Shloka 38

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणने भी राजाको अर्घ्य, पाद्य और आसन देकर कुशल-मंगल पूछनेके बाद इस प्रकार कहा-- ।। स्वागतं ते महाराज ब्रूहि यद्‌ यदिहेच्छसि । स्वशक्‍्त्या कि करोमीह तद्‌ भवान्‌ प्रब्रवीतु माम्‌,“महाराज! आपका स्वागत है! आपकी जो-जो इच्छा हो, उसे यहाँ बताइये। मैं अपनी शक्तिके अनुसार आपकी क्या सेवा करूँ? यह आप मुझे बतावें”

Transliteration

brāhmaṇena bhī rājako 'rghya-pādya-āsanaṁ dattvā kuśala-maṅgalaṁ pṛṣṭvā caivam uktam— svāgataṁ te mahārāja brūhi yad yad ihecchasi | svaśaktyā kiṁ karomīha tad bhavān prabravītu mām ||

Translation

Sau khi vị bà-la-môn đã kính dâng nhà vua các lễ vật theo lệ—nước nghênh tiếp, nước rửa chân và chỗ ngồi—và hỏi thăm an khang xong, ông nói như vầy: “Hoan nghênh Đại vương. Xin hãy nói điều gì Đại vương mong muốn nơi đây. Theo khả năng của tôi, tôi có thể phụng sự Đại vương thế nào? Xin Đại vương chỉ dạy.”

Word by Word

• {'brāhmaṇa': 'a brahmin

• a member of the priestly/intellectual class', 'rājan / rājā': 'king

• ruler', 'arghya': 'honor-offering (typically water and respectful items) presented to a guest', 'pādya': 'water for washing the feet

• a hospitality offering', 'āsana': 'seat

• a place to sit offered to a guest', 'kuśala-maṅgala': 'welfare and auspicious well-being

• polite inquiry after health and prosperity', 'svāgata': 'welcome

• greeting of reception', 'mahārāja': 'great king

• royal honorific', 'brūhi': 'tell

• speak (imperative)', 'ihecchasi': 'you desire here

• you wish in this place/occasion', 'sva-śaktyā': 'according to one’s own capacity

• to the best of one’s ability', 'kiṁ karomi': 'what shall I do? what can I do?', 'iha': 'here

• in this context', 'bhavān': 'your honor

• respectful ‘you’', 'prabravītu': 'may (you) tell/declare

• please state', 'mām': 'to me'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (speaker attribution in the edition)
• a brahmin (brāhmaṇa)
• a king (rājā / mahārāja)
• arghya
• pādya
• āsana