Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

War in Ancient India c6.s4: Section V: Minor and Mystical Weapons of Warfare

War in Ancient India c6.s4

Language
English

Section V: Minor and Mystical Weapons of Warfare

c6.s4.2

Any detailed examination of the other species of weapons would unduly swell this volume; we therefore confine ourselves to a categorical enumeration of the list as given in the Nitiprakāśikā. There are two classes of the Muktāmukta division—Sopasamhāra (throwing out) and Upasamhāra (withdrawing). There are forty-three varieties of Sopasamhāra: Daṇḍacakra (a disc),⁹⁸ Dharmacakra (a disc for maintenance of righteousness), Kālacakra (a disc of death), Aindracakra (a disc attributed to Indra), Śūlavata (a trident attributed to Śiva), Brahmaśirṣa (a missile assigned to Brahmā), Modakī (a bewitching missile), Śikharī (a pointed missile to cut off the head), Dharmapāśa (a noose for maintenance of righteousness), Varuṇapāśa (a noose attributed to Varuṇa), Pinākāstra (a bow attributed to Śiva), Vāyavya (a missile of Vāyu), Śuṣka (a missile to dry up), Ārdra (a missile for drenching), Śikharāstra (a missile emitting flame), Krauñcāstra (a heron-like missile), Hayaśiraṣa (a missile in the form of a horse), Vidyāstra (a missile of incantation), Avidyāstra (a missile of illusory powers), Gāndharvāstra (a missile attributed to Viṣṇu), Nandanāstra, Varṣaṇam (a shower producing missile), Śoṣaṇam (a missile attributed to God of Love), Prasvāpana (a missile causing deep sleep), Praśamana (a soothing missile), Santāpana (a death-giving missile), Vilāpana (a noisy missile), Madana (a trust-giving missile), Mānavāstra (a missile peculiar to Manu), Nāmana (a missile of air-force), Tāmasa (a missile engendering darkness), Samvarta (a missile throwing a screen or a veil), Mausala (a club-shaped missile), Satya (a celestial missile), Saura (a missile attributed to the Sun God), Māyāstra (an illusory missile), Tvāṣṭra (a missile peculiar to Viśvakarma), Somāstra (a missile peculiar to the Moon), Samhāra (a missile causing impediments), Mānasa (a missile attributed to Viṣṇu), Nāgāstra (a serpent-shaped missile), Gāruḍāstra (an eagle-shaped missile), and Śaiveṣika (a missile of stone).

c6.s4.3

⁹⁸ II. 22-27.

c6.s4.4

The second class of this Muktāmukta division, *i.e.* Upasamhāra, contains a list of fifty-three different weapons.⁹⁹ These are Satyavān (perhaps a missile that would act according to one's wish), Satyakīrti (a missile probably famous in the Satyaloka), Rabhasa (a missile of violent quickness), Dṛṣṭa (a missile shaped like the shaft of a carriage), Pratihāratara (a missile for preventing an attack), Avāngmukha (a missile with its face turned downwards), Parāngmukha (one with the shape of a leaf or a tree), Dṛṭhanābha (a navel-shaped missile), Alakṣya (a missile discharged with no aim), Lakṣya (one discharged with some aim), Āvila (one in the shape of an ewe), Sunābhaka (one with a strong focus at the centre), Daśākṣa (one with ten cavities or openings), Śatavaktra (one with a hundred mouths), Daśaśīrṣa (one with ten-headed missile), Śatodara (one with hundred cavities), Dharmanābha (a navel-shaped missile for maintaining righteousness), Mahānābha (one having a big central point), Dundhunābha (one with the central point like a drum), Nābhaka (one like the nave of a wheel), Jyotiṣa (a lustrous missile), Vimalakula (a pure missile), Nairāsya (one engendering discouragement at the outset), Kṛśana (a small missile), Yogandhara (one of superhuman powers), Sanidra (one attributed to Indra), Daitya (one peculiar to the Asuras), Pramathana (a slaughtering missile), Sārcirmālī (one in the shape of a garland), Dhṛtirmālī (that could be seized or laid hold of), Vṛttimān (one that would move and turn), Rucira (a restorative missile), Pitrya (one in shape like the constellation Magha), Saumanasa (a floral missile), Vidhūta (an unsteady missile), Makara (one in the shape of the crocodile), Karavīra (a sword or scimitar), Dhanaratī (one giving wealth), Dhānya (one affording grains), Kāmarūpaka (one that takes a shape at will), Jṛmbaka (a wide-mouthed missile), Āvaraṇa (one serving as a protection), Moha (one producing spell), Kāmaruci (one acting to one’s wish), Vāruṇa (one attributed to Varuṇa), Sarvadamana (the all-subduing one), Sandhāna (a well-aimed missile), Sarvanābhaka (one like a serpent), Kankālāstra (one with heron’s feathers), Mausalāstra (a pestle-like missile), Kāpālāstra (a skull-like missile), Kankaṇa (one resembling the bracelet) and Paiśācāstra (a devilish missile).¹⁰⁰

c6.s4.5

⁹⁹ II. 28-35.

c6.s4.6

¹⁰⁰ II. 28-35.

c6.s4.7

This is a literal translation of the names which occur in the texts. To the list here given, Vaiśampāyana adds six more weapons which could be used only with the application of mantras—the Viṣṇucakra, the Vajra, (the thunderbolt), the Brahmāstra (attributed to Brahmā), the Kālapaśaka (the noose of Yama), the Nārāyaṇāstra (attributed to Nārāyaṇa), and the Pāśupatāstra (attributed to Śiva).

c6.s4.8

Viśvāmitra,¹⁰¹ to whom the Dhanurveda is attributed seems to have had a working knowledge of most of these weapons. Besides those mentioned above, Viśvāmitra adds the Tejahprabha (lustrous), the Śiśira (frigid), the Kinkini (Kankana) (with tinkling sound), and the Dāruṇa of Bhaga (a terror-striking missile). In the second class of Upasamhāra again Viśvāmitra adds Śucirbāhu, Mahābāhu, Niṣkuli, and Viruci, having respectively the characteristics of a good hand, a long hand, a niṣka, an ornament and fire.

c6.s4.9

¹⁰¹ Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa, Chh. 27 and 28.

c6.s4.10

Among the thirty-two Mukta and Amukta weapons, Kauṭalya, as we have seen, mentions the Śakti, the Prāsa, Kunta, Bhindipāla, Tomara, bows and arrows, Paraśu, Paṭṭiśa, Cakra, Mudgara, Gadā, and the Śataghnī. The other nineteen are not mentioned. But he gives different kinds of weapons, the Hāṭaka, the Śūla, the Varāhakarṇa (another form of Prāsa), the Kaṇaya (a metallic rod), the Karpaṇa (an arrow that can go one hundred hastas in length), the Trāsika (a rod with three edges), the Kuthāra (a small one with one edge), the Khanitra (a spade), the Kuddāla and the Kāṇḍacchedana, the Yantrapāṣāṇa (stones thrown by machines), the Goṣpa-ṇapāṣāṇa (stones thrown by rod), the Muṣṭipāṣāṇa, the Rocanī, and stones, besides 27 kinds of movable and immovable machines. Apparently the other weapons mentioned in the Nītiprakāśikā had gone out of use by the time of Kauṭalya.¹⁰²

c6.s4.11

¹⁰² Ar. Śās., Bk. II. 18.

c6.s4.12

The Arthaśāstra again mentions twenty-seven machines of which only five—the Musala, the Mudgara, the Cakra, the Gadā and the Śataghnī—are referred to by Vaiśampāyana. Another important fact that we gather is that in the time of Kauṭalya the forts must have become indispensable sources of defence, military architecture being highly developed. The ten immovable machines mentioned by Kauṭalya are not found in the early literature, from which it can be safely inferred that fortifications had not developed to any great extent in the days of the Nītiprakāśikā. The immovable machines, according to the author of the Arthaśāstra,¹⁰³ are Sarvatobhadra (a small cart capable of hurling stones on all sides), Jāmadagnya (a large machine to shoot arrows), Bahumukha (one with archers), Viśvāsaghāti (a cross beam at the gateway so placed as to make it fall when the enemy enters), Saṅghāti (a long pole to set fire to the fort), Yānaka (a rod mounted on a wheel to be hurled against enemies), Parjanyaka (a water-machine to put out fire), Bāhu (two pillars placed opposite each other to be pulled down when enemies enter) and Ardhabāhu (a pillar measuring half of the above). Again, the following movable machines are given: Pāñcālika (a wooden beam with sharp points outside the fort wall), Devadaṇḍa (a pole with nails), Sūkārika (a leather wall to protect the roads, towns, etc. against stones thrown by enemies), Yaṣṭi (a pointed rod of khadira), Hastivāraka (a rod with two or three points to prevent elephants from resting on), Tālavṛnta (a form like that of disc), Spṛktalā (a rod with sharp points on its surface), Kuddāla (a spade), Sphāṭima (a leather bag with a rod), Audaghātima (a machine to pull down towers, etc.) and Triśūla (a trident). There is ample testimony to indicate that some of the machines were employed in actual operations: the missile Tastra was used by the son of king Śatrujit against Pātālaketu and other demon warriors.¹⁰⁴ In the battle between Śālva Rāja and Bhīṣma both Varuṇa and Aindra weapons were used.¹⁰⁵ Again, Arjuna used the Vāyavya weapon in his encounter with the Nāgas, and it had the power of staying thunder, lightning, winds, and several other forces.¹⁰⁶ He also used Salila and Śaila weapons to ward off illusions of fire and wind from the Nivāta-kavacas.¹⁰⁷ Droṇa used the Aindra, Vāyavya and Āgneya astras during the Great War,¹⁰⁸ while his son employed Nārāyaṇāstra in another encounter.¹⁰⁹ The other weapons used by Arjuna are the Nāga missile, the Saupada, the Indrajāla, Sthūlakarṇa, the Pāśupata, and the Bhārgava.¹¹⁰ Arjuna also used the Māhendra mentioned as a fire-arm in the great epic literature. Rāma employed, besides the above, the Brahmadatta bāṇa.¹¹¹ In the engagement between Lakṣmaṇa and Atikāya, the latter used the Rudra and the Nārāyaṇa missiles, while the former used the Brahmaśiras.¹¹² In the battie between Angada and the Rākṣasa Kampaṇa, several missiles, like the Kṣuras, Kṣurapras, Vatsadantas, Śilīmukhas, Karṇicalyas, and Vipāthas are found used.¹¹³

c6.s4.13

¹⁰³ Ibid.

c6.s4.14

¹⁰⁴ Mārkaṇḍeya, 20.

c6.s4.15

¹⁰⁵ Mhb., Ādi Parva, 109. 49-51.

c6.s4.16

¹⁰⁶ Ibid., 129.

c6.s4.17

¹⁰⁷ Mhb., Vana Parva, 173. 10.

c6.s4.18

¹⁰⁸ Ibid., Virāṭ Parva, 60. 75.

c6.s4.19

¹⁰⁹ Ibid., Droṇa Parva, 200. 17.

c6.s4.20

¹¹⁰ See Sorensen's *Index to the Mahābhārata* under article Arjuna.

c6.s4.21

¹¹¹ Yuddha, 111. 4.

c6.s4.22

¹¹² Ibid., 71. 67-110.

c6.s4.23

¹¹³ Ibid., 76. 6.

c6.s4.24

Lastly, the Jṛmbha missile is mentioned in the Uttararāmacarita.

c6.s4.25

That the use of fortresses became more and more important is well seen from the latest publication of King Bhoja’s Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhara, which is assigned to the 11th century A.D. In it are mentioned the door-keeper machine and the warrior machine at the gateway to prevent undesirables from entering the city. Then there were other kinds of machines with arrows and other weapons for the protection of the fort, besides the water machines for letting down waters in torrents and the one for catching elephants, etc. Thus most of the machines refer to siege warfare in general, a sign that the use of fortresses was very common.¹¹⁴ Here again the sword, the Prāsa, the Kunta the Śataghnī, are mentioned.

c6.s4.26

¹¹⁴ Samarāṅg, Ch. 31, 106-16.

c6.s4.27

From these it appears that the skilled work of military engineering, such as road-making, bridge-making, and digging of tanks and of sappers and miners, was well known.

Linked texts (7)