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 ||
Mientras corrían en agitación y meditaban el sentido de aquella instrucción para su propio bien, las serpientes—ante todo—se inclinaron a morder. Así, frente al mismo consejo, cada estamento reveló su impulso característico, mostrando cómo la disposición interior modela la respuesta ética.
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.