Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 42, Shloka 7

Adhyaya 42 — Dattatreya on the Yogic Import of Oṃ (Praṇava): Matras, Worlds, and Liberation

Sanskrit

तथोङ्कारमयो योगी त्वक्षरे त्वक्षरो भवेत् ।

प्राणो धनुः शरो ह्यात्मा ब्रह्म वेध्यमनुत्तमम् ॥

Transliteration

tathoṅkāramayo yogī tvakṣare tvakṣaro bhavet /

prāṇo dhanuḥ śaro hyātmā brahma vedhyamanuttamam

Translation

ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਓਂਮਯ ਯੋਗੀ ਅਵਿਨਾਸ਼ੀ ਅੱਖਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਡੋਲ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਧਨੁਸ਼ ਹੈ, ਆਤਮਾ ਤੀਰ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਉਹ ਅਤੁੱਲ ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨਾ ਹੈ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਧਣਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/अनुक्रमवाचक अव्यय (thus; in that manner)

• ओङ्कार-मयः: consisting of Oṃ
• ओङ्कार-मयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ओङ्कार + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ओङ्कारमय = consisting of Oṃ

• योगी: the yogin
• योगी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक अव्यय (but; indeed)

• अक्षरे: in the imperishable syllable (akṣara)
• अक्षरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative, 7th), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक अव्यय

• अक्षरः: (he becomes) the imperishable (one)
• अक्षरः: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine, as personified), प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद: may become/should become

• प्राणः: breath; prāṇa
• प्राणः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• धनुः: bow
• धनुः: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शरः: arrow
• शरः: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतुवाचक अव्यय (indeed/for)

• आत्मा: self
• आत्मा: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ब्रह्म: Brahman
• ब्रह्म: Karma (कर्म/Object/Target)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र वेध्यरूपेण (as target)

• वेध्यम्: to be pierced; the target
• वेध्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Target)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेध्य (प्रातिपदिक; √व्यध् धातु से यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be pierced/aimed at’

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; न+उत्तम = unsurpassed

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided extract (didactic narration within Markandeya Purana’s philosophical instruction)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Brahman (Absolute)

Key Themes

• Yoga
• Praṇava
• Upaniṣadic metaphor
• Liberation (mokṣa)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Practice is framed as purposeful concentration: harness prāṇa, refine the self, and aim unwaveringly at Brahman—teaching disciplined intention rather than scattered religiosity.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Not a genealogical/cosmological unit; it is mokṣa-oriented instruction (dharma/upāsanā) embedded in Purāṇic discourse.

What is the esoteric significance?

The bow-arrow-target triad encodes prāṇāyāma + mantra + samādhi: prāṇa steadies the ‘weapon’, ātman becomes one-pointed, and Brahman is ‘pierced’ as direct realization (aparokṣa-anubhava).