Upanishads · Rudrahṛdaya 38
॥
Devanāgarī
धनुस्तारं शरो ह्यात्मा ब्रह्म तल्लक्ष्यमुच्यते । अप्रमत्तेन वेद्धव्यं शरवत्तन्मयो भवेत्
Transliteration (IAST)
dhanustāraṃ śaro hyātmā brahma tallakṣyamucyate | apramattena veddhavyaṃ śaravattanmayo bhavet
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
धनुः तारं शरः हि आत्माdhanuḥ tāraṃ śaraḥ hi ātmāthe bow is "oṃ," the arrow is the self
ब्रह्म तत् लक्ष्यम् उच्यतेbrahma tat lakṣyam ucyatebrahman is called the target
अ-प्रमत्तेन वेद्धव्यंa-pramattena veddhavyaṃby the unwearied it must be pierced
शर-वत् तन्-मयः भवेत्śara-vat tan-mayaḥ bhavetlike an arrow, let him become consisting of that
Translation
"The bow is 'oṃ,' the arrow is the self, brahman is called the target. By the unwearied it must be pierced; like an arrow, let him become consisting of that."
Version
9256e9df1c03 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The famous verse of the Muṇḍaka (2.2.4) is cited: bow, arrow, and target. The distribution is this: tāra, that is, the syllable oṃ, is the bow; ātman, the soul, is the arrow; brahman is the target. This likeness deserves examination piece by piece, for it is excellent — and because, incidentally, it speaks against the very conclusion it is usually cited for.
The bow is that with which one shoots; the arrow is what flies; the target is what is hit. And all three, so long as the matter is shooting, are necessarily different: the arrow is not the target, or else there is nothing to shoot at. It is worth noting the word apramattena, "by the unwearied," from pramāda, "negligence, carelessness." It is not said "clever" or "learned" — it is said "not dozing off"; and this is the one quality demanded of the archer.
The last half-verse is what the verse is cited for: tan-mayo bhavet, "let him become consisting of that." This is read as merging: the arrow entered the target and became it. Let me answer with what stands in the likeness itself. An arrow that has struck the target does not become the target; it remains in it — it sticks in it, and everyone sees both the target and the arrow. The word tan-maya means "full of that, absorbed in that"; and it is said of a person when he is entirely occupied with something. One occupied with something does not turn into the object of his occupation.