Shloka 5
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
तस्यापरोक्षं विज्ञानं षडड्रेषु बभूव ह । वेदेषु चैव निष्णातो हिमवत्पादसंश्रय:
bhīṣma uvāca | tasyāparokṣaṃ vijñānaṃ ṣaḍ-aṅgeṣu babhūva ha | vedeṣu caiva niṣṇāto himavat-pāda-saṃśrayaḥ |
Bhishma said: “For him, direct and immediate realization of sacred knowledge arose in the six auxiliaries of the Veda. He was also thoroughly accomplished in the Vedas, dwelling in the foothills of the Himalayas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ideal of dharmic scholarship: true mastery is not only textual learning but also aparokṣa-vijñāna—direct, lived realization—grounded in disciplined study of the Veda and its six auxiliary sciences.
Bhishma introduces (or describes) a highly accomplished Brahmin-sage living near the Himalayan foothills, emphasizing his direct realization of Vedic auxiliary knowledge and his thorough proficiency in the Vedas, setting the stage for the teaching or story that follows.