War in Ancient India c6.32

c6.32

²³ According to the Harihara Caturanga they were made of tālatṛṇam, druma (śāla or vamśa), danta, śṛṅga of śarabha (Bk. v). In the Viṣṇudharmottara they are said to be made of metal, śṛṅga and dāru like vamśa or bamboo. This shows that in the passage of time, the old things were found useless and given up. The use of metal is significant and indicates the latest development in the art of war. It is worth noting that the Lakṣaṇaprakāśa quotes from a work Vaidyakatantra where a cāpa of saptāṅga (seven limbs) is considered auspicious, and from yet another work Traiyambika Dhanurveda which refers to ten kinds of cāpa (pp. 275-77). Most of them agree with the description given in the Vīracintāmaṇi Dhanurveda (Ibid., p. 279).