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 ||
« Il n’est qu’un seul ennemi véritable ; il n’en est point de second. C’est Celui qui demeure au cœur : ce Seigneur suprême, je le proclame comme le Guru. Instruits par ce maître intérieur, tous les serpents du monde portent sans cesse la marque de l’aversion et vivent dans une attitude constante d’hostilité. »
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.