Shloka 40
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
तिछेद् युगसहस्न॑ तु पदेनैकेन यः पुमान् । मासमेकं तु गज्जायां समौ स्यातां न वा समौ,जो पुरुष एक हजार युगोंतक एक पैरसे खड़ा होकर तपस्या करता है और जो एक मासतक गड़ातटपर निवास करता है, वे दोनों समान हो सकते हैं अथवा यह भी सम्भव है कि समान न हों
tiṣṭhed yuga-sahasraṁ tu padenaikena yaḥ pumān | māsam ekaṁ tu gaṅgāyāṁ samau syātāṁ na vā samau ||
The Siddha said: “A man may stand performing austerities on one foot for a thousand yugas; another may dwell for a single month on the bank of the Gaṅgā. These two may be equal in spiritual merit—or they may not be equal.”
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions that spiritual merit is not judged solely by the external magnitude of austerity; a shorter practice connected with a sacred context (like residence by the Gaṅgā) may equal—or even surpass—long, severe penance depending on inner purity, intention, and dharmic conduct.
A Siddha is speaking and presents a comparison between two religious acts—extreme long-term tapas on one foot and a month-long stay by the Gaṅgā—stating that their results may or may not be equal, thereby prompting reflection on what truly determines spiritual fruit.