Shloka 24
Kurukṣetra–Samantapañcaka Māhātmya: King Kuru’s Ploughing and Indra’s Boon (प्रजापतेरुत्तरवेदिः समन्तपञ्चकं)
समयेन तपोडर्ध च कृच्छात् प्रतिगृहीतवान् | साधयित्वा तदा5>त्मानं तस्या: स गतिमन्वियात्
samayena tapo 'rdhaṃ ca kṛcchrāt pratigṛhītavān | sādhayitvā tadātmānaṃ tasyāḥ sa gatim anviyāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In due course, and only with hardship, he accepted half of the austerity (that was due). Then, having disciplined and perfected himself, he followed her course—attaining the same destiny as hers. The passage underscores that spiritual merit is not seized lightly: it is received according to proper time and effort, and true attainment requires inner self-mastery rather than mere claim.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit and spiritual progress are gained in the right time and through genuine effort; even when a share of austerity is received, the decisive factor is self-perfection—disciplining oneself—after which one can attain the same destined state.
The narrator states that a person, after a period of time and with difficulty, receives half of an austerity/merit, and then—having completed inner discipline—follows 'her' destiny, i.e., reaches the same course or final state as that woman.