Shloka 63

Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman

Manu’s Instruction

Devanagari script

तपांसि यानि चीर्णानि चरिष्यन्ति च यत्‌ तप: । शतै: शतसहसैश्व तै: सत्यान्न विशिष्यते

Transliteration

tapāṁsi yāni cīrṇāni cariṣyanti ca yat tapaḥ | śataiḥ śata-sahasraiś ca taiḥ satyān na viśiṣyate ||

Translation

婆罗门说道：世人过去所修的一切苦行，以及未来将修的一切苦行——纵使尽皆汇聚，并增至百倍，乃至十万倍——其价值仍不能超越真实的伟大。在道德法则之中，真实立为最高尺度，胜过再宏大的苦行之力。

Word by Word

• तपांसि: austerities
• तपांसि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• चीर्णानि: performed/practised
• चीर्णानि: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• चरिष्यन्ति: will perform/practise
• चरिष्यन्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर्
• Form: Simple Future (लृट्), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• यत्: whatever (that which)
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• शतैः: by hundreds
• शतैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• शतसहसैः: by hundreds of thousands
• शतसहसैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतसहस
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तैः: by those (i.e., by them)
• तैः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• सत्यात्: than truth / from truth
• सत्यात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• विशिष्यते: is superior/excels
• Type: Verb
• Root: विशिष्
• Form: Present (लट्), Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (Brahmin speaker)
• सत्य (Truth)
• तपस् (Austerity)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truth (satya) is presented as the supreme ethical value: even vast accumulations of austerity (tapas), multiplied many times over, do not exceed the merit and authority of truthfulness.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic discourse within the Śānti Parva, a Brahmin speaker emphasizes a hierarchy of virtues, arguing that ascetic achievements—past and future—remain secondary to the power and primacy of truth.