Shloka 5
Adhyāya 188: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of Yuga-Decline and the Restoration Motif
Kali-yuga to Kalki
अवाक्शिरास्तथा चापि नेत्रैरनिमिषैर्दढम् । सो5तप्यत तपो घोर वर्षाणामयुतं तदा,महाराज! उसने बदरिकाश्रममें जाकर दोनों बाँहें ऊपर उठाये एक पैरसे खड़ा हो दस हजार वर्षोतक बड़ी भारी तपस्या की। उस समय उसका सिर नीचेकी ओर झुका हुआ था और वह एकटक नेत्रोंसे निरन्तर देखता रहता था। इस प्रकार बड़ी दृढ़ताके साथ उस बालकने घोर तप किया
avākśirās tathā cāpi netrair animiṣair dṛḍham | so 'tapyata tapo ghoraṁ varṣāṇām ayutaṁ tadā ||
Disse Mārkaṇḍeya: “Com a cabeça inclinada para baixo e os olhos firmes, sem pestanejar, ele praticou uma austeridade feroz com determinação inabalável. Assim, naquele tempo, empreendeu uma terrível penitência por dez mil anos.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas as disciplined endurance: unwavering concentration, bodily restraint, and long-term perseverance are portrayed as ethically elevating practices that support spiritual power and inner mastery.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes an ascetic figure undertaking severe penance—head lowered, eyes unblinking, resolute—continuing this intense practice for ten thousand years.