Shloka 57

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

अथैवं वदतो मे5द्य वचनं न करिष्यसि । महानधर्मो भविता तव राजन्‌ मृषा कृत:,राजन! यदि इस तरह स्पष्ट बात करनेपर भी आप आज मेरे वचनका पालन नहीं करेंगे तो आपको असत्यका महान्‌ पाप लगेगा

Transliteration

athaivaṁ vadato me 'dya vacanaṁ na kariṣyasi | mahān adharmo bhavitā tava rājan mṛṣā-kṛtaḥ ||

Translation

Der Brāhmane sprach: „Wenn du, selbst nachdem ich heute so klar zu dir gesprochen habe, meine Bitte nicht erfüllst, dann, o König, wird eine schwere Verletzung des Dharma auf dich fallen — die große Sünde, meine Worte zur Lüge gemacht zu haben.“

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• एवम्: thus/in this manner
• एवम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• वदतः: of (me) speaking/saying
• वदतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• मे: of me/my
• मे: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य

• वचनम्: word/command
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• करिष्यसि: you will do/you will comply
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Simple Future (लृट्), Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• महान्: great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अधर्मः: unrighteousness/sin
• अधर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भविता: will be/will become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: periphrastic future agent noun (भवितृ-), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तव: of you/for you
• तव: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मृषा: falsely/untruly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मृषा

• कृतः: done/made
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (a brāhmaṇa speaker)
• राजन् (a king, addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must honor truthful speech and commitments; refusing a just request after hearing it clearly turns the speaker’s words into “falsehood” and becomes a serious adharma. The verse stresses ethical responsibility for making one’s word effective through action.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa addresses a king directly and warns him: if the king does not comply with the brāhmaṇa’s stated instruction/request even after clear explanation, the king will incur a great moral fault—specifically the blame of rendering the brāhmaṇa’s words futile or false.