War in Ancient India c6.30

c6.30

The making of arrows is described in the Agni Purāṇa as follows.²² They are made either of iron or bamboo, the latter well grained, of good vein, and of a golden colour.²³ It has feathers at the tail end and must be oiled so as to be easy of use. It also possesses gold-tipped points. Three kinds of arrows are distinguished, the best, the middling, and the inferior. Each must be discharged by holding its feathered end with the thumb. The shaft of the superior type of arrows measures 12 muṣṭis (perhaps one muṣṭi—one pala), of the middling one 11, and of the last 10 muṣṭis. Manu refers to these weapons also. Kālidāsa speaks of sharp, deep and strong shafts,²⁴ while Kauṭalya mentions five kinds, veṇu, śara, śalāka, daṇḍasāra, and nārāca.²⁵ Some are provided with iron points for cutting, bone points for rending, and wooden ones for piercing. A man who could pierce through metal plates half the thickness of a finger, or twenty-four layers of leather, was considered proficient.²⁶