एवमुक्त्वा ततः सोऽपि तपश्चक्रे महामुनिः । एकांतरोपवासस्तु स्थितो वर्षशतं मुनिः । षष्ठान्नकालभोजी च तावत्काले ततोऽभवत्
evamuktvā tataḥ so'pi tapaścakre mahāmuniḥ | ekāṃtaropavāsastu sthito varṣaśataṃ muniḥ | ṣaṣṭhānnakālabhojī ca tāvatkāle tato'bhavat
Setelah berkata demikian, mahāmuni itu pun menjalankan pertapaan. Selama seratus tahun sang muni berteguh dalam upavāsa selang sehari; kemudian, untuk tempoh yang sama, beliau hidup dengan makan hanya pada sela hidangan yang keenam (yakni setelah jarak yang panjang dan teratur).
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; speaker not explicit in verse)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A solitary mahāmuni in a forested tīrtha precinct, seated in padmāsana, counting days of alternate fasting; sparse hut, kusa grass, water pot, and a calm riverbank or sacred grove implied.
Long, regulated austerity—performed with steadiness—prepares the seeker for sacred revelation.
The austerity is undertaken to reveal Hāṭakeśvara, the tīrtha-deity central to this chapter’s māhātmya.
Ekāntaropavāsa (alternate-day fasting) and a strict regulated eating schedule (ṣaṣṭhānnakālabhojī) are described.