Upanishads · Varāha 5.56
॥
Devanāgarī
सम्यग्बन्धत्रयस्थोऽपि लक्ष्यलक्षणकारणम् । वेद्यं समुद्धरेन्नित्यं सत्यसन्धानमानसः
Transliteration (IAST)
samyagbandhatrayastho'pi lakṣyalakṣaṇakāraṇam | vedyaṃ samuddharennityaṃ satyasandhānamānasaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सम्यक् बन्ध-त्रय-स्थः अपिsamyak bandha-traya-sthaḥ apialthough standing in the three locks
लक्ष्य-लक्षण-कारणम्lakṣya-lakṣaṇa-kāraṇamthe cause of the aim and its mark
वेद्यं समुद्धरेत् नित्यंvedyaṃ samuddharet nityaṃlet him ever draw out the knowable
सत्य-सन्धान-मानसःsatya-sandhāna-mānasaḥwith a mind fixed upon truth
Translation
"Although standing in the three locks, — with a mind fixed upon truth, let him ever draw out the knowable, the cause of the aim and its mark."
Version
700fbd239a3e · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Worth noting the phrase satya-sandhana-manasah, "with a mind fixed upon truth." Sandhana means "fitting, aiming," discussed when reading the second chapter (2.83): the word is used of nocking an arrow to the bowstring. That is, the mind is aimed, as an arrow is aimed; and this image is constant in Indian literature.
Its most famous use is in the Mundaka (2.2.4), and it is worth citing in full, for it applies directly here. Pranavo dhanuh sharo hy atma brahma tal lakshyam uchyate; apramattena veddhavyam shara-vat tan-mayo bhavet. Translated: "the pranava is the bow, the self is the arrow, brahman is called the target; let it be pierced without distraction, and let one become one with it, as the arrow."
Compare with the present verse: here too stands lakshya, "target," the word sandhana, and the demand for constancy. The Vaishnava reading of this passage was given when reading the Mahavakya; let us repeat it briefly. In the comparison with the arrow there are three: the archer, the arrow, and the target.
The arrow reaches the target and remains the arrow; no one says the arrow has become the mark. And tan-mayo bhavet, "let it become consisting of that," is said of concentration, not of disappearance: the arrow "consists of the target" in the sense that it flies only toward it. Let us add what deserves holding onto especially in this comparison: the archer stays at the bow. The whole comparison rests on the fact that someone is taking aim.