Shloka 23
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
ब्राह्मण उवाच कि नु लोकैहिं मे धर्म गच्छ त्वं च यथासुखम् । बहुदुःखसुखं देहं नोत्सूजेयमहं विभो,ब्राह्मणने कहा--धर्म! मुझे उन लोकोंको लेकर क्या करना है? आप सुखपूर्वक यहाँसे अपने स्थानको पधारिये। प्रभो! मैंने इस शरीरके साथ बहुत दुःख और सुख उठाया है; अत: इसका त्याग नहीं कर सकता
brāhmaṇa uvāca | kiṃ nu lokaiḥ me dharma gaccha tvaṃ ca yathāsukham | bahuduḥkhasukhaṃ dehaṃ notsṛjeyam ahaṃ vibho ||
Der Brāhmaṇa sprach: „Dharma, wozu taugen mir jene Welten? Geh von hier in Ruhe deinen Weg, wie es dir beliebt. O Mächtiger, mit diesem Leib habe ich viel Leid und viel Freude getragen; darum kann ich ihn nicht aufgeben.“
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological stance: the speaker values embodied experience and personal responsibility over promised “worlds” (posthumous rewards). Having endured both pain and pleasure through the body, he refuses to discard it merely for reward, implying that dharma is not only about attaining higher realms but also about honoring lived commitments and the reality of embodied life.
In a dialogue where Dharma appears as an addressed presence, the Brāhmaṇa responds to an offer or inducement connected with “worlds” (lokas). He dismisses the offer, tells Dharma to depart as he wishes, and declares he will not abandon his body because it has been the vehicle of his many experiences of suffering and happiness.