Shloka 8

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

Sanskrit

अप्रमत्तेन वेद्धव्यं शरवत्तन्मयो भवेत् ।

ओमित्येतत् त्रयो वेदास्त्रयो लोकास्त्रयोऽग्नयः ॥

Transliteration

apramattena veddhavyaṃ śaravattanmayo bhavet /

omityetat trayo vedāstrayo lokāstrayo 'gnayaḥ

Translation

దానిని అప్రమత్తతతో వేదించవలెను; బాణంలాగా సంపూర్ణంగా తదేకమై పోవలెను. ఈ ‘ఓం’యే మూడు వేదములు, మూడు లోకములు, మూడు పవిత్ర అగ్నులు.

Word by Word

अप्रमत्तेनby the vigilant (one)

वेद्धव्यम्should be pierced/aimed at

शरवत्like an arrow

तत्-मयःmade of that; absorbed in that

भवेत्may become

ओम्Oṃ

इतिthus

एतत्this

त्रयःthree

वेदाःVedas

त्रयःthree

लोकाःworlds

त्रयःthree

अग्नयःfires

Speakers

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

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

YogaPraṇavaVedic triadsConcentration (ekāgratā)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Vigilance (apramāda) is presented as essential: realization is not accidental but the fruit of sustained attention; Oṁ is revered as the integrative symbol of Vedic life and cosmic order.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Functions as dharma/upāsanā teaching (mantra as condensation of Veda and cosmos), not as sarga/manvantara/vaṃśa material.

What is the esoteric significance?

By equating Oṁ with the Vedic and cosmic triads, the verse encodes a microcosm–macrocosm identity: the single sound is treated as the seed (bīja) that ‘contains’ ritual, cosmology, and contemplative ascent.