Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 50
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
उपासते यथा बाला मातर क्षुधयार्दिता: । श्रेयस्कामास्तथा गड़ामुपासन्तीह देहिन:
upāsate yathā bālā mātaraṁ kṣudhayārditāḥ | śreyaskāmās tathā gaḍāṁ upāsantīha dehinaḥ ||
Le Siddha dit : « De même que des enfants, tourmentés par la faim, se réfugient auprès de leur mère, ainsi les êtres incarnés en ce monde — désireux du vrai bien — cherchent refuge par le culte rendu à Gaḍā. »
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Those who seek śreyas (true and lasting welfare) naturally turn toward a trusted refuge; devotion is portrayed as an instinctive movement toward protection and nourishment, like a hungry child seeking its mother.
A Siddha delivers an illustrative comparison: the way hunger drives children to their mother, the longing for well-being drives embodied beings to worship and seek support in Gaḍā within the world.