Shloka 170
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
शतानि सप्त चैवाहं वायुभक्षस्तदा भवम् | एकं वर्षसहसत्रं तु दिव्यमाराधितो मया,फिर शेष सात सौ वर्षोतक केवल हवा पीकर रहा। इस प्रकार मैंने एक सहस्र दिव्य वर्षोतक उनकी आराधना की
śatāni sapta caivāhaṃ vāyubhakṣas tadā bhavam | ekaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu divyam ārādhito mayā ||
Vāsudeva sprach: „Damals lebte ich als einer, der sich allein von Luft nährt, siebenhundert Jahre lang. Auf diese Weise vollzog ich volle tausend göttliche Jahre hindurch hingebungsvolle Verehrung, erfüllt von Askese.“
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas (austerity) and steadfast devotion: spiritual attainment and moral authority are grounded in sustained self-restraint and long-term, disciplined worship rather than momentary effort.
Vāsudeva recounts an episode of extreme ascetic practice—living on air alone for seven hundred years—and states that he continued devoted worship for a total of one thousand divine years, emphasizing the intensity and duration of his observance.