Shloka 60
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
इहागम्य हि मां राजन् जाप्यं फलमयाचथा: । तन्मे निसृष्टं गृह्लीष्व भव सत्ये स्थिरोडपि च
ihāgamya hi māṃ rājan jāpyaṃ phalam ayācathāḥ | tan me nisṛṣṭaṃ gṛhlīṣva bhava satye sthiro 'pi ca ||
Brahmana itu berkata: “Wahai Raja, setelah datang ke sini engkau memohon kepadaku buah pahala daripada bacaan japa-ku. Maka ambillah apa yang kini telah kulepaskan kepadamu sebagai hakmu; dan tetaplah teguh dalam kebenaran juga.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual merit is treated as a transferable gift when rightly requested, but the higher ethical injunction remains: the king must be unwavering in satya (truth). The verse links religious practice (japa) with moral steadiness (truthfulness) as the foundation of dharma.
A brāhmaṇa addresses a king who has come and asked for the ‘fruit’ of the brāhmaṇa’s recitation. The brāhmaṇa agrees to hand over that merit and simultaneously exhorts the king to remain firm in truth.