त्रयाः प्राजापत्याः प्रजापतौ पितरि ब्रह्मचर्यम् ऊषुः देवाः मनुष्याः असुराः उषित्वा ब्रह्मचर्यम् देवाः ऊचुः ब्रवीतु नः भवान् इति तेभ्यः ह एतद् अक्षरम् उवाच द इति व्यज्ञासिष्टा इति व्यज्ञासिष्म इति ह ऊचुः दाम्यत इति नः आत्थेति ओम् इति ह उवाच व्यज्ञासिष्ट इति
trayāḥ prājāpatyāḥ prajāpatau pitari brahmacaryam ūṣuḥ devāḥ manuṣyāḥ asurāḥ uṣitvā brahmacaryam devāḥ ūcuḥ bravītu naḥ bhavān iti tebhyaḥ ha etad akṣaram uvāca da iti vyajñāsiṣṭā iti vyajñāsiṣma iti ha ūcuḥ dāmyata iti naḥ āttheti om iti ha uvāca vyajñāsiṣṭa iti
Three sons of Prajāpati lived as students with their father Prajāpati: the gods, men and the asuras. Having lived their studentship, the gods said: "Speak to us, sir!" He uttered to them one syllable: "da". — "Have you understood?" — "We have understood: you said to us 'restrain yourselves' (dāmyata)." — "Oṁ!" he said. "You have understood."
95207589b251 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:19:47 AM UTC
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The most famous parable of the book: three kinds of pupils — gods, men and asuras — and a single syllable of instruction: "da". Each will decipher it according to his own disease, and the gods first: dāmyata, "restrain yourselves". To the gods, beings of enjoyment, a bridle is what is most needed: their temptation is the unbridledness of paradise.
Prajāpati's method is admirable: the teacher gives not a doctrine but a seed; the pupil germinates it in his own soil — and the father confirms every reading: "Oṁ, you have understood." One syllable — three medicines; so speaks every great śruti: with one syllable, to each what he needs. And note: to hear in the "da" a reproach to oneself and not to one's neighbour is already half of studentship.