Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 8
Manvantara Enumerations Begin: Svāyambhuva’s Austerity, Yajñapati’s Protection, and the Avatāras up to Hari
Gajendra Prelude
सुनन्दायां वर्षशतं पदैकेन भुवं स्पृशन् । तप्यमानस्तपो घोरमिदमन्वाह भारत ॥ ८ ॥
sunandāyāṁ varṣa-śataṁ padaikena bhuvaṁ spṛśan tapyamānas tapo ghoram idam anvāha bhārata
Ó descendente de Bharata, após entrar na floresta, Svāyambhuva Manu permaneceu à margem do rio Sunandā, tocando a terra com apenas uma perna, e por cem anos praticou severa austeridade. Enquanto se austerava, disse o seguinte.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments that the word anvāha means that he chanted or murmured to himself, not that he lectured to anyone.
FAQs
This verse describes extreme tapasya—standing for a hundred years while touching the earth with only one foot—showing the intensity with which a seeker may perform penance before speaking or receiving divine revelation.
Śukadeva uses “Bhārata” as an honorific for Parīkṣit, identifying him as a descendant of Bharata and signaling respectful, instructive narration in the Bhagavatam’s teacher-disciple dialogue.
Rather than extreme physical austerity, one can adopt disciplined restraint—steady daily sādhanā, truthfulness, regulated habits, and devotion—so that one’s words and actions arise from purification and focus.