Upanishads · Muṇḍaka 2.2.2
॥
Devanāgarī
यत् अर्चिमत् यत् अणुभ्यः अणु च यस्मिन् लोकाः निहिताः लोकिनः च ।
तत् एतत् अक्षरं ब्रह्म स प्राणः तत् उ वाक् मनः तत् एतत् सत्यं तत् अमृतं तत् वेद्धव्यं सोम्य विद्धि ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
yat arcimat yat aṇubhyaḥ aṇu ca yasmin lokāḥ nihitāḥ lokinaḥ ca |
tat etat akṣaraṃ brahma sa prāṇaḥ tat u vāk manaḥ tat etat satyaṃ tat amṛtaṃ tat veddhavyaṃ somya viddhi ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatthat which; that which
अर्चिमत्arcimatthe flaming (arcimat — 'endowed with flame'); the radiant; the light-bearing
यत्yatthat which; that which
अणुभ्यःaṇubhyaḥthan the subtle (aṇu); than atoms; than the minutest
अणु चaṇu caand smaller; and subtlest
यस्मिन्yasminin which; where
लोकाःlokāḥworlds; realms
निहिताःnihitāḥare set; are hidden
लोकिनः चlokinaḥ caand the dwellers in the worlds (lokin); and the inhabitants of the worlds; and those who people them
तत् एतत्tat etatthis precisely; that reality
अक्षरम्akṣaramthe imperishable; the Akṣara
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the Absolute
सः प्राणःsaḥ prāṇaḥit is the prāṇa; He is the vital force
तत् उtat uit also; and this
वाक् मनःvāk manaḥspeech and mind; word and thought
तत् एतत्tat etatthis precisely; that reality
सत्यम्satyamtruth; the real
तत् अमृतम्tat amṛtamthat immortal; the imperishable
तत्tatit; that
वेद्धव्यम्veddhavyamis to be pierced (gerundive of √vyadh — 'to pierce'); must be struck [with the arrow]; is the mark to be hit
सोम्यsomyaO gentle one; dear one
विद्धिviddhiknow / pierce (√vid 'to know' and √vyadh 'to pierce' share the form); comprehend-and-strike; know it
Translation
That which flames and is subtler than the subtle, in which the worlds and the dwellers in the worlds are established — that is the imperishable Brahman; He is breath, He is speech and mind; this is the true, this is the immortal. Know, O dear one: this is [the target] to be pierced — pierce it!
Version
5f15599e1f26 · published Jul 26, 2026, 8:10:40 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A portrait of the Target before the shot. yad arcimat — "that which flames" (arcis is a tongue of flame: living, shining); yad aṇubhyo 'ṇu — "that which is smaller than the small": the greatest light and the finest subtlety at once; yasmin lokā nihitā lokinaś ca — "in whom the worlds and the dwellers in the worlds are laid up": the container of both the stage and the actors. tad etad akṣaraṁ brahma — "this is the imperishable Brahman"; sa prāṇas tad u vāṅ manaḥ — "He is breath, He too is speech and mind": that by which the reader is at this moment breathing, speaking and thinking is His power (the Kena: "the breath of breath, the speech of speech, the mind of mind").
tad etat satyaṁ tad amṛtam — "this is the true, this is the immortal": the two sealing words of the Upaniṣads — satya and amṛta — are brought together upon one Target. And the command: tad veddhavyaṁ somya viddhi — "this is to be pierced — pierce it, dear one!" The verb √vyadh — "to pierce [with an arrow]" — introduces the great image that the next two verses unfold: knowledge is not an accumulation but a shot; truth is not gathered grain by grain — it is hit.
The play on words is incomparable: viddhi means both "know" (√vid) and "pierce" (√vyadh): in the Sanskrit of the command itself, knowing and hitting are one word. To know Brahman is to strike Him with the whole of oneself; of the shot's equipment, next.