उपनिषद् · Muṇḍaka 2.2.3
॥
देवनागरी
धनुः गृहीत्वा उपनिषदं महास्त्रं शरं हि उपासानिशितं संदधीत ।
आयम्य तद्भावगतेन चेतसा लक्ष्यं तत् एव अक्षरं सोम्य विद्धि ॥
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
dhanuḥ gṛhītvā upaniṣadaṃ mahāstraṃ śaraṃ hi upāsāniśitaṃ saṃdadhīta |
āyamya tadbhāvagatena cetasā lakṣyaṃ tat eva akṣaraṃ somya viddhi ||
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
धनुःdhanuḥthe bow (dhanus); the bow [weapon]; the arc
गृहीत्वाgṛhītvāhaving taken (from √grah); having grasped; having received
उपनिषदम्upaniṣadamthe Upaniṣad; the secret knowledge
महास्त्रम्mahāstramthe great weapon (mahā-astra); the mighty missile; the powerful arm
शरम्śaramthe arrow (śara); the arrow [that is the soul]; the shaft
हिhiindeed; indeed
उपासानिशितम्upāsāniśitamsharpened by worship (upāsā-niśita); whetted by upāsanā; honed by adoration
संदधीतsaṃdadhītalet him fit [it] (sam-√dhā — 'to set [the arrow]'); let him lay it on; let him nock it
आयम्यāyamyahaving drawn (ā-√yam); having pulled back [the string]; having tautened
तद्भावगतेनtadbhāvagatenaentered into His being (tad-bhāva-gata); absorbed in That; gone into that state
चेतसाcetasāwith the mind; with mind and heart
लक्ष्यम्lakṣyamthe target (lakṣya); the mark; the aim
तत् एवtat evaThat alone; this only
अक्षरम्akṣaramthe Akṣara; the imperishable
सोम्यsomyaO gentle one; dear one
विद्धिviddhiknow; understand
अनुवाद
Having taken up the bow of the Upaniṣads, that great weapon, fit an arrow sharpened by worship. Drawing [the string] with a mind entered into His being, know, O dear one: the target is that very Imperishable.
संस्करण
5f187d53b2dd · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 8:10:40 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The equipment of the shot. dhanur gṛhītvā aupaniṣadaṁ mahāstram — "having taken the bow of the Upaniṣads, the great weapon": the teaching itself, received from a teacher, is the bow: a springy arc that has stored the strength of generations; śaraṁ hy upāsā-niśitam — "an arrow sharpened by upāsanā": upāsanā is worship, a constant reverent turning towards the Target: the arrow of the soul is whetted not by logic but by adoration: a soul blunted by distraction will not enter even what is soft; sharpened by love, it pierces stone.
āyamya tad-bhāva-gatena cetasā — "having drawn [the bow] with a mind entered into His being": tad-bhāva-gata — "gone into that being": the drawing is the depth of concentration, when consciousness already lives in that towards which it flies (Gītā 8.6: "whatever state of being one remembers…" — the same bhāva!). lakṣyaṁ tad evākṣaram — "the target is that very Imperishable": not an image, not an idea about Him — He Himself.
A military metaphor for the spiritual path is exact in everything: in that shooting demands the whole man (stance, breath, gaze, stillness); in that the hit is an instant and the preparation a lifetime; and in that the archer, at the moment of release, forgets himself and remains nothing but aim. The next verse will assign the roles finally — and will add what is easily forgotten: the arrow must not touch the target but enter it.