Shloka 37
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
श्रूयतां तस्य दानस्य यादृशो गुणविस्तर: । कृतं तेन महच्छाद्धं वर्षाणीह त्रयोदश
śrūyatāṁ tasya dānasya yādṛśo guṇavistaraḥ | kṛtaṁ tena mahācchāddhaṁ varṣāṇīha trayodaśa ||
Viśvāmitra berkata: “Dengarkanlah keluasan keutamaan dan kemuliaan dari sedekah itu. Dengan pemberian itu, orang tersebut di dunia ini seakan telah menunaikan śrāddha agung bagi para Pitṛ selama tiga belas tahun.”
विश्वामित्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that a properly directed act of charity connected with ancestral duty (pitṛ-kārya) carries an extensive, measurable spiritual efficacy: it can be equivalent to performing major śrāddha-observances over a long span (here, thirteen years).
Viśvāmitra continues an instruction on the fruits of a specific kind of gift. He calls the audience to listen and declares the result: the giver’s single act is credited as having completed a great śrāddha for the ancestors for thirteen years.