Shloka 2

मनुरुवाच — इन्द्रिय-मनः-ज्ञान-क्रमः

Manu on the hierarchy of senses, mind, and knowledge

Devanagari script

श्रुतास्त्वत्त: कथाश्रैव धर्मयुक्ता महामते । संदेहो5स्ति तु कश्चिन्मे तद्‌ भवान्‌ वक्तुमहति

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

śrutās tvattaḥ kathāś caiva dharmayuktā mahāmate |

saṃdeho 'sti tu kaścin me tad bhavān vaktum arhati mahāmate ||

bhīṣma uvāca |

śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājan jāpākānāṃ gatiṃ vibho |

yathā gacchanti nirayān anekān puruṣarṣabha ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Oh magnánimo, he oído de tus labios muchos relatos fundados en el dharma; y sin embargo, en mi mente permanece una duda. Dignaos explicármela, oh sabio.» Bhīṣma dijo: «Escucha con atención, oh rey, oh señor. Te diré el curso y el destino de quienes practican el japa: cómo pueden caer en diversos infiernos, oh el mejor de los hombres.»

Word by Word

• {'śrutāḥ': 'heard

• listened to', 'tvattaḥ': 'from you', 'kathāḥ': 'accounts, narratives, teachings', 'dharmayuktāḥ': 'connected with dharma

• ethically grounded', 'mahāmate': 'O great-minded/wise one (vocative)', 'saṃdehaḥ': 'doubt, uncertainty', 'asti': 'is, exists', 'kaścit': 'some, a certain', 'me': 'to me

• in my (mind)', 'tad': 'that (matter)', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'vaktum arhati': 'ought to speak

• is requested/fit to explain', 'śṛṇuṣva': 'listen (imperative)', 'āvahitaḥ': 'attentive, concentrated', 'rājan': 'O king', 'jāpaka': 'one who performs japa (repetition of sacred formulae)', 'gati': 'path, course, destiny', 'vibho': 'O mighty one

• O lord', 'yathā': 'how

• in what manner', 'gacchanti': 'they go

• they proceed', 'nirayān': 'hells

• infernal realms', 'anekān': 'many, various', 'puruṣarṣabha': 'O bull among men

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhīṣma
• jāpaka (practitioner of japa)
• niraya (hells)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even practices considered sacred—such as japa—must be aligned with dharma in intention and conduct; otherwise, they can lead to harmful outcomes and moral downfall, symbolized here by ‘various hells’ (niraya).

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully asks Bhīṣma to resolve a remaining doubt after hearing many dharma-based teachings. Bhīṣma begins his reply by urging attentive listening and introducing the topic: the destiny of japa-practitioners and how some may end up in different hells.