Shloka 103

Devanagari script

शिलवृत्तिस्तु सिद्धस्य वाक्यै: सम्बोधितस्तदा | गड़ामुपास्य विधिवत्‌ सिद्धि प्राप सुदुर्लभाम्‌,वह शिलोज्छतवृत्तिवाला ब्राह्मण सिद्धके उपदेशसे गंगाजीके माहात्म्यको जानकर उनकी विधिवत्‌ उपासना करके परम दुर्लभ सिद्धिको प्राप्त हुआ

Transliteration

śilavṛttis tu siddhasya vākyaiḥ sambodhitas tadā | gaṅgām upāsya vidhivat siddhiṁ prāpa sudurlabhām ||

Translation

Then the Brahmin who lived by śilavṛtti, instructed by the words of the perfected sage, duly worshipped the river Gaṅgā; and through that disciplined devotion he attained a very rare siddhi.

Word by Word

शिलवृत्तिःone whose livelihood is by stone-work / stone-cutting (name/epithet)

तुbut, indeed

सिद्धस्यof the Siddha / of the accomplished one

वाक्यैःwith words, by statements

सम्बोधितःaddressed, instructed

तदाthen, at that time

गङ्गाम्Ganga (the river-goddess)

उपास्यhaving worshipped

विधिवत्according to rule, duly

सिद्धिम्attainment, supernatural accomplishment

प्रापattained, obtained

सुदुर्लभाम्very difficult to obtain

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

a Siddha (perfected sage)

a Śilavṛtti Brahmin (ascetic householder/renunciant living by gleaning)

Gaṅgā (Ganges)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even an extremely simple, disciplined life (śilavṛtti) can culminate in rare spiritual success when guided by the instruction of the realized (siddha) and practiced with proper, rule-bound devotion (vidhivat upāsanā), here directed to the sacred Gaṅgā.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma recounts that a Brahmin living by gleaning grains was instructed by a siddha; after learning the greatness of Gaṅgā, he worshipped her according to prescribed rites and thereby attained a very rare siddhi.