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 ||
ビーシュマは言った。「ヒマラヤの山麓近くに、名声高き一人の婆羅門が住んでいた。彼はダルマの行いに堅く、聖なる誦唱(ジャパ)の修行に身を捧げていた。深い智慧を備え、ヴェーダの六支(補助学)に通じ、カウシカの系統に属する者で、ピッパラーダの子パイッパラーディと呼ばれていた。」
भीष्म उवाच
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.