take him back after eight years. So he'll only exist till he is about eight years of age." So, they gave that boon to him plus this kind of a curse. The parents were very upset that "our child will die after eight years of age", very upset. But they found the child very bright, brilliant and also shining and very religious. One day he asked his father, "Why do you always so worry, I mean, after all I am your son?" So they said that it is said so, eight years or sixteen years, something like that. "Now I will be losing you very soon. Who can surpass Shiva?" He said it, "So, I cannot think we can really ask anyone to neutralize the curse upon us. If you are not born to us we would not have been so attached to you. Now you are born to us, we are so much attached to you." He was a very wise person, he said: "No, I know someone, I know Adi Shakti. And he went to this place where you got to see this "Sapta Shringi". There he prayed to Her. Nobody had prayed to Adi Shakti. They would pray to Jagadamba, they would pray to all others. To Adi Shakti, who is the God, he prayed to Her. She appeared there and Her face is just like Me. It is Saptashringi because She has seven chakras on Her head. "Shringa" means on the head, like what you call the "Shikara", peak?' "Seven Peaks". She was born with seven peaks. She came there, appeared from the Mother Earth. She just came out and he prayed to Her. He prayed to Her and then the whole place became so vibrated that Shiva could not touch him. Then he wrote all this Markandeya's things [Devi Mahatmya]. I mean he was the first who wrote about Adi Shakti. All these things that you read about Shankaracharya, he took it from Markandeya. He was the first who wrote about Kundalini, the first about Realization, he was the first who did all that. Even today, they say that there is a gap between two hills and people used to cross that gap on a bullock cart and the bullock cart was carried over to the other side. Now, of course, you got a place to go up, but at that time there was nothing like that, so they used to go up on a bullock cart and the bullock cart was carried over without any tension by Adi Shakti. And She is there complete. Because we have got, as you know, Mahakali, Mahalaksmi, Mahasaraswati, three of them in Maharastra. Mahakali is in Tulsapur [Tuljapur], then Mahalaksmi is in Kholapur and the third one is in Mahor [Mahur]. In Mahor there is one mountain where is Mahasaraswati. And Adi Shakti is ""Artha Mata", on top of everything and this is it. Markandeya was actually the dearest son of Adi Shakti, because he is the one who incarnated Her. ... he was like a little child, absolutely. Everything is described, my hands and everything, even my body in a way. Just like a little child grabbing on the Mother. The dedication and devotion was so great, I mean, that Adi Shakti had to take him up. He is the one who brought Me in. There was no idea of Adi Shakti taking birth or anything, nobody thought of it. Only once She came in Gokul, She was created in Gokul. Gokul is the one, now of course later on it was reflected in India, but Gokul is where Shri Krishna played, in the Goloka, in the Vaikuntha [the stage before the creation of the human world, Bhavasagara]. She was created as one cow with all the deities sitting in Her. She never came on this earth and he is the one who gave the form, in what form She has to come?' with thousand hands, the face like Mine and seven chakras. In that way, India is very much blessed, I should say, with these things, but the difference between the saints and the public is so much, that they never understood. They know it is a very great place and "Sapta Shringi" is there. We have Saptashringi also in Puna, but Saptashringi is only there, where all you people go, near Nasik, that's the place. So that's the great part of Markandeya. He took his birth later on as Buddha, then he took his birthas Adi Shankaracharya, it's the same personality. But he was actually the son of Rama, to begin with. He was Lav and he went to Russia and that is why they are called as "Slavs". He ruled in Russia, that's why they are called as Slavs. Another son was Kush, who went to China, that is why they are called as Kushan. Then they incarnated again and again, also as Hassan and Hussain [or Hussein], as Mahavira and Buddha, as Adi Shankaracharya and Gyaneshwara, like that. See, it is so peaceful. Cool breeze. I think the name Markus might be coming from Markandeya. Markandeya is a very unique name, isn't it? "Markanda" means a powerful personality. Markandeya is son, of course, Markandeya is the name of the son. Markandeya, is the son.