Agnipurana 248
English (machine translation) 248
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Contents
248.1
The Science of Archery.
Agni said:
O twice-born, the science of archery has four feet and is known in tradition as fivefold, / proclaimed in reliance on warriors belonging to chariots, elephants, horses, and foot-soldiers.
248.2
That which is thrown [by machine], that thrown by hand, that thrown and held, / that unthrown, and hand-to-hand combat—thus is it proclaimed to be fivefold.
248.3
Therein, through the perfection of weapons and missiles, it is declared to be twofold:
248.3.p1
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248.3_2
it is further stated to be twofold through the distinction between straight and illusory warfare.
248.4
That which is discharged by a sling, a bow-machine, and the like is called machine-thrown; / stones, javelins, engines, and the like are declared to be hand-thrown.
248.5
That which is a barbed dart and the like should be known as thrown and held; / swords and the like are unthrown, and hand-to-hand fight is that which is devoid of weapons.
248.6
Desiring to fight, having overcome exhaustion, one should make suitable preparations. / Archery battles are the best, and battles with darts are intermediate;
248.7
battles with swords are inferior, and wrestling is the lowest of all. / In the science of archery, a Brahmin is declared to be the teacher of two castes.
248.8
The right to fight belongs to a Śūdra when he is engaged on his own through instruction. / Mixed castes residing in the realm should render assistance to the king in war.
248.9
If the big toes, ankles, palms, and feet are close and joined together, / that stance is seen as samapada, according to its characteristics.
248.10
When the feet stand on the outer toes and both knees and forces are stiff, / the stance with an interval of three spans is called the vaiśākha.
248.11
Where the knees are seen to resemble the shape of a flock of swans, / separated by four spans, that is known as the maṇḍala stance.
248.12
That which has the shape of a plough, with the right knee and thigh stiff, / and five spans in breadth, is proclaimed as the ālīḍha stance.
248.13
The reverse of this is known as pratyālīḍha. / The left [leg] is positioned obliquely and the right is straight.
248.14
The ankles and heels are held at an interval of five finger-breadths;
248.14.p1
[...]
248.14.p2
[Footnote: pratyālīḍhaṃ prakīrtitam according to manuscript ja.]
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248.14_2
this stance becomes twelve finger-breadths in extent, [known as] jāta.
248.15
The left knee should be straight, the right extended well forward; / or the right knee becomes bent and motionless,
248.16
and this foot together with the knee is stretched straight like a staff. / Such is designated as vikaṭa, extending to an interval of two cubits.
248.17
When the knees are doubled and both feet are turned upwards, / according to this rule it is declared to be sampuṭa.
248.18
With feet turned slightly, extended evenly like a staff and firm, / it is seen as sixteen finger-breadths long according to rule.
248.19
Here, O twice-born, one should first make obeisance in the svastika stance, / taking the bow with the left hand and the arrow with the right.
248.20
Standing in the vaiśākha or in the jāta stance, or stretched out, / he who loves the bow, having then strung the bowstring upon the bow,
248.21
and having placed the lower notch of the bow and the tip of the feathered shaft / on the earth, and balanced it in that manner,
248.22
with both arms, both hands, and both forearms, O you of auspicious vows— / the bow and arrow of which warrior are superior at the nock-end of the feathered shaft,
248.23
the distance in the placement of the bow should be twelve finger-breadths / measured from the bowstring; it should be neither too short nor too great.
248.24
Placing the bow at the navel and the bundle of arrows at the hip, / he should raise his lifted hand between the eye and the ear.
248.25
The arrow should be seized at the right breast-tip with the front fist; / having then drawn it, he should quickly extend the front [hand].
248.25.p1
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248.26
[The hand] should be neither inside nor outside, neither high nor low, / neither bent nor supine, neither shaking nor excessively twisted;
248.27
even, endowed with the quality of steadiness, standing like a straight staff. / Having then covered the target with this front fist,
248.28
the archer stands rising with his chest, bent in a triangle, / with lowered shoulders, a motionless neck, and head tilted gracefully like a peacock.
248.29
The forehead, nose, mouth, and shoulders should be aligned like a horse's. / The space between the chin and the shoulder should be known as three finger-breadths.
248.30
In the first [position] it is three finger-breadths; in the second it is considered two finger-breadths; / in the third, the span between chin and shoulder is taught to be one finger-breadth.
248.31
Having seized the arrow at the nock with the forefinger and thumb, / and seizing it again with the ring finger as well as with the middle finger,
248.32
he should draw it back with force until the arrow is fully drawn. / Having begun in this way, he should release the shaft according to rule.
248.33
One of good vows should pierce the target struck by his sight and fist. / Having released, he should throw the rear hand swiftly backwards.
248.34
They desire this cut-off [release]; it must indeed be known by you, O twice-born. / The elbow must be brought down by the archer upon drawing.
248.35
When drawn upward, the middle is clinging to the target; / this is known as excellent and superior by those skilled in the science of archery.
248.36
The longest arrow should be known to be twelve fist-lengths;
248.36.p1
[...]
248.36.p2
[Footnote: tyaktvā instead of muktvā tu according to manuscript ja.]
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248.36_2
the intermediate is eleven, and the shortest is ten fist-lengths.
248.37
A bow of four cubits is best; one of three and a half is middling; / and one of three is declared shortest, always for a foot-soldier.
248.38
For a horse, chariot, or superior elephant, the same is proclaimed.
248.38.p1
Thus in the great Agni Purāṇa the two hundred and forty-eighth chapter, entitled “The Science of Archery.”
248.38.p3
Now the two hundred and forty-ninth chapter.
248.38.p4
The Discourse on the Science of Archery.
Other recensions (1)
- Agnipurāṇa (Nag Publishers edition, Delhi) — Sanskrit
Linked texts (1)
- Agnipurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit