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 ||
Tandis qu’ils s’élançaient dans le trouble et réfléchissaient au sens de cet enseignement pour leur propre bien, les serpents—les premiers—furent portés à mordre. Ainsi, devant un même conseil, chaque ordre révéla son élan propre, montrant combien la disposition intérieure façonne la réponse morale.
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.