Shloka 24

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

धर्म उदाच अवश्यं भो: शरीर ते त्यक्तव्यं मुनिपुड्गभव । स्वर्गमारोह भो विप्र कि वा वै रोचतेडनघ

Transliteration

dharma uvāca—avaśyaṃ bhoḥ śarīra te tyaktavyaṃ munipuṅgava | svargam āroha bho vipra kiṃ vā vai rocate ’nagha ||

Translation

ダルマは言った。「おお尊き者よ、牟尼の中の最勝者よ、汝は必ずこの身を捨てねばならぬ。おお婆羅門の最上よ、今こそ天に昇れ——さもなくば、無垢なる者よ、汝の望みは何か、告げよ。」

Word by Word

• {'dharmaḥ uvāca': 'Dharma (the personified principle of righteousness) said', 'avaśyam': 'inevitably, certainly', 'bhoḥ': 'O! (vocative particle of address)', 'śarīram': 'body', 'te': 'your', 'tyaktavyam': 'to be abandoned, must be given up', 'munipuṅgava': 'foremost among sages', 'svargam': 'heaven, celestial world', 'āroha': 'ascend! (imperative)', 'vipra': 'brāhmaṇa, learned priest/sage', 'kim vā': 'or else what?', 'vai': 'indeed, emphatic particle', 'rocate': 'is pleasing, is desired', 'anagha': 'blameless, sinless'}

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)
• Muni (sage)
• Svarga (heaven)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the inevitability of bodily death and frames the ethical-spiritual moment as one of conscious choice: having fulfilled one’s course, one may ascend to heaven, yet Dharma still asks the person to state their true intention—highlighting that inner resolve (what one truly seeks) matters alongside merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dharma addresses a blameless brāhmaṇa-sage, declaring that the time has come to leave the body. Dharma then offers the immediate reward of ascending to heaven, but also invites the sage to express any other wish—presenting a test or clarification of the sage’s desire at the threshold between life and the next state.