अक्षं दशप्राणमधर्मधर्मौ चक्रेऽभिमानं रथिनं च जीवम् । धनुर्हि तस्य प्रणवं पठन्ति शरं तु जीवं परमेव लक्ष्यम् ॥ ४२ ॥
aksam dasa-pranam adharma-dharmau cakre ’bhimanam rathinam ca jivam dhanur hi tasya pranavam pathanti saram tu jivam param eva laksyam
- aksam
- the spokes (on the chariot wheel)
- dasa
- ten
- pranam
- the ten kinds of air flowing within the body
- adharma
- irreligion
- dharmau
- religion (two sides of the wheel, up and down)
- cakre
- in the wheel
- abhimanam
- false identification
- rathinam
- the charioteer or master of the body
- ca
- also
- jivam
- the living entity
- dhanuh
- the bow
- hi
- indeed
- tasya
- his
- pranavam
- the Vedic mantra omkara
- pathanti
- it is said
- saram
- an arrow
- tu
- but
- jivam
- the living entity
- param
- the Supreme Lord
- eva
- indeed
- laksyam
- the target
The ten kinds of air acting within the body are compared to the spokes of the chariot’s wheels, and the top and bottom of the wheel itself are called religion and irreligion. The living entity in the bodily concept of life is the owner of the chariot. The Vedic mantra pranava is the bow, the pure living entity himself is the arrow, and the target is the Supreme Being.