Shloka 29
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
सर्वे तुल्याभिजातीया यथा देवास्तथा वयम् | इत्येवं धर्ममास्थाय स्पर्थमाना: सुर्िभि:,वे सभी दैत्य कहते थे कि “हम और देवता एक ही जातिके हैं; अत: जैसे देवता हैं वैसे हम हैं।” इस प्रकार जातीय धर्मका आश्रय लेकर दैत्यगण देवर्षियोंके साथ स्पर्धा रखने लगे
sarve tulyābhijātīyā yathā devās tathā vayam | ityevaṁ dharmam āsthāya spardhamānāḥ surarṣibhiḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Todos somos de la misma estirpe noble; como son los dioses, así somos nosotros.» Aferrándose a esa idea como su ‘dharma’ de linaje compartido, los Daityas comenzaron a contender y rivalizar incluso con los videntes divinos, convirtiendo una pretensión de igualdad en motivo de disputa y no de contención.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A mere claim of equal status or shared lineage, when treated as ‘dharma,’ can become a pretext for arrogance and rivalry. True dharma restrains ego and competition; it does not weaponize identity to justify contention with the wise.
Bhishma describes the Daityas asserting that they are of the same birth as the Devas—“as the gods are, so are we.” On that basis they adopt a lineage-based rationale and begin competing with the divine seers, escalating antagonism.