देवदेवे गते तस्मिन् सोऽङ्गुष्ठाग्रनिपीडिताम्। कृत्वा वसुमतीं राम संवत्सरमुपासत।।1.43.1।।
Meaning
Rama, when the god of gods had departed, Bhagiratha, pressing the earth with the tip of his big toe, remained thus for a year.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| deva-deve gate tasmin | देव-देवे गते तस्मिन् | when that god of gods had gone | Locative absolute |
| saḥ aṅguṣṭha-agra-nipīḍitām | सः अङ्गुष्ठ-अग्र-निपीडिताम् | he, having pressed with the tip of his toe | Nominative / Accusative |
| kṛtvā vasumatīm rāma | कृत्वा वसुमतीम् राम | having pressed the earth, O Rama | Gerund / Accusative / Vocative |
| saṃvatsaram upāsata | संवत्सरम् उपासत | worshipped for a year | Accusative / Verb (imperfect, middle) |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source describes the intensity of this penance: Bhagiratha stood on the tip of one big toe with unwavering intent and bodily stillness, hands raised in prayer, for a full year of day and night, sustaining himself on nothing but air, and it was this concentrated yogic effort itself that pressed upon and stressed the earth.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.43.1 · Bāla Kāṇḍa