War in Ancient India c6.36

c6.36

How to use both the bow and arrow is thus elaborately described.²⁷ Taking the arrow with the right and the bow with the left hand, the archer should string it. The feathered end of the arrow must be made to rest on it, leaving a small space between the string and the rod. The bow must be drawn to the ear, and to the full extent in a straight line. Care must be taken in discharging an arrow. The position he should take when aiming at a particular object must be a triangular one. But this is not the only position known to the science of archery. We have others also. The first is the Samapada or a standing position where the leg, the calf, the palm, and the thumb of the hands are closely knit against each other. The Vaiśākha consists in standing on tiptoe with thighs in a fixed position and a space between the two feet on the ground. The Maṇḍala is done by standing in a circular or semi-circular posture, leaving more space between the two feet than in the former. The Ālīḍha is a position where the right thigh and knee are to be kept steady while the left is drawn back. The Pratyālīḍha is the reverse of this position. That of Sthānam occupied on the whole the measurement equal to the fingers. In the Niścala the left knee was held