War in Ancient India c6.8

c6.8

It is interesting to read in the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, a composition earlier than 600 B.C., how the gods fashioned an arrow.⁴ In the Upāsads of the Somayajña the gods made an arrow. Of it the point was Agni, the socket Soma, the shaft Viṣṇu, and the feathers Varuṇa. Using butter as the bow, the arrow was thrown. This enabled the piercing of citadels. Again, at the Upāsads recourse was had to four teats for milk: and this was because of the socket, the shaft, and the feathers. Further, the fore-offerings and the after-offerings were divine armour.⁵ These fore-offerings and after-offerings were to prevent rending by an arrow. Thus here we are introduced to the essential elements of an arrow, and its effective use. Again in the Rājasūya portion of the Pañcika V mention is made of weapons like the bow and the arrow, and the defensive cuirass for the body.⁶