War in Ancient India c6.s3.56

c6.s3.56

There is a different kind of measurement given in the texts. The best sword measured fifty inches, a middling one forty inches, and the least good thirty-six inches.⁹⁵ Those which were cracked, basket-like, and of broken edges, perforated, devoid of handle, and crooked were not fit for practical use. Those in which the Linga, Garuḍa, swan, and other auspicious and artistic images could be seen were good. They were usually made of Pandrara iron found in the Jāngala country, black iron in the Anūpa, white iron in the Śataharaṇa, gold-coloured iron in the Kalinga, oily iron in the Kambhoja, blue-coloured iron in Gujarat, grey-coloured in the Mahārāṣṭra, and reddish white in the Karṇāṭaka.⁹⁶ More details are seen in the same taranga. According to Kauṭalya again, Nistrimśa, Madantagara, and Asiyaṣṭi are swords and their handles were made of horn, tusk, or wood. It is interesting to examine in this light the several swords of Arjuna, such as the long sword with the bee mark, a big sword finished with good blade and a sheath of tiger skin, one with a golden hilt cased in cow-skin, a gold sword manufactured by the Niṣādhas and cased in goat-skin, an iron sword with gold points, all without any stain or knot in them.⁹⁷