Shloka 58
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
हंसारावै: कोकरवै रवैरन्यैश्व पक्षिणाम् । पस्पर्थ गज गन्धर्वान् पुलिनैश्व शिलोच्चयान्,हंसोंकी मीठी वाणी, चक्रवाकोंके सुमधुर शब्द तथा अन्यान्य पक्षियोंके कलरवोंद्वारा गंगाजी गन्धर्वोंसे होड़ लगाती हैं तथा अपने ऊँचे-ऊँचे तटोंद्वारा पर्वतोंके साथ स्पर्धा करती हैं
haṃsārāvaiḥ kokaravaiḥ ravair anyaiś ca pakṣiṇām | paspartha gaṅgā gandharvān pulinaiś ca śiloccayān ||
The river Gaṅgā, with the calls of swans, the sweet cries of cakravāka-birds, and the varied songs of other birds, seems to vie with the Gandharvas themselves; and with her lofty sandbanks and riverbanks she appears to compete with rocky mountain-heights.
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excellence need not be expressed through force: Gaṅgā’s ‘competition’ is through sweetness of sound and dignified grandeur. The verse implicitly praises refined qualities—harmony, restraint, and elevating beauty—as ethically superior modes of greatness.
A Siddha poetically describes the Gaṅgā: her banks and sandbars look like mountain-heights, and the chorus of swans, cakravākas, and other birds makes her seem to rival the celestial Gandharvas famed for music.