Shloka 163
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
भविता च विवादोऊत्र तव तेषां च धर्मतः । तब सावित्रीदेवीने मधुर वाणीमें “तथास्तु” कहा। इसके बाद देवीने ब्राह्मणका प्रिय करनेकी इच्छासे यह दूसरा वचन और कहा--:विप्रवर! जहाँ दूसरे श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मण गये हैं
bhavitā ca vivādo 'tra tava teṣāṃ ca dharmataḥ | tataḥ sāvitrīdevī madhuravāṇyā me "tathāstu" ity uvāca | tataḥ paraṃ devī brāhmaṇasya priyaṃ kartum icchantī idaṃ dvitīyaṃ vacanam apy āha— vipravara! yatra anye śreṣṭhā brāhmaṇā gatāḥ, teṣu svargādiṣu nimnaśreṇīṣu lokeṣu tvaṃ na gamiṣyasi | tubhyaṃ svabhāvasiddhaṃ nirdōṣaṃ brahmapadaṃ prāpsyasi | tvayā mayi yātra prārthanā kṛtā sā paripūrṇā bhaviṣyati | ahaṃ tāṃ paripūrayituṃ yatnaṃ kariṣyāmi | tvaṃ niyamapūrvakam ekāgracitto japaṃ kuru | dharmaḥ svayam tava sevāyāṃ upasthāsyati | kālaḥ mṛtyuś ca yamaś ca api tava nikaṭaṃ upagamiṣyanti, teṣāṃ sarvaiḥ saha iha dharmānukūlo vāda-vivādaś ca bhaviṣyati |
毗湿摩说道：“在此，依于法（dharma），你与他们之间将兴起一场辩论。”于是萨维特丽女神以柔美之声对我说：“如是（tathāstu）。”随后，女神欲成就那婆罗门所珍爱之愿，又宣示第二重许诺：“婆罗门中之最胜者啊！你不会前往那些从天界起算的较下等诸界——那是其他卓越婆罗门所到之处。你将证得无垢无疵、自然安住于自性清净中的梵位（Brahman-pada）。你在此向我所求之事必得圆满；我将竭力使之成就。你当守持戒律，专心持诵（japa）。法本身将来侍奉你。时（Kāla）、死（Mṛtyu）与阎摩（Yama）亦将近前；并且在此，你将与他们众者展开一场合乎法的辩论。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage elevates disciplined spiritual practice (niyama and one-pointed japa) as a means to the highest goal—faultless brahmapada—surpassing even meritorious heavenly worlds. It also frames ethical truth as something that can withstand scrutiny: dharma itself, along with cosmic forces like Time, Death, and Yama, becomes the arena and standard for a righteous debate.
Bhishma recounts that Savitri grants assent (“tathāstu”) and then offers a further boon to a brahmin: he will not go to lesser celestial realms but will attain the pure Brahman-state. She instructs him to practice japa with disciplined concentration, promising that Dharma—and even Kāla, Mṛtyu, and Yama—will come near, leading to a dharma-aligned disputation.