War in Ancient India c6.s6.t3.9

c6.s6.t3.9

Again, the conception of the sun-god in Indian mythology is of value to the student of ancient Indian military history. The idea is that the sun-god wants to destroy darkness. Therefore he dons a lustrous armour and with his two queens behind, starts marching in his swift flying chariot drawn by seven powerful steeds, Aruṇa (dawn) being his charioteer. In front of the car march two soldiers, one with a sword and the other with a śūla or trident, a kind of spear with three keen edges. The piercing rays of the sun are the shooting arrows. Such a grand conception is well represented in stone in the Sun Temple at Kanarak, of which there are two excellent plates in the published work of Lord Ronaldshay.¹⁶⁹ The first plate shows the sun-god with his accoutrements in a standing posture, while the second is a representation of the chariot with huge stone wheels all carved and ornamented. Though sun temples are rarely found, the sun-god is still worshipped in India with great veneration as the deity capable of bestowing on mankind both health and wealth. Thus the whole thing presents a life-like portrait of the military dress as well as the march against an enemy. Śiva is represented in various aspects, as holder of the Pināka or the bow, of the Khaṭvāṅga or the heavy club, as Mṛgadhara or wearer of a shield of antelope-skin, and of the śūla or trident. There is in the Elephanta Caves a splendid fragment of a huge sculptured image of Śiva the destroyer.¹⁷⁰ In the same way the elephant head of Gaṇeśa is a symbolical representation of victory. Hence at the commencement of every undertaking the orthodox Hindu offers prayers to this god to bless him with success. He is the Lord, again, of the Gaṇas or troops of inferior deities.¹⁷¹ There is a good image of him (see Plate I in the *Industrial Arts of India*) with ankuśa and paraśu in his hands. Subrahmaṇya or Skanda, the celebrated war-god of the Purāṇic literature, has a peacock for his vehicle (vāhana), just as Viṣṇu has the Garuḍa or the golden eagle. He is represented with six heads. He wears the weapon Śakti resembling a spear, and his standard of victory flies over his head. Other weapons attributed to him are the bows and arrows. He is the devasenāpati, the commander-general of the celestials. His is the symbol of energy and strength. These gods are very familiar even to children in India, for every village temple contains some of them.