Shloka 45
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
ब्राह्मण उवाच युद्ध मम सदा वाणी याचतीति विकत्थसे । न च युद्ध मया सार्थ किमर्थ याचसे पुन:,ब्राह्मणने कहा--राजन्! आप तो बहुत बढ़-बढ़कर बातें बना रहे थे कि मेरी वाणी सदा युद्धकी ही याचना करती है। तब आप मेरे साथ भी युद्धकी ही याचना क्यों नहीं कर रहे हैं?
brāhmaṇa uvāca | yuddhaṁ mama sadā vāṇī yācatīti vikatthase | na ca yuddhaṁ mayā sārthaṁ kimarthaṁ yācase punaḥ ||
O brâmane disse: “Ó rei! Tu te gabas de que minha fala está sempre a pedir guerra. Se assim é, por que não pedes para lutar comigo? Por que razão voltas a pedir (e, no entanto, evitas buscar combate contra mim)?”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse critiques empty boasting and demands consistency between one’s claims and one’s actions. Ethically, it highlights accountability in speech: declaring someone as warlike or provocative is meaningless unless one is prepared to face the implications of that claim.
A Brahmin addresses a king who has been boasting that the Brahmin’s speech always seeks battle. The Brahmin challenges the king’s inconsistency: if the king truly believes this, why does he not seek combat with the Brahmin himself, and why does he keep making such demands while avoiding that direct test?