Adhyāya 26 — Ekākṣara-Brahman (“Om”) and the Hṛdayastha Guru
Inner Teacher
एकं शास्तारमासाद्य शब्देनैकेन संस्कृता: । नाना व्यवसिता:ः सर्वे सर्पदेवर्षिदानवा:
ekaṃ śāstāram āsādya śabdenaikena saṃskṛtāḥ | nānā-vyavasitāḥ sarve sarpa-devarṣi-dānavāḥ ||
蛇族・神々・仙賢(リシ)・阿修羅のすべては、ただ一人の師に近づき、同じ一語の教えによって心智を磨かれた。されど各々の胸中に結ばれた決意は、互いに異なっていた。
ब्राह्मण उवाच
A single instruction can be the same for everyone, but its ethical effect depends on the hearer’s inner nature (saṃskāra) and chosen intention (vyavasāya); responsibility for the outcome lies with the listener’s resolve.
Different classes of beings—serpents, gods, sages, and demons—approach one teacher and receive one-word instruction; despite identical teaching, they develop divergent attitudes and determinations, illustrating varied reception of the same counsel.