Shloka 17

Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness

Nivātakavaca engagement

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वबाहुश्नतुर्थ तु मासमस्मि स्थितस्तदा । नच मे हीयते प्राणस्तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्‌,इसी प्रकार मैंने दूसरा महीना भी केवल जल पीकर बिताया। पाण्डवनन्दन! तीसरे महीनेमें मैं पूर्णतः निराहार रहा। चौथे महीनेमें मैं ऊपरको हाथ उठाये खड़ा रहा। इतनेपर भी मेरा बल क्षीण नहीं हुआ, यह एक आश्वर्यकी-सी बात हुई

Transliteration

ūrdhvabāhuś caturthaṁ tu māsam asmi sthitas tadā | na ca me hīyate prāṇas tad adbhutam ivābhavat ||

Translation

நான்காம் மாதத்தில் நான் கைகளை மேலே உயர்த்தி நின்றேன்; ஆனாலும் என் உயிர்வலிமை குறையவில்லை—அது அதிசயமெனத் தோன்றியது.

Word by Word

• {'ūrdhva': 'upward, raised', 'bāhu': 'arm', 'ūrdhvabāhuḥ': 'with arms raised upward (a posture of austerity)', 'caturtham': 'the fourth', 'tu': 'indeed, but (emphatic particle)', 'māsam': 'month', 'asmi': 'I am / I remained', 'sthitaḥ': 'standing, stationed, remaining', 'tadā': 'then, at that time', 'na': 'not', 'ca': 'and', 'me': 'my', 'hīyate': 'diminishes, wanes', 'prāṇaḥ': 'vital breath

• vitality', 'tat': 'that', 'adbhutam': 'wonderful, astonishing', 'iva': 'as if, like', 'abhavat': 'became, occurred'}

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tapas—disciplined endurance and control of body and mind—as a means to build inner power and steadiness. Ethically, it points to austerity as valuable when aligned with dharma and sincere purpose, not as mere display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna is recounting the intensity of his ascetic observance: during the fourth month he maintained the difficult posture of standing with arms raised, and despite the hardship his vitality did not decline, which he describes as astonishing.