Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 53
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
देवा: सोमार्कसंस्थानि यथा सत्रादिभिर्मखै: । अमृतान्युपजीवन्ति तथा गज्ाजलं नस:
devāḥ somārkasaṁsthāni yathā satrādibhir makhaiḥ | amṛtāny upajīvanti tathā gaṅgājalaṁ naraḥ ||
ਜਿਵੇਂ ਦੇਵਤਾ ਸਤਰ ਆਦਿ ਯੱਗਾਂ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਚੰਦ੍ਰਮਾ ਤੇ ਸੂਰਜ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੱਸਦੇ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦੇ ਆਸਰੇ ਜੀਵਨ ਨਿਭਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ, ਤਿਵੇਂ ਹੀ ਇਸ ਸੰਸਾਰ ਦੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਗੰਗਾ-ਜਲ ਦੇ ਸਹਾਰੇ ਜੀਵਨ ਚਲਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ।
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates Gaṅgā-water as a life-sustaining sacred support for humans, paralleling how the gods are sustained by amṛta accessed through sacrificial discipline; it links human well-being to reverence for sacred sources and dharmic practice.
A Siddha is explaining, by analogy, the dependence of beings on sanctified sources: gods rely on amṛta associated with the Moon and Sun through rites like satras, while humans rely on the Gaṅgā’s water—implying its exceptional sanctity and value.