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
tiṣṭhed yuga-sahasraṁ tu padenaikena yaḥ pumān | māsam ekaṁ tu gaṅgāyāṁ samau syātāṁ na vā samau ||
Le Siddha dit : «Un homme peut pratiquer l’ascèse, debout sur un seul pied, durant mille yuga ; un autre peut demeurer un seul mois sur la rive du Gaṅgā. Les deux peuvent être égaux en mérite—ou bien ne pas l’être.»
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.