Shloka 3
मनुरुवाच — इन्द्रिय-मनः-ज्ञान-क्रमः
Manu on the hierarchy of senses, mind, and knowledge
जापकानां फलावाप्तिं श्रोतुमिच्छामि भारत । किंफलं जपतामुक्तं क्व वा तिष्ठन्ति जापका:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | jāpākānāṃ phalāvāptiṃ śrotum icchāmi bhārata | kiṃphalaṃ japatām uktaṃ kva vā tiṣṭhanti jāpakāḥ || bhīṣma uvāca | rājan sāvadhānaḥ śṛṇu jāpākānāṃ gatiṃ prabho | yathoktapūrvaṃ yaḥ pūrvaṃ na anutiṣṭhati jāpakaḥ | ekadeśakriyaś cātra nirayaṃ sa ca gacchati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Bhārata, ich möchte hören, wie die Japa-Übenden ihre Frucht erlangen. Welche Frucht wird für jene verkündet, die die heilige Formel wiederholen, und in welchen Welten verweilen die Japa-Praktizierenden?“ Bhīṣma erwiderte: „O König, höre aufmerksam zu, während ich das Geschick der Japa-Übenden beschreibe. Wer zwar Jāpaka genannt wird, aber die zuvor vorgeschriebene Disziplin nicht befolgt—hier nur eine teilweise Observanz vollzieht—der geht zur Hölle.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Japa is not merely mechanical repetition; it must be performed in accordance with the prescribed discipline. Claiming the status of a jāpaka while observing only a fragment of the rules leads to negative karmic consequences, described here as falling into niraya.
Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma about the fruits and destinations of those who practice japa. Bhīṣma begins his reply by warning that a practitioner who does not follow the earlier-stated rules fully, and performs only partial observances, meets an unfortunate post-mortem fate.