Shloka 13

Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

सिक्‍त्वामृतेन तं विप्रं गौतमं जीवयत्‌ तदा । 'पुरुषप्रवर! उसके अनुरोधको स्वीकार करके इन्द्र-देवने गौतम ब्राह्मगको भी अमृत छिड़ककर जिला दिया ।। सभाण्डोपस्करं राजंस्तमासाद्य बकाधिप:

Transliteration

siktvāmṛtena taṃ vipraṃ gautamaṃ jīvayat tadā |

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Daraufhin besprengte Indra ihn mit amṛta und erweckte den Brahmanen Gautama wieder zum Leben. So ehrte Indra die an ihn gerichtete Bitte, wahrte die Pflicht, einen würdigen Weisen zu schützen, und bekräftigte erneut die Ehrfurcht vor der brahmanischen Heiligkeit.“

Word by Word

• सिक्त्वा: having sprinkled
• सिक्त्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिच्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage-neutral for ktvā), non-finite

• अमृतेन: with nectar
• अमृतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• तम्: him/that
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• विप्रम्: the brahmin, sage
• विप्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• गौतमम्: Gautama
• गौतमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• जीवयत्: revived/made (him) live
• जीवयत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव्
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), parasmaipada, 3rd, singular, causative (णिच्)

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Indra
• Gautama
• amṛta (nectar of immortality)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma as reverence and protection toward a worthy brāhmaṇa: even a powerful deity like Indra responds to a righteous request and restores life, underscoring compassion and the safeguarding of spiritual merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra, accepting a request, sprinkles amṛta and revives the brāhmaṇa-sage Gautama. Bhishma narrates this as an example of dharmic conduct and divine support for the virtuous.