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

ਹੇ ਮਧੁਸੂਦਨ! ਵਿਸ਼ਾਲ ਬਦਰੀ-ਵਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਬਾਂਹਾਂ ਉੱਪਰ ਚੁੱਕ ਕੇ, ਕੇਵਲ ਵਾਯੂ ਨੂੰ ਆਹਾਰ ਬਣਾ ਕੇ, ਇੱਕ ਪੈਰ ਉੱਤੇ ਖੜ੍ਹੇ ਰਹਿ ਕੇ ਸੌ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਤਪ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਡੋਲ ਰਹੇ।

Word by Word

ऊर्ध्वबाहुःwith arms raised upward

विशालायाम्in Viśālā (city/region)

बदर्याम्at Badarī (Badarikāśrama)

मधुसूदनO Madhusūdana (Krishna)

अतिष्ठत्stood

एकपादेनon/with one foot

वायुभक्षःair-eating; living on air

शतम्a hundred

समाःyears

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Krishna (Madhusūdana)

Badarī (Badarikā region/āśrama)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

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.