The Thunder and the Three Da’s
“Thunder is vigor or strength, which kills others; that is Indra, for it is his function.”
This cryptic phrase in Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (5.2.1–3): echos from the Vedas, links strength (Clouds – indra) with the sound of thunder. But in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, thunder takes on another role—no longer merely destructive, but instructive. It becomes a voice—the voice of Prajāpati, father of all beings—conveying the threefold essence of dharma through a single reverberating syllable: “da.”
This profound teaching appears in the fifth chapter of the second brāhmaṇa of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. The name of the Upaniṣad itself—Bṛhadāraṇyaka, meaning “Great Forest Text”—hints at its vastness, both in scope and in the depths of its philosophical insight.
The Mythic Setting
Once, the three classes of beings—devas (gods), manuṣyas (humans), and asuras (demons)—lived with Prajāpati as students.
One day, the gods approached him and said, “Teach us, Sir!”
Prajāpati answered with a single syllable: “Da.”
Then he asked, “Have you understood?”
They replied, “Yes—we understand it to mean damyata—practice self-restraint.”
Prajāpati affirmed, “You have understood well.”
Later, the humans approached and made the same request. Prajāpati again uttered “Da.”
They responded, “We understand it to mean datta—give, be generous.”
Again, Prajāpati replied, “You have understood well.”
Finally, the asuras came and heard the same syllable.
They interpreted it as dayadhvam—be compassionate.
And Prajāpati said once more, “You have understood well.”
The Ethical Thunderclap
Thus, in the roaring sound of thunder, the Upaniṣad invites every attentive heart to hear the syllables “da-da-da.” In these sacred reverberations, ethics is no longer a matter of abstract prescription—it is encoded in the very voice of nature, heard in the sky as the moral rhythm of existence.
“tad etat trayaṁ śikṣet—damaṁ, dānaṁ, dayām iti.”
“This triad should be practiced: self-restraint, giving, and compassion.”
— Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 5.2.3
Each class of being, from gods to demons, receives a tailored command—yet none are excluded from the full triad. As Śaṅkara later emphasizes, these types are not separate metaphysical species. They are archetypes within every human being—tendencies we all harbor: the indulgent, the grasping, the cruel.
- The Devas, exalted and abundant, must learn self-restraint (damyata), for abundance breeds complacency.
- The Humans, caught in the world of exchange and survival, must practice generosity (datta), for life is relational.
- The Asuras, driven by force and fury, must awaken to compassion (dayadhvam), lest they destroy all.
These three syllables are not merely instructions—they are reminders of what is eternally required for right living. The thunder still speaks. Do we still hear it?
The Story of Da
The story of Da begins with three beings in a state of prolonged discontentment. Unable to find the source of this inexplicable unhappiness, they meditate upon Prajāpati, the lord of all creatures, for instruction. In response, Prajāpati utters only the syllable “द” (da) to each being and instructs them to dwell upon its meaning.
Sure enough, they each discover an answer. But this answer is different for each being, as their understanding of the syllable “da” corresponds to their unique dispositions.
Those among men who are divine in nature—godly, yet still afflicted by kāma (desire)—are, according to Śaṅkara, to be understood as gods (देवाः) among men. Those who are driven by lobha (greed), grasping and acquisitive, are to be regarded as humans (मनुष्याः) among men. And those who are possessed by krodha (anger), whose nature has been demonized, are demons (असुराः) among men.
To exorcise these three afflictions—kāma, lobha, and krodha—one must continually practice dama (दम), dāna (दान), and dayā (दया): self-restraint, generosity, and compassion.
These three—kāma, lobha, krodha—were, prior to manifestation, in an undifferentiated state. They become manifest due to the cumulative actions of all beings—just as a tree emerges from a seed. This universe—both differentiated and undifferentiated, consisting of gross and subtle realms and their essence—falls under the domain of ignorance (avidyā). It is this ignorance that superimposes upon the Self the illusion of action, agency, and result, as if these were the Self’s own true form.
Though the Self is in reality distinct from these phenomena—untouched by name, form, or action—being one without a second, eternal, self-luminous, and inherently free—it appears, under the influence of ignorance, to be their very opposite: bound by differentiation, activity, and consequence.
Therefore, for the one who has grown weary of this world of means and ends—of action and reaction, of agent and result—realizing that these are all provisional, a knowledge of Brahman is set forth. Just as the mistaken idea of a snake on a rope must be removed, so too must ignorance be dispelled in order to see the Real.
In the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, an entire ethic is encoded in the thunderous utterance da-da-da. These three syllables are interpreted as three imperatives:
- Damyata – Cultivate self-control
- Datta – Be generous
- Dayadhvam – Have compassion
The three classes of beings—gods, men, and demons—each understood “da” to signify one of these commands, in accordance with their natures. But this does not mean, as Śaṅkara emphasizes, that any one command suffices on its own. These are not separate paths for separate beings; there are no gods or demons apart from human beings themselves. All three injunctions are meant for all.
References & Citations
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (5.2.1–3):
The parable of the three classes of beings—devas, manuṣyas, and asuras—receiving the syllable “da” from Prajāpati is found in this section. The moral teachings are derived from the thunder (vāni) uttering “da-da-da.” - Śaṅkara Bhāṣya (Commentary on Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 5.2):
Śaṅkara interprets the three classes not as metaphysical entities but as dispositions within the human being. The three da’s apply universally, not separately. - Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.1.7):
Reference to the tree and seed analogy can be supported by this Upaniṣad, where creation is likened to a tree emerging from the seed of Brahman. - Advaita Vedānta Concepts:
- Avidyā: Ignorance that veils the true Self.
- Adhyāsa: Superimposition, the projection of qualities (like agency or action) onto the Self.
See: Śaṅkara’s Introduction to the Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya (Adhyāsa Bhāṣya).
- Snake-Rope Analogy:
A foundational example in Advaita Vedānta illustrating misperception: the illusion of seeing a snake where there is only a rope is used to explain how ignorance leads to the false perception of the world.
It will be of some interest to note that T. S. Eliot makes ‘What the Thunder said’ the theme of the last section of his poem The Wasteland whose last few lines read as follows :
‘These fragments I have shored against my ruins.
Why then Ile fit you.
Hieronymo’s mad againe.
Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata
Shantih Shantih Shantih*
*T.S Eliot wanted to tell us that madness sometimes could be wisdom. “Give”, “sympathize”, and “control” were repeated at the very end of The Wasteland to remind us that these are the three traits that God advises us to accomplish in order to reach the inner peace. This is when we actually can rebirth and the society will change. “Shantih” means “The Peace which passeth understanding” which is an allusion of The Book of Philippians, Chapter 4. This implies that in order to accomplish internal peace, your knowledge must go through God. There was no comma after this phrase to end the poem. This insightfully implies that peace through God will last forever. It is just how men will submit to God’s wills.
The Recovery of the Self
Forgetfulness of the true nature of the Self is, according to the Upaniṣads, the root of bondage. This forgetfulness results in the soul’s misidentification with the ego, mind, and body—and, consequently, in its entrapment within the wheel of birth and death (saṃsāra).
The path to liberation (mokṣa) must, therefore, be a reversal of this process. The soul must first withdraw from the narrow confines of empirical existence by breaking through the walls of finitude. This transcendence begins with the cultivation of renunciation (vairāgya or tyāga). But renunciation can only reach its fullness with the dawn of knowledge (jñāna). It is through the realization of Brahman that ignorance (avidyā) is ultimately overcome.
Yet this knowledge is not to be confused with discursive reasoning or an intellectual appreciation of the nonduality of the Self. Brahman is not merely to be thought—it is to be lived, known, and directly realized. In the words of the sages, Brahman is to be known by being it.
The traditional process of realization unfolds in three stages:
- Śravaṇa: Listening to the teachings of the Upaniṣads under the guidance of a qualified teacher.
- Manana: Reflecting upon and testing these teachings through reasoning and inner analysis, until intellectual doubt is resolved.
- Nididhyāsana: Deep and continuous meditation upon the truth, leading to its direct realization.
To assist this contemplative work, the Upaniṣads prescribe many meditative approaches (vidyās)—symbolic and intuitive methods designed to gradually lead the seeker toward the awareness of the non-dual Reality.
The culmination of this journey is not simply philosophical insight, but ontological transformation. The knower of Brahman does not say merely “I believe” or “I think”—but “I am That”. As one Upaniṣadic passage declares:
“If a person knew the Self as ‘I am He’ (so ‘ham), then, with what desire, for the love of what, would he cling to the body?”
— Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.12
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.12:
The source of the quote on the Self as “I am He” (so ‘ham), expressing the end of identification with the body and worldly desire. - Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.1:
Describes the process of moving inward—from food (annam) to prāṇa, mind, understanding, and ultimately to ānanda—as a progression of withdrawal from the empirical self. - Śaṅkara’s Introduction to the Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya (Adhyāsa Bhāṣya):
Elaborates on the doctrine of adhyāsa (superimposition) and the threefold method of śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. - Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.9:
“The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.” (ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मैव भवति) — a clear articulation of the non-difference between knowledge and being.
(Expanding the previous list)
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 5.2.1–3:
The full parable of the three Da’s appears here, where Prajāpati teaches gods, men, and demons through a single syllable. The ethical injunction is summed up in 5.2.3. - Ṛg Veda (Indra references):
Indra, the god of thunder and strength, is described as one who slays enemies with thunder. His association with power and sound frames the Upaniṣadic reinterpretation of thunder as moral instruction. - Śaṅkara’s Bhāṣya on Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 5.2:
Śaṅkara insists that all three moral commands are meant for all human beings, as the divisions between devas, manusyas, and asuras are symbolic of differing inner dispositions, not literal entities.
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