Shloka 5

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

तस्यापरोक्षं विज्ञानं षडड्रेषु बभूव ह । वेदेषु चैव निष्णातो हिमवत्पादसंश्रय:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | tasyāparokṣaṃ vijñānaṃ ṣaḍ-aṅgeṣu babhūva ha | vedeṣu caiva niṣṇāto himavat-pāda-saṃśrayaḥ |

Translation

بھیشم نے کہا— اسے وید کے چھے اَنگوں میں براہِ راست (اَپروکش) معرفت حاصل تھی۔ وہ ویدوں میں بھی کامل مہارت رکھتا تھا اور ہمالیہ کے دامن میں قیام پذیر تھا۔

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अपरोक्शम्: direct, immediate (perceptible)
• अपरोक्शम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपरोक्श
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विज्ञानम्: knowledge, understanding
• विज्ञानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विज्ञान
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• षट्: six
• षट्: Adhikarana
• Type: Numeral
• Root: षष्
• Form: —, —, —

• अङ्गेषु: in the limbs (auxiliaries)
• अङ्गेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• बभूव: became / was
• बभूव: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• ह: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह
• Form: true

• वेदेषु: in the Vedas
• वेदेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: true

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: true

• निष्णातः: well-versed, proficient
• निष्णातः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्णात
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हिमवत्: of Himavat (the Himalaya)
• Type: Noun/Proper noun
• Root: हिमवत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (in compound), Singular

• पाद: foot; base
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद
• Form: Masculine, — (in compound), —

• संश्रयः: one who has taken refuge/dwells near
• संश्रयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संश्रय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Veda (the Vedas)
• Ṣaḍaṅga / Vedāṅga (six auxiliaries of the Veda)
• Himavat (Himalaya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ideal of dharmic scholarship: true mastery is not only textual learning but also aparokṣa-vijñāna—direct, lived realization—grounded in disciplined study of the Veda and its six auxiliary sciences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma introduces (or describes) a highly accomplished Brahmin-sage living near the Himalayan foothills, emphasizing his direct realization of Vedic auxiliary knowledge and his thorough proficiency in the Vedas, setting the stage for the teaching or story that follows.