Shloka 9
Adhyāya 26 — Ekākṣara-Brahman (“Om”) and the Hṛdayastha Guru
Inner Teacher
तेषां प्रद्रवमाणानामुपदेशार्थमात्मन: । सर्पाणां दंशने भाव: प्रवृत्त: पूर्वमेव तु
teṣāṃ pradravamāṇānām upadeśārtham ātmanaḥ | sarpāṇāṃ daṃśane bhāvaḥ pravṛttaḥ pūrvam eva tu ||
Als sie in Aufruhr davoneilten und über die Absicht jener Unterweisung zu ihrem eigenen Heil nachdachten, neigten die Schlangen—zuerst von allen—zum Beißen. So offenbarte sich angesichts desselben Rates in jeder Gruppe der ihr eigene Trieb, und es zeigte sich, wie die innere Anlage die ethische Antwort formt.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The same instruction can yield different outcomes because beings act according to their inherent disposition (bhāva/svabhāva). Ethical response is shaped not only by the teaching but by the listener’s inner nature.
A Brahmin narrator describes how, amid agitation and reflection on a counsel meant for their benefit, the serpents first developed the impulse to bite—illustrating how their characteristic tendency manifests immediately when they interpret the instruction.