Shloka 4
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
ब्राह्मणो जापकः कश्रिद् धर्मवृत्तो महायशा: । षडड्विन्महाप्राज्ञ: पैप्पलादि: स कौशिक:
bhīṣma uvāca | brāhmaṇo jāpakaḥ kaścid dharmavṛtto mahāyaśāḥ | ṣaḍ-aṅga-vid mahāprājñaḥ paippalādiḥ sa kauśikaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Near the Himalayan foothills there lived a certain Brahmin of great renown—steadfast in righteous conduct and devoted to the discipline of sacred recitation. He was profoundly wise, a master of the six auxiliaries of the Veda, and belonged to the Kauśika lineage; he was known as Paippalādi, the son of Pippalāda.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds an ideal of dharma embodied in a learned life: true authority in sacred knowledge is joined to disciplined practice (japa) and righteous conduct (dharmavṛtta). Lineage and scholarship are presented as supports for ethical living, not as mere status.
Bhishma introduces a renowned Brahmin living near the Himalayan foothills, identifying him by his spiritual practice (japa), his mastery of the six Vedāṅgas, and his lineage (Kauśika), naming him Paippalādi, son of Pippalāda—setting the stage for a didactic episode centered on dharma.