Shloka 22
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
स आत्मा पुरुषव्याप्र भ्रुवोरन्तरमाश्रित: । बुद्धि द्रव्येषु सूजति विविधेषु परावराम्,पुरुषसिंह! वही आत्मा दोनों भौंहोंके बीच स्थित होकर उत्तम-अधम बुद्धिको भिन्न- भिन्न द्रव्योंकी ओर प्रेरित करता है
sa ātmā puruṣavyāghra bhruvor antaram āśritaḥ | buddhiṃ dravyeṣu sūjate vividheṣu parāvarām, puruṣasiṃha |
A Serpente disse: “Ó tigre entre os homens, esse mesmo Si, que habita no espaço entre as duas sobrancelhas, impele a mente a diversos objetos, produzindo discernimentos de muitas espécies—mais altos e mais baixos. Assim, o regente interior dirige a inclinação para o nobre ou para o vil, e com isso molda a conduta e suas consequências morais.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the inner Self (ātman), conceived as abiding at the brow-center, is the directing principle that generates and steers discernment (buddhi) toward objects. Because buddhi can be ‘higher or lower,’ one’s ethical quality depends on how this inner guidance is heeded—toward noble aims or base cravings.
A serpent (nāga) is speaking to a heroic interlocutor, addressing him with honorific epithets (‘tiger/lion among men’). In this didactic exchange, the serpent explains an inner, philosophical account of how the Self influences the intellect and thereby motivates engagement with diverse objects, framing the moral stakes of human choice.