Shloka 22
अध्याय ३३७ — ज्ञानमार्ग-वैविध्यप्रश्नः तथा व्यासस्य नारायणोद्भवकथा
Systems of Knowledge and Vyāsa’s Nārāyaṇa-Origin
तप्त्वा वर्षसहस्त्राणि चरित्वा तप उत्तमम् | एकपादा: स्थिता: सम्यक् काष्ठ भूता: समाहिता:,“वहाँ मेरुके उत्तर और क्षीरसागरके किनारे एक पवित्र स्थान है, जहाँ हमलोगोंने हजार वर्षोतक एकाग्रचित्त हो काष्ठकी भाँति एक पैरसे खड़े होकर बड़ी कठोर तपस्या की थी। वह उत्तम तपस्या करके हम यही चाहते थे कि किसी तरह वरदायक सनातन देवाधिदेव वरणीय भगवान् नारायणका दर्शन कर लें
taptvā varṣasahasrāṇi caritvā tapa uttamam | ekapādāḥ sthitāḥ samyak kāṣṭhabhūtāḥ samāhitāḥ |
Bhishma said: “After enduring austerities for thousands of years and practicing the highest penance, we stood firmly on a single foot—motionless like pieces of wood, our minds perfectly collected. Having performed that supreme tapas, our sole longing was to obtain the vision of the eternal, boon-giving Lord of lords, the adorable Bhagavan Nārāyaṇa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined austerity and unwavering mental concentration as a means of spiritual attainment, presenting devotion (seeking the Lord’s darśana) as the ethical aim that gives tapas its highest purpose.
Bhishma recounts an episode of extreme ascetic practice: for thousands of years they performed severe penance, standing on one foot without movement and with focused minds, motivated by the desire to behold Nārāyaṇa, the supreme boon-giving Lord.