Shloka 3
Adhyāya 26 — Ekākṣara-Brahman (“Om”) and the Hṛdayastha Guru
Inner Teacher
एको बन्धुर्नास्ति ततो द्वितीयो यो हृच्छयस्तमहमनुब्रवीमि । तेनानुशिष्टा बान्धवा बन्धुमन्तः सप्तर्षयश्नैव दिवि प्रभान्ति,एक ही बन्धु है, उससे भिन्न दूसरा कोई बन्धु नहीं है। जो हृदयमें स्थित है, उस परमात्माको ही मैं बन्धु कहता हूँ। उसीके उपदेशसे बान्धवगण बन्धुमान् होते हैं और सप्तर्षि लोग आकाशमें प्रकाशित होते हैं
eko bandhur nāsti tato dvitīyo yo hṛcchayas tam aham anubravīmi | tenānuśiṣṭā bāndhavā bandhumantaḥ saptarṣayaś caiva divi prabhānti ||
“There is but one true kinsman; apart from Him there is no second. The One who abides within the heart—Him I acknowledge and proclaim as my kinsman. Instructed by Him, one’s relations become truly ‘endowed with kinship’ (i.e., bound by right understanding), and the Seven Seers shine resplendent in the heavens.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the only ultimate and unfailing ‘relative’ is the indwelling Lord (Paramātman) seated in the heart. Worldly relations become truly meaningful when guided by that inner divine instruction; spiritual alignment, not mere blood ties, is what makes one genuinely ‘connected’.
A brāhmaṇa speaker delivers a reflective teaching, shifting attention from external supports to the inner divine presence. By invoking the Saptarṣis shining in the sky, he underscores the cosmic validation of those who live by that inner guidance—suggesting that true greatness and enduring ‘kinship’ arise from divine instruction.