Shloka 100

Devanagari script

शाकल्य: संशितात्मा वै नववर्षशतान्यपि । आराधयामास भवं मनोयज्ञेन केशव,केशव! शाकल्य ऋषिके मनमें सदा संशय बना रहता था। उन्होंने मनोमय यज्ञ (ध्यान)-के द्वारा भगवान्‌ शिवकी नौ सौ वर्षोतक आराधना की

Transliteration

Śākalyaḥ saṁśitātmā vai navavarṣaśatāny api | ārādhayāmāsa bhavaṁ manoyajñena Keśava ||

Translation

婆苏提婆说道：“噢，克沙瓦啊，圣者沙迦利耶——坚定而自持——以心中之祭（意祭、manoyajña）礼敬婆婆（湿婆），并将此奉持延续了整整九百年。此段彰显持久内在修持的道德力量：真正的礼拜不止于外在仪轨，而在于专注的意向、克制与不移的恒忍。”

Word by Word

• शाकल्यः: Śākalya (the sage)
• शाकल्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाकल्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• संशितात्मा: one whose self is disciplined/controlled
• संशितात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संशितात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• नव: nine
• नव: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• वर्षशतानि: hundreds of years (i.e., year-centuries)
• वर्षशतानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्षशत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• अपि: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• आराधयामास: worshipped/propitiated
• Type: Verb
• Root: आराध्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic Perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भवम्: Bhava (Śiva)
• भवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मनोयज्ञेन: by a mental sacrifice (worship by meditation)
• मनोयज्ञेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनोयज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• केशव: O Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• केशव: O Keśava!
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)
• Śākalya (ṛṣi)
• Bhava (Śiva)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that sustained inner discipline and mental worship (manoyajña) can be a profound form of devotion. Ethical strength is shown through perseverance, self-control, and concentrated intention rather than reliance only on outward ritual.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), addressing Keśava, recounts how the sage Śākalya devotedly propitiated Bhava (Śiva) for nine hundred years through an inward, meditative ‘sacrifice of the mind,’ emphasizing the power of long-term tapas and devotion.