Upanishads · Kṛṣṇa 1.23
॥
Devanāgarī
गदा च काळिका साक्षात्सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हिणी । धनुः शार्ङ्गं स्वमाया च शरत्कालः सुभोजनः
Transliteration (IAST)
gadā ca kāḻikā sākṣātsarvaśatrunibarhiṇī | dhanuḥ śārṅgaṃ svamāyā ca śaratkālaḥ subhojanaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
गदा च काऌइका साक्षात्gadā ca kāḷikā sākṣātand the mace — Kālikā herself
सर्व-शत्रु-निबर्हिणीsarva-śatru-nibarhiṇīdestroying all enemies
धनुः शार्ङ्गं स्व-माया चdhanuḥ śārṅgaṃ sva-māyā cathe bow Śārṅga — His own māyā
शरत्-कालः सु-भोजनःśarat-kālaḥ su-bhojanaḥthe autumn season — good food
Translation
"And the mace is Kālikā herself, destroying all enemies; the bow Śārṅga is His own māyā; the autumn season is good food."
Version
f0ff73d7d4a5 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
It is worth noting one correspondence: dhanuḥ śārṅgaṃ sva-māyā ca, "the bow Śārṅga is His own māyā." That is, māyā is named a weapon in His hand. This image, to my mind, is the finest of all by which māyā has been described, and it is worth examining.
A bow is neither the archer's enemy nor a delusion: it is that by which he acts. It is dangerous, but dangerous to those shot at, not to the one shooting. Read this way, two properties of māyā that otherwise do not fit together are explained at once.
First: it is invincible — for it is His weapon, and to overcome it would mean overcoming Him. Second: it is not evil — for a weapon is not evil in itself, but is put to use. The Gītā says the same, in almost the same words: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā, "this divine māyā of Mine" (7.14); and the word mama, "My," was discussed more than once.
Let us add what follows from the image of the bow for a person under fire. Salvation from the arrow is not the destruction of the bow, nor proof that no bow exists. Salvation is to get behind the back of the one shooting; and where the archer stands, no arrows fly.
Hence all these books say not "overcome māyā" but "take refuge"; and that the means is named immediately after the acknowledgment of invincibility was discussed when reading the eleventh verse.