Shloka 12

Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ

Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony

Devanagari script

पूर्ण वर्षमहस्रं तु तप्तवानेष माधव: । प्रसाद्य वरदं देवं चराचरगुरुं शिवम्‌,इन माधवने वरदायक देवता चराचरगुरु भगवान्‌ शिवको प्रसन्न करते हुए पूर्वकालमें पूरे एक हजार वर्षतक तपस्या की थी

Transliteration

pūrṇa-varṣa-sahasraṃ tu taptavān eṣa mādhavaḥ | prasādya varadaṃ devaṃ carācaraguruṃ śivam ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “This Mādhava, in ancient times, performed austerities for a full thousand years. By that sustained penance he pleased Śiva—the boon-giving Lord, the teacher of all that moves and all that is unmoving.”

Word by Word

• पूर्णम्: full, complete
• पूर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वर्ष: year
• वर्ष: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• तप्तवान्: having performed austerity
• तप्तवान्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप्
• Form: क्तवतु (past active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एषः: this (man)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• माधवः: Mādhava (Krishna)
• माधवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रसाद्य: having pleased/propitiated
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + सद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• वरदम्: boon-giving
• वरदम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• देवम्: god
• देवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चराचरगुरुम्: teacher of the moving and unmoving (beings)
• चराचरगुरुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चराचरगुरु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Mādhava (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• Śiva

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Spiritual attainment and divine favor are portrayed as arising from sustained discipline (tapas) and sincere propitiation; even the greatest figures seek legitimacy and power through devotion and ethical self-restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma recounts an earlier episode in which Mādhava undertook a thousand-year austerity to please Śiva, described as the boon-giving lord and universal guru, setting up the context for a granted boon or divine sanction.