Shloka 103

मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः

Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities

Devanagari script

शिलवृत्तिस्तु सिद्धस्य वाक्यै: सम्बोधितस्तदा | गड़ामुपास्य विधिवत्‌ सिद्धि प्राप सुदुर्लभाम्‌

Transliteration

śilavṛttis tu siddhasya vākyaiḥ sambodhitas tadā | gaṅgām upāsya vidhivat siddhiṁ prāpa sudurlabhām ||

Translation

تب شِلوَورتّی سے گزر بسر کرنے والے اُس برہمن نے سِدھ کے کلمات سے تعلیم پا کر گنگا کی باقاعدہ طریقے سے عبادت کی اور نہایت نایاب سِدھی حاصل کر لی۔

Word by Word

• शिलवृत्तिः: one whose livelihood is by stone-work / stone-cutting (name/epithet)
• शिलवृत्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिलवृत्ति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सिद्धस्य: of the Siddha / of the accomplished one
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वाक्यैः: with words, by statements
• वाक्यैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• सम्बोधितः: addressed, instructed
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-बुध्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• तदा: then, at that time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• गङ्गाम्: Ganga (the river-goddess)
• गङ्गाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• उपास्य: having worshipped
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आस्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund)

• विधिवत्: according to rule, duly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत्

• सिद्धिम्: attainment, supernatural accomplishment
• सिद्धिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• प्राप: attained, obtained
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सुदुर्लभाम्: very difficult to obtain
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदुर्लभ
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• a Siddha (perfected sage)
• a Śilavṛtti Brahmin (ascetic householder/renunciant living by gleaning)
• Gaṅgā (Ganges)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even an extremely simple, disciplined life (śilavṛtti) can culminate in rare spiritual success when guided by the instruction of the realized (siddha) and practiced with proper, rule-bound devotion (vidhivat upāsanā), here directed to the sacred Gaṅgā.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma recounts that a Brahmin living by gleaning grains was instructed by a siddha; after learning the greatness of Gaṅgā, he worshipped her according to prescribed rites and thereby attained a very rare siddhi.