Shloka 102

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

विकृत उवाच मयास्य दत्तं राजर्षे गृह्नलीयां तत्‌ कथं पुन: । काममत्रापराधो मे दण्डमाज्ञापय प्रभो

Transliteration

vikṛta uvāca: mayāsya dattaṃ rājarṣe gṛhṇīyāṃ tat kathaṃ punaḥ | kāmam atrāparādho me daṇḍam ājñāpaya prabho ||

Translation

毗迦利多说道：“噢，王中仙者，我已将此物施为布施；我怎能再取回我所赠与之物？若大王愿意，尽可算作我的过失；然而已施之施，我不能撤回。主上，请下令我当承受的惩罚。”

Word by Word

• {'vikṛta uvāca': 'Vikṛta said', 'mayā': 'by me', 'asya': 'of this / to this person (context-dependent)', 'dattam': 'given, bestowed', 'rājarṣe': 'O royal sage (kingly seer)', 'gṛhṇīyām': 'I should take (back)

• optative expressing possibility/ought', 'tat': 'that (gift/thing)', 'katham': 'how', 'punaḥ': 'again, back', 'kāmam': 'if you wish

• even so', 'atra': 'here, in this matter', 'aparādhaḥ': 'offense, fault', 'me': 'my', 'daṇḍam': 'punishment, penalty', 'ājñāpaya': 'command, ordain', 'prabho': 'O lord, O master'}

Speaker

विकृत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vikṛta
• rājarṣi (royal sage)
• dāna (gift/charity)
• daṇḍa (punishment)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A gift once given should not be reclaimed; integrity in dāna is upheld even at personal cost. If an error has occurred, one should accept responsibility and submit to just punishment rather than violate the principle of non-retraction of charity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vikṛta addresses a rājarṣi, stating that he has already donated something and therefore cannot take it back. He concedes that the act may be judged an offense in the present circumstances, and he asks the authority to prescribe whatever penalty is appropriate.