Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
सत्येन चानिनिर्दहति स्वर्ग: सत्ये प्रतिष्ठित: । सत्यं यज्ञस्तपो वेदा: स्तोभा मन्त्रा: सरस्वती
satyena cāninirdahati svargaḥ satye pratiṣṭhitaḥ | satyaṃ yajñas tapo vedāḥ stobhā mantrāḥ sarasvatī |
“凭真理,天界被点燃并得以维系;天界自身亦牢牢建立在真理之上。真理乃祭祀、苦行(tapas)、诸《吠陀》、仪式颂唱(stobha)、诸咒(mantra)与萨拉斯瓦蒂(Sarasvatī)之精髓——一切神圣之物,其核心皆为真理。”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Truth (satya) is presented as the foundational support of all sacred and ethical life: heaven is said to be sustained by truth, and sacrifice, austerity, Vedic knowledge, ritual chant, mantra, and even Sarasvatī (sacred speech/learning) are affirmed to be forms or expressions of truth.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, a brāhmaṇa speaker delivers instruction emphasizing the supremacy of satya. The verse functions as a doctrinal assertion: it elevates truth as the ground of religious practice and cosmic order, linking ritual and learning back to moral integrity.