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

Assim, o iogue, feito de Oṁ, torna-se firme na sílaba imperecível. Prāṇa é o arco, o si-mesmo (ātman) é a flecha, e Brahman é o alvo insuperável a ser transpassado.

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).