Shloka 170

Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ

Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

śatāni sapta caivāhaṃ vāyubhakṣas tadā bhavam | ekaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu divyam ārādhito mayā ||

Translation

Dijo Vāsudeva: «Entonces viví como quien se sustenta sólo del aire durante setecientos años. De este modo, por mil años divinos cumplí una adoración devota, colmada de austeridad».

Word by Word

• शतानि: hundreds
• शतानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त
• Form: Indeclinable (numeral), —, —

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: —, —, —

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: —, —, —

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• वायुभक्षः: one who feeds on air (air-eater)
• वायुभक्षः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायुभक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा
• Form: —, —, —

• भवम्: I became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वर्षसहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्षसहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु
• Form: —, —, —

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आराधितः: worshipped/propitiated
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-राध्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.