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 ||
हे सुव्रते! गायत्री हे त्याचे धनुष्य; ओंकार हा त्याचा धनुर्गुण; आणि सप्त स्वर हे त्या देवदेवाचे बाण आहेत।
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.
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