FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.6

మైత్రేయ ఉవాచ ప్రజా: సృజేతి భగవాన్ కర్దమో బ్రహ్మణోదిత: । సరస్వత్యాం తపస్తేపే సహస్రాణాం సమా దశ ॥ ౬ ॥
maitreya uvāca
[maitreya uvaacha]
prajāḥ sṛjeti bhagavān
[prajaah srijeti bhagavaan]
kardamo brahmaṇoditaḥ
[kardamo brahmanoditah]
sarasvatyāṁ tapas tepe
[sarasvatyaam tapas tepe]
sahasrāṇāṁ samā daśa
[sahasraanaam samaa dasha]
maitreyaḥ uvāca — the great sage Maitreya said prajāḥ — children sṛja — beget iti — thus bhagavān — the worshipful kardamaḥ — Kardama Muni brahmaṇā — by Lord Brahmā uditaḥ — commanded sarasvatyām — on the bank of the river Sarasvatī tapaḥ — penance tepe — practiced sahasrāṇām — of thousands samāḥ — years daśa — ten.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
maitreya uvāca
maitreyaḥ uvāca
the great sage Maitreya said
prajāḥ sṛjeti bhagavān
prajāḥ
children
sṛja
beget
kardamo brahmaṇoditaḥ
iti
thus
bhagavān
the worshipful
kardamaḥ
Kardama Muni
brahmaṇā
by Lord Brahmā
uditaḥ
commanded
sarasvatyāṁ tapas tepe
sarasvatyām
on the bank of the river Sarasvatī
tapaḥ
penance
tepe
practiced
sahasrāṇāṁ samā daśa
sahasrāṇām
of thousands
samāḥ
years
daśa
ten.
The great sage Maitreya replied: Commanded by Lord Brahmā to beget children in the worlds, the worshipful Kardama Muni practiced penance on the bank of the river Sarasvatī for a period of ten thousand years.

It is understood herein that Kardama Muni meditated in yoga for ten thousand years before attaining perfection. Similarly, we have information that Vālmīki Muni also practiced yoga meditation for sixty thousand years before attaining perfection. Therefore, yoga practice can be successfully performed by persons who have a very long duration of life, such as one hundred thousand years; in that way it is possible to have perfection in yoga. Otherwise, there is no possibility of attaining the real perfection. Following the regulations, controlling the senses and practicing the different sitting postures are merely the preliminary practices. We do not know how people can be captivated by the bogus yoga system in which it is stated that simply by meditating fifteen minutes daily one can attain the perfection of becoming one with God. This age (Kali-yuga) is the age of bluffing and quarrel. Actually there is no possibility of attaining yoga perfection by such paltry proposals. The Vedic literature, for emphasis, clearly states three times that in this Age of Kali — kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva — there is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative than harer nāma, chanting the holy name of the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Maitreya said: O dear Vidura! When Brahmā said to Kardama “Produce progeny” Kardama went to the bank of the Sarasvatī River and performed penance for ten thousand years. Samāḥ means years.
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