Shloka 27
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
एतदू् विशेषणं तात मनोबुद्धयोर्यदन्तरम् । त्वमप्यत्राभिसम्बुद्ध:ः कथं वा मन्यते भवान्,तात! मन और बुद्धिकी यह विशेषता ही उन दोनोंका अन्तर है। तुम भी तो इस विषयके अच्छे ज्ञाता हो, अत: बताओ, तुम्हारी कैसी मान्यता है?
etad eva viśeṣaṇaṃ tāta manobuddhyor yad antaram | tvam apy atrābhisambuddhaḥ kathaṃ vā manyate bhavān, tāta ||
“Meu caro, este é precisamente o sinal distintivo — a diferença que há entre mente (manas) e intelecto (buddhi). Tu também estás bem desperto neste assunto; dize-me, pois, venerável senhor: qual é a tua opinião?”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key ethical-psychological distinction: the ‘difference’ between manas (the wavering, desire-driven mind) and buddhi (the discerning, deciding intellect). It invites a reflective account of how discernment should guide mental impulses.
The serpent, speaking to an addressed ‘tāta’, asserts that the defining feature of mind and intellect is their difference, and then challenges the interlocutor—who is presumed knowledgeable—to state his own considered view.