Shloka 39
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
इन्दुब्रतसहस्र॑ तु यश्चरेत् कायशोधनम् । पिबेद् यश्चापि गज्भाम्भ: समौ स्यातां न वा समौ,जो शरीरको शुद्ध करनेवाले एक सहस्र चान्द्रायण व्रतोंका अनुष्ठान करता है और जो केवल गड़ाजल पीता है, वे दोनों समान ही हैं अथवा यह भी हो सकता है कि दोनों समान नहों (गड़ाजल पीनेवाला बढ़ जाय)
induvrata-sahasraṁ tu yaś caret kāya-śodhanam | pibed yaś cāpi gaṅgāmbhaḥ samau syātāṁ na vā samau ||
Disse o Siddha: “Uma pessoa pode cumprir mil votos expiatórios lunares (Cāndrāyaṇa) para purificar o corpo; outra pode simplesmente beber as águas do Gaṅgā. Os dois podem ser tidos por iguais—ou pode até ser que não o sejam, e que beber a água do Gaṅgā supere o outro.”
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse weighs elaborate bodily/ritual penance against the sanctifying power attributed to Gaṅgā-water, suggesting that sincere contact with a sacred purifier may equal—or even exceed—extensive austerities.
A Siddha is instructing about comparative religious merit: he contrasts performing many Cāndrāyaṇa vows for bodily purification with the act of drinking Gaṅgā-water, and he leaves open (or emphasizes) the possibility that the latter is superior.