Shloka 5
Adhyāya 26 — Ekākṣara-Brahman (“Om”) and the Hṛdayastha Guru
Inner Teacher
एको द्वेष्टा नास्ति ततो द्वितीयो यो हृच्छयस्तमहमनुब्रवीमि । तेनानुशिष्टा गुरुणा सदैव लोके द्विष्टा: पन्नगा: सर्व एव
eko dveṣṭā nāsti tato dvitīyo yo hṛcchayas tam aham anubravīmi | tenānuśiṣṭā guruṇā sadaiva loke dviṣṭāḥ pannagāḥ sarva eva ||
„Wahrhaftiger Feind ist nur einer — keinen zweiten gibt es. Es ist der, der im Herzen wohnt; diesen höchsten Herrn verkünde ich als Guru. Von diesem inneren Lehrer unterwiesen, sind alle Schlangen der Welt stets vom Widerwillen gezeichnet und leben in dauernder Feindseligkeit.“
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reframes 'enemy' as fundamentally singular and internal: the decisive force is the indwelling Lord/inner guide in the heart. Ethical focus shifts from blaming external others to recognizing an inner principle that governs dispositions; hostility (illustrated by serpents) is portrayed as a nature shaped under that inner governance.
A Brahmin speaker delivers a reflective instruction: he identifies the heart-dwelling supreme principle as the true Guru and explains, by way of example, that serpents in the world are characteristically hostile—presented as a consequence of being guided by that inner ordainer.