धनुर् गृहीत्वौपनिषदं महास्त्रं
शरं ह्युपासा निशितं सन्धयीत ।
आयम्य तद्भावगतेन चेतसा
लक्ष्यं तदेवाक्षरं सोम्य विद्धि ॥ ३॥
dhanur gṛhītvaupaniṣadaṃ mahāstraṃ
śaraṃ hyupāsā niśitaṃ sandhayīta .
āyamya tadbhāvagatena cetasā
lakṣyaṃ tadevākṣaraṃ somya viddhi .. 3..
Take the Upanishad as the bow, the great weapon and place upon it the arrow sharpened by meditation. Then, having drawn it back with a mind directed to the thought of Brahman, strike that mark, O my good friend-that which is the Imperishable.
Commentary:
It is the bow. Hold it in your hand and bend it, strike the string by the power of the concentration of your mind through analysis of the meaning of the teachings of the Upanishads, and delve into their true significance. With the power of intense devotion to it, bend the bow and pitch the arrow, which is the act of concentration. The mind is the arrow here, which is to be fixed on the bow of the knowledge of the Upanishad gained by deep thought and study. And the bow has to be bent by intense longing.
Tad-bhāvagatena cetasā lakṣyaṁ tad evākṣaraṁ, saumya viddhi: That imperishable being is the target which you have to hit with this arrow of your mind, struck and discharged by the bow of Upanishadic knowledge, and bent with tremendous strength arisen from your longing for liberation. This is the meaning of the third mantra. The Upanishad is the knowledge which gives you the strength to embark on this great adventure of spiritual experience. That knowledge of the Upanishad is compared here to a bow, the mind is the arrow, the longing for the liberation of the soul is the power with which you bend the bow and strike the string, and the target is the Imperishable Reality. Thus is the analogy of the bow and the arrow in the case of sadhana, or yoga practice. It is again briefly repeated in the next verse.