Shloka 20
त्रिपुरवर्णनम् (Tripura-varṇanam) — “Description of Tripura”
वर्षाणां शतकं चैव पदमेकं निधाय च । भूमौ स्थित्वा परं तत्र तेपुस्ते बलवत्तराः
varṣāṇāṃ śatakaṃ caiva padamekaṃ nidhāya ca | bhūmau sthitvā paraṃ tatra tepuste balavattarāḥ
Planting a single step in one place, they remained on the earth without moving; and there—steadfast and exceedingly powerful—they performed severe austerities for a full hundred years.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
The verse elevates unwavering steadiness (one-pointed resolve) and long tapas as a means of inner purification; in Shaiva thought, such discipline refines the limited self (paśu) and makes it fit to receive Shiva’s grace (pati-anugraha).
Standing fixed in one place mirrors focused, uninterrupted Linga-upāsanā—worship that is steady in body, mantra, and intention—through which the devotee approaches Saguna Shiva and is gradually led toward deeper realization.
It suggests niyama-based practice: taking a vow (vrata), maintaining daily disciplined worship, and doing japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steady posture and restraint; Tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa may be adopted as supportive Shaiva observances.