Shloka 74
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
दिवि ज्योतिर्यथा5<दित्य: पितृणां चैव चन्द्रमा: । देवेशश्व॒ तथा नृणां गज्ञा च सरिता तथा
divi jyotir yathādityaḥ pitṝṇāṃ caiva candramāḥ | deveśaś ca tathā nṝṇāṃ rājā ca saritāṃ tathā gaṅgā ||
Sebagaimana di surga sinar Matahari paling utama; sebagaimana di antara para Pitṛ Bulan yang terdepan; dan sebagaimana di antara manusia raja maharaja yang tertinggi—demikian pula di antara segala sungai, Gaṅgā adalah yang terbaik.
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms that dharma recognizes exemplary standards within each sphere—Sun in the heavens, Moon among the ancestors, the sovereign among humans—and similarly honors Gaṅgā as the foremost river, encouraging reverence for what is spiritually and culturally pre-eminent.
A Siddha is speaking in a didactic context, offering comparative praise to establish Gaṅgā’s supremacy among rivers by analogy with universally acknowledged ‘best’ figures in other realms.