Shloka 89

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

विकृत उवाच न मे धारयते किज्चिद्‌ विरूपो5यं नराधिप । मिथ्या ब्रवीत्ययं हि त्वां सत्याभासं नराधिप

Transliteration

vikṛta uvāca | na me dhārayate kiñcid virūpo 'yaṃ narādhipa | mithyā bravīty ayaṃ hi tvāṃ satyābhāsaṃ narādhipa ||

Translation

Vikṛta said: “O king, this Virūpa bears no claim or debt upon me at all. He is speaking falsely to you; what he says carries only the appearance of truth, not truth itself, O ruler of men.”

Word by Word

• विकृतः: Vikṛta (name)
• विकृतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विकृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular

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

• मे: to me / of me
• मे: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Dative/Genitive, Singular

• धारयते: is owed / is due (lit. is borne/held)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ
• Form: Present, 3, Singular, Ātmanepada

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विरूपः: deformed/ugly (one)
• विरूपः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरूप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अयम्: this (person)
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मिथ्या: falsely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथ्या

• ब्रवीति: speaks
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Present, 3, Singular

• अयम्: this (person)
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• सत्याभासम्: a mere appearance of truth
• सत्याभासम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्याभास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

Speaker

विकृत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vikṛta
• virūpa (a deformed person)
• narādhipa (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that speech can mimic truth without being true (satyābhāsa). Ethical judgment requires discerning genuine truth from plausible falsehood, especially in matters of accusation or obligation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vikṛta addresses a king, denying any obligation or liability connected with the deformed person and asserting that the other party is lying—offering only an appearance of truth to mislead the ruler.