Shloka 52
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
यथोपजीविनां धेनुर्देवादीनां धरा स्मृता । तथोपजीविनां गज्जा सर्वप्राणभृतामिह
yathopajīvināṁ dhenur devādīnāṁ dharā smṛtā | tathopajīvināṁ gaṅgā sarva-prāṇabhṛtām iha ||
Kung paanong ang Daigdig ay inaalala na parang isang baka para sa mga nabubuhay sa kanyang mga kaloob—kaya iginagalang ng mga diyos at ng iba pa—gayundin sa mundong ito, ang Gaṅgā ay dapat igalang ng lahat ng nilalang na umaalalay at nagtataguyod ng buhay.
सिद्ध उवाच
Educational Q&A
To honor and protect life-sustaining sources: the Earth, like a nourishing cow, and the Gaṅgā, as a beneficent support for living beings. Reverence here implies ethical restraint, gratitude, and responsible conduct toward nature and sacred waters.
A Siddha delivers an instructive comparison: as dependents revere the Earth for sustaining them, so all living beings should revere the Gaṅgā. The verse functions as a moral-ritual endorsement of Gaṅgā’s sanctity within the Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic discourse.