Shloka 10
Adhyāya 26 — Ekākṣara-Brahman (“Om”) and the Hṛdayastha Guru
Inner Teacher
असुराणां प्रवृत्तस्तु दम्भभाव: स्वभावज: । दानं॑ देवा व्यवसिता दममेव महर्षय:
asurāṇāṁ pravṛttas tu dambhabhāvaḥ svabhāvajāḥ | dānaṁ devā vyavasitā damam eva maharṣayaḥ ||
Pada kaum Asura bangkitlah sifat congkak yang lahir dari tabiat mereka. Para Dewa menetapkan kedermawanan sebagai jalan, sedangkan para maharsi memilih dama—pengendalian diri—semata. Demikian, dari satu ajaran yang sama, watak yang berbeda menampakkan dharma yang berbeda.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts ethical orientations: Devas choose dāna (generosity), sages choose dama (self-restraint), while Asuras naturally incline toward dambha (vain, hypocritical display). It highlights how svabhāva (innate disposition) shapes one’s response to instruction and one’s chosen virtue.
A brāhmaṇa explains that after a teaching was considered, different classes of beings manifested characteristic tendencies: Asuras displayed arrogance/pretence, Devas committed to giving, and great sages committed to restraint—showing divergent moral outcomes from the same context.