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: “Dengarlah keutamaan yang terperinci serta keluasan pahala bagi perbuatan sedekah itu. Dengan pemberian itu, orang tersebut—di dunia ini juga—seakan-akan telah menyempurnakan suatu 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.