Shloka 110

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण उवाच गृहाण धारये5हं च याचितं संश्रुतं मया । न चेद्‌ ग्रहीष्यसे राजन्‌ शपिष्ये त्वां न संशय:

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa uvāca gṛhāṇa dhāraye 'haṃ ca yācitaṃ saṃśrutaṃ mayā | na ced grahīṣyase rājan śapiṣye tvāṃ na saṃśayaḥ ||

Translation

婆罗门说道：“大王，请收下。我正代为保管你所求之物，亦即我曾许诺要赠与你的东西。若你不取，我必定无疑要诅咒你。”

Word by Word

• {'brāhmaṇaḥ': 'a Brahmin

• a priestly man', 'uvāca': 'said

• spoke', 'gṛhāṇa': 'take

• accept (imperative)', 'dhāraye': 'I hold

• I keep (in custody/for safekeeping)', 'aham': 'I', 'ca': 'and', 'yācitam': 'requested

• asked for', 'saṃśrutam': 'promised

• vowed', 'mayā': 'by me', 'na cet': 'if not

• unless', 'grahīṣyase': 'you will take/accept', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative)', 'śapiṣye': 'I will curse', 'tvām': 'you', 'na saṃśayaḥ': 'no doubt

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (Brāhmaṇa)
• राजन् (Rājan, the King)
• याचित वस्तु (the requested object/boon, unspecified)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A pledged promise (saṃśruta) creates a binding ethical obligation: the giver must uphold it and the recipient should not obstruct its fulfillment. The verse also highlights the moral force attributed to a Brahmin’s speech—blessing or curse—as a safeguard for dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin addresses a king, urging him to accept an item/boon the king had asked for and the Brahmin had already promised. The Brahmin says he is holding it in trust and warns that refusal to accept will provoke a curse, pressing the king to complete the transaction and avoid adharma.