As per Brihadaranyakopanishad, Once, after the creation of the three worlds and its inhabitants, Lord Brahma went into deep meditation.
Of the worlds that he had created and its inhabitants, Dev Loka, the world of the Devtas seems immersed in pleasures as the Devtas, who had the possession of the Amrita were busy experiencing life with their senses suddenly started to find all of it pale and lack luster and were on a quest to find true happiness in life.
The Manushyas or the humans were also busy doing their work and reaping benefits from it all. However, they refused to share their produce and goodness with other beings and wanted all the good things for themselves and their own. Suddenly, they too felt a lack in life in spite of their bounty and good fortune.
The Rakshasas, as usual, were good at being ruthless and creating mayhem. However, they too were experiencing a sense of unfulfillment which they were not able to understand.
All of them then as individuals thought of Lord Brahma, the progenitor and decided to ask him for a solution. When they reached Brahma Loka, they saw that Lord Brahma was in deep meditation. They were so unsatisfied with their life that they went ahead and with reverence questioned Lord Brahma about their problem. However, even after a wait of a long period, all that they could hear was a word “Da”. He repeated that request again, but that was all they could hear. Understanding that Lord Brahma wanted to find the answer themselves and the letter “Da” was their clue to their answers, they all headed towards their abodes.
They once again went on with their routines. Why in the midst of enjoying and experiencing their pleasures, the Devtas felt as if the syllable “Da” resonated with Daman, which meant taming, subduing, self-restraint, self-controlled, punishing, passionless, overpowering. So, on further reflection they realised that Lord Brahma meant for them to show self-restraint on their pleasures and control their passions.
As the humans or Manushyas went about gathering their harvest and shooing the birds and beating the animals who were eating their hard grown harvest, it struck to them that the syllable “Da” could mean Daan which meant givingor charity. As they started to become charitable and started sharing their gains with other beings and the less fortunate, they started experiencing a feeling of happiness and contentment that they had never experienced before.
The Rakshasas also went back to their killings and creating terror and mayhem. All of a sudden, they realised that the letter “Da” resonated with Daya which meant mercy, pity, compassion, loving kindness, sympathy. When they showed that loving kindness towards others and stopped their merciless killings and reign of terror, they felt happy and equanimous.
“Tadetattrayamshikshet: Daman danamdayamiti.”
“तदेतत्त्रयंशिक्षेत – दमं, दानंदयामिति”
Dama counters Kama(Desire), Dana counters Moha(Avarice),Daya counters Krodha(Anger).
