Varaha Purana 21.33: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 33
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
Pūrva Bhāga · Stotra-Mantra and Iconographic Correspondences (Dhanus/Āyudha symbolism)
गायत्री च धनुस्तस्य ओङ्कारो गुण एव च । स्वराः सप्त शरास्तस्य देवदेवस्य सुव्रत ॥ २१.३४ ॥
gāyatrī ca dhanus tasya oṅkāro guṇa eva ca | svarāḥ sapta śarās tasya devadevasya suvrata || 21.34 ||
gAyatrI cha dhanustasya o~NkAro guNa eva cha | svarAH sapta sharAstasya devadevasya suvrata || 21.34 ||
गायत्री उसका धनुष थी। ओम उसकी धनुष की डोर थी। सात संगीत के सुर उसके तीर थे। यह सब देवदव के बारे में है, सुव्रत।
Sandhi Notes
- धनुस्तस्य → धनुः + तस्य
- देवदेवस्य → देव-देवस्य
- सुव्रत is vocative address
Varāha
Curious
Spiritual efficacy operates through disciplined sound: metre, praṇava, and tonal purity are instruments of transformation.
Japa/recitation with correct chandas and svara; begin with Oṃ; treat Gāyatrī as a daily ‘bow’ directing intention toward clarity (dhi) and protection.
Sound-as-weapon theology: mantra (Gāyatrī), praṇava (Oṃ), and svara (sapta-svara) are the divine armory—creation and protection through śabda-brahman.
Gāyatrī as dhanus (ritual metre as bow); Oṃ as guṇa/jyā (bowstring as praṇava binding all mantra); seven notes as arrows (svara as directed potency).
Praṇava as the seed of all speech; Gāyatrī as luminous intellect-principle; svara as vibration—linking devotion/ritual to non-dual śabda-brahman contemplation.
Builds on the prior allegory of vidyā by specifying mantra as the operative ‘weaponry’ of the divine
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic strategy of mapping sonic/metrical elements (Gāyatrī, Oṃ, the seven notes) onto divine weapon imagery, illustrating how mantra, metre, and aesthetics were integrated into classical Sanskrit religious-literary expression.
No geographic location is named in this verse; the content is primarily symbolic and acoustical (mantra and musical notes).
Rather than a direct ethical injunction, the verse conveys a philosophical instruction: sacred sound (Oṃ, Gāyatrī, and ordered tones) is presented as a disciplined, potent principle—framed through the imagery of bow, string, and arrows.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
