Shloka 27
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
ब्राह्मण उवाच रमे जपन् महाभाग किं नु लोकै: सनातनै: । सशरीरेण गन्तव्यं मया स्वर्ग न वा विभो
brāhmaṇa uvāca | rame japan mahābhāga kiṁ nu lokaiḥ sanātanaiḥ | saśarīreṇa gantavyaṁ mayā svargaṁ na vā vibho ||
婆罗门说道：“大福者啊，我以持诵圣咒（japa）为乐。那些所谓‘永恒的世界’与我何干？主啊，请告诉我：我能否以此身前往天界，还是不能？”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds inner spiritual practice (japa) over the pursuit of heavenly realms. It questions whether liberation or spiritual fulfillment depends on attaining “worlds” at all, and raises the doctrinal issue of whether one can reach Svarga bodily (saśarīreṇa) versus through post-mortem merit or spiritual realization.
In a dialogic setting within Śānti Parva, the Brāhmaṇa speaker addresses a revered interlocutor (“mahābhāga… vibho”) and states that he finds contentment in japa. He then asks for clarification on a specific point: whether he can go to Svarga with his present body, indicating a tension between ascetic inwardness and cosmological goals.