Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
अनेन धर्मप्राप्त्यर्थ शुभा दत्ता पुरानध । धेनुर्विप्राय राजर्षे तप:स्वाध्यायशीलिने,निष्पाप राजर्षे! इसने धर्मकी प्राप्तिके लिये एक तपस्वी और स्वाध्यायशील ब्राह्मणको एक दूध देनेवाली उत्तम गाय दी थी
virūpa uvāca |
anena dharmaprāptyarthaṁ śubhā dattā purā nṛpa |
dhenur viprāya rājarṣe tapaḥsvādhyāyaśīline |
niṣpāpa rājarṣe ||
Вирупа сказал: «Прежде, о царь, ради обретения дхармы этот человек даровал прекрасную, благую дойную корову брахману, преданному аскезе и ведическому учению (свадхьяе). О безгрешный царственный риши, дар был совершен с нравственной целью — стяжать заслугу через почтение к знанию и самодисциплине.»
विरूप उवाच
Dharma is pursued not only through personal restraint but also through ethically directed generosity—supporting a worthy recipient devoted to tapas and svādhyāya. The verse highlights that giving (especially sustaining gifts like a milch-cow) to the learned and disciplined is a recognized means of acquiring merit.
Virūpa addresses a king (called a royal sage) and recounts a past act: someone gave an excellent milch-cow to a brāhmaṇa known for austerity and Vedic study, explicitly intending the gift as a means to attain dharma/merit.