Shloka 86

Yoga-Sleep, Cosmic Dissolution, and the Lotus of Creation

with Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vision

Devanagari script

बहुवर्षसहस्रायुस्तस्यैव वरतेजसः । अटंस्तीर्थप्रसंगेन पृथिवीतीर्थगोचरः

Transliteration

bahuvarṣasahasrāyustasyaiva varatejasaḥ | aṭaṃstīrthaprasaṃgena pṛthivītīrthagocaraḥ

Translation

ഉത്തമ തേജസ്സാൽ യുക്തനായ അവൻ ആയിരമായിരം വർഷങ്ങൾ ജീവിച്ചു; തീർത്ഥയാത്രയുടെ നിമിത്തത്തിൽ ഭൂമിയിലെ പുണ്യ തീർത്ഥസ്ഥാനങ്ങളിൽ സഞ്ചരിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• bahu-varṣa-sahasra-āyuḥ: long-lived (many-thousand-years lifespan)
• bahu-varṣa-sahasra-āyuḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); adjective to (mahāmuniḥ) meaning 'having lifespan of many thousands of years'

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• vara-tejasaḥ: of (his) excellent splendor
• vara-tejasaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/attribute)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन); 'of excellent splendor/power'

• aṭan: wandering
• aṭan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aṭ (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• tīrtha-prasaṅgena: on the pretext of visiting holy places
• tīrtha-prasaṅgena: Hetu (हेतु/कारण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + prasaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); 'by occasion/pretext of pilgrimage-sites'

• pṛthivī-tīrtha-gocaraḥ: ranging over the earth’s holy places
• pṛthivī-tīrtha-gocaraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + gocara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); 'whose range is the earth’s tīrthas'

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; specific dialogue speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: bahuvarṣasahasrāyuḥ is a multi-member tatpuruṣa; aṭan is from aṭ+śatṛ; pṛthivī+tīrtha+gocaraḥ compounded.

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography of sacred Tirthas?

It presents the earth (pṛthivī) as a continuous field of tīrthas—places worthy of pilgrimage—suggesting a network of sacred sites across regions rather than holiness confined to one locale.

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti?

By highlighting tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) as a sustained religious practice over a long life, it supports the devotional culture where visiting sacred places becomes a recurring act of reverence and remembrance.

What is the ethical lesson from this dialogue?

The verse implies disciplined spiritual effort over time: using one’s long life and vitality to pursue dharmic aims—such as pilgrimage and association with sanctifying places—rather than mere worldly wandering.