Shloka 13

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्विशालायां बदर्या मधुसूदन । अतिष्ठ एकपादेन वायुभक्ष: शतं समा:,मधुसूदन! आप विशालापुरीके बदरिकाश्रममें दोनों भुजाएँ ऊपर उठाये केवल वायुका आहार करते हुए सौ वर्षोतक एक पैरसे खड़े रहे हैं

Transliteration

ūrdhvabāhur viśālāyāṃ badaryā madhusūdana | atiṣṭha ekapādena vāyubhakṣaḥ śataṃ samāḥ ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “O Madhusūdana, in the great forest of Badarī, I stood for a hundred years on one foot, with both arms raised upward, sustaining myself only on air.”

Word by Word

• ऊर्ध्वबाहुः: with arms raised upward
• ऊर्ध्वबाहुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्ध्वबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विशालायाम्: in Viśālā (city/region)
• विशालायाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाला
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• बदर्याम्: at Badarī (Badarikāśrama)
• बदर्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बदरी
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• मधुसूदन: O Madhusūdana (Krishna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुसूदन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अतिष्ठत्: stood
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• एकपादेन: on/with one foot
• एकपादेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकपाद
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• वायुभक्षः: air-eating; living on air
• वायुभक्षः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायुभक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• समाः: years
• समाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Krishna (Madhusūdana)
• Badarī (Badarikā region/āśrama)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tapas (austerity) as a disciplined, long-term commitment—endurance, restraint, and single-pointed resolve are presented as means to spiritual attainment and inner strength.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa and recounts an extreme ascetic practice performed at Badarī: standing on one foot with arms raised, living only on air for a hundred years, emphasizing the intensity of his penance.