Shloka 168

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

«បន្ទាប់មក ខ្ញុំបានពឹងផ្អែកលើតបស្យា ហើយបានធ្វើឲ្យព្រះសង្ករ (Śaṅkara) ពេញព្រះហឫទ័យ។ អស់ពេលមួយពាន់ឆ្នាំពេញ ខ្ញុំឈរលើតែចុងម្រាមជើងមេឆ្វេងប៉ុណ្ណោះ»។

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.