Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 168

Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ

Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony

Devanagari script

शत्रुसूदन श्रीकृष्ण! माताका वह उपदेश सुनकर तभीसे महादेवजीके प्रति मेरी सुदृढ़ भक्ति हो गयी ।।

Transliteration

tato 'haṃ tapa āsthāya toṣayāmāsa śaṅkaram | ekaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu vāmāṅguṣṭhāgravicchitaḥ ||

Translation

“Thereafter, taking refuge in austerity, I propitiated Śaṅkara. For a full thousand years I remained standing, supported only on the very tip of my left great toe.”

Word by Word

• {'tataḥ': 'thereafter

• then', 'aham (’haṃ)': 'I', 'tapaḥ (tapa)': 'austerity

• ascetic discipline', 'āsthāya': 'having resorted to

• taking up', 'toṣayāmāsa': 'pleased

• satisfied (causative perfect)', 'śaṅkaram': 'Śaṅkara

• Śiva', 'ekam': 'one

• a single', 'varṣa-sahasram': 'a thousand years', 'tu': 'indeed

• but (emphatic particle)', 'vāma': 'left', 'aṅguṣṭha': 'great toe', 'agra': 'tip

• point', 'vicchitaḥ': 'supported/poised on

• resting upon (contextual sense: standing on the tip)'}

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (speaker)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical-spiritual ideal that steadfast devotion is proven through disciplined effort (tapas). Genuine reverence is not merely verbal; it is embodied in sustained self-control and endurance directed toward a worthy divine goal.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāsudeva recounts that after adopting austerity, he propitiated Śiva (Śaṅkara) by performing an extreme penance—standing for a thousand years balanced on the tip of his left great toe—signaling unwavering commitment and devotion.