Shloka 54

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण उवाच नाददे5परवक्तव्यं दत्त चास्य फलं मया । वाक्यं प्रमाणं राजर्षे ममाद्य तव चैव हि

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa uvāca | nādade ’paravaktavyaṃ dattaṃ cāsya phalaṃ mayā | vākyaṃ pramāṇaṃ rājarṣe mamādya tava caiva hi ||

Translation

ພຣາຫມັນກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ຣາຊະຣິສີ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະບໍ່ຮັບຟັງຄຳໂຕ້ຖຽງ ຫຼື ຄຳຄັດຄ້ານອື່ນອີກ. ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ມອບຜົນແຫ່ງຕະປະສະ/ຈະປະໃນເລື່ອງນີ້ແລ້ວ. ໃນວັນນີ້ ອຳນາດຕັດສິນຢູ່ທີ່ຄຳຂອງພວກເຮົາສອງຄົນ—ຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ ແລະ ຂອງທ່ານ; ດັ່ງນັ້ນແຕ່ລະຄົນຈົ່ງຢືນຢັນໃນຄຳທີ່ຕົນເວົ້າໄວ້»

Word by Word

• {'brāhmaṇa uvāca': 'the Brahmin said', 'na ādade': 'I do not accept

• I will not take up', 'apara-vaktavyam': 'any further statement

• something else to be said', 'dattam': 'given

• bestowed', 'asya': 'of this (matter)', 'phalam': 'fruit

• result (especially of tapas/japa)', 'mayā': 'by me', 'vākyaṃ': 'word

• promise', 'pramāṇam': 'authoritative proof

• decisive standard', 'rājarṣe': 'O royal sage (kingly seer)', 'mamādya': 'mine today / as for me today', 'tava ca eva': 'and yours indeed', 'hi': 'indeed

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa (the Brahmin speaker)
• Rājarṣi (the royal sage addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That one’s spoken word and pledged commitment carry moral authority: after giving the fruit of his austerity, the Brahmin refuses further debate and insists that both parties must stand by their statements as the binding standard.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin addresses a royal sage, declaring that he has already granted the result of his japa/tapas regarding the issue at hand, and therefore will not entertain additional arguments; the matter is to be settled by the authority of their respective words.