War in Ancient India c6.s3.3

c6.s3.3

The first was the Vajra or the thunderbolt. In the Tīrthayātra portion of the *Mahābhārata*⁶² a mythological origin is given to this weapon. It was made out of the backbone of the Ṛṣi Dadhīci which was freely given by him to Indra. Originally perhaps it had six sides and made a terrible noise when hurled. There seem to have been different varieties in the use of this weapon. In the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa*⁶³ the thunderbolt that Indra hurled against Vṛtra is described as having 1,000 spikes and 100 edges. The sacrificial post in the *Kauṣītaki Brāhmaṇa*⁶⁴ is referred to as a thunderbolt. Its breadth and length were fifty and a hundred miles respectively. It had sharp points and a good handle. Four movements are attributed to it. Sometimes the ends of this weapon were whirled round in such a way as to hold a bhindipāla in the middle. The Paṭṭiśa,⁶⁵ another weapon of war, is sometimes put to the uses of a Vajra.