Talk:Dhanurveda

By Swami Harshananda

The word ‘Veda’ is a general term used to indicate any branch of organised knowledge and is assumed to be subsidiary to Yajurveda. The word ‘dhanuṣ’ means weapons in general and the pair of bow and arrow in particular. Hence ‘Dhanurveda’ means military science or the science of archery, but the latter sense is more common. Another name commonly used is ‘Dhanurvidyā’. The dhanurvidyā is exclusively concerned with archery. Use of bows and arrows was quite common even up to the 16th century.

References of Dhanurveda

The science of Dhanurveda is quite ancient. No scientific work known as Dhanurveda is extant now. A work called Dhanurveda Samhitā available now, is considered to be of a much later date. The information about this science is also available in the following literature:

1. The Ṛgveda
2. The Aitareya Brāhmana
3. The Agnipurāna
4. The Visnudharmottarapurāna

Educators of Dhanurveda

Though dhanurvidyā was a part of military science, only a brāhmaṇa could be a teacher and even the kṣattriya boys and youth had to learn from him. Some of the greatest teachers of science of archery include:

1. Agastya
2. Paraśurāma
3. Bhāradvāja

Types of Dhanurs (Weapons)

Weapons of war are generally classified into four groups:

1. Yantramukta - Used by a contrivance or machine. For e.g. Arrow
2. Pāṇimukta or hastamukta - Used by hand. For e.g. Discus
3. Muktāmukta - Used either by hand or by holding in hand. For e.g. Spear
4. Amukta - Used directly by the hands. For e.g. Sword

Making of Dhanurs (Weapons)

Several varieties of the bows, depending on the material out of which they are made, are mentioned in certain works like the Arthaśāstra of Kautilya (300 B. C). The Kodandamandana is a literature which mentions eighteen such varieties. Sometimes these classifications are made by considering the size and the weight of the weapon. The types of material used are:

1. kārmuka - made of palm-tree.
2. kodaṇḍa - made of bamboo.
3. druṇa - made of sandalwood.
4. dhanu - made of bone or horns.
5. śārñga - made of śṛñga or horns.
6. vamśa - made of bamboo.

Ominous Weapons

Our epics and purāṇas reveal the following as the formidable weapons:

1. The Śārṅga of Viṣṇu
2. The Pināka of Śiva
3. The Kodaṇḍa of Śrī Rāma
4. The Gāṇḍīva of Arjuna

Description of Arrows

Since bows are useless without arrows, a lot of information has been provided by these works on the arrows also which is as follows:

• They are prepared out of bamboo or steel.
• Usually feathers of birds are stuck at the back end of the arrow.
• Sometimes poisonous substances would be smeared on the front end of the arrow.
• There are five kinds of arrows:
  1. Veṇu
  2. Śara
  3. Daṇḍaśara
  4. Śalāka
  5. Nārāca

Types of Astras

When an arrow is discharged with appropriate mantras, it would get transformed into very powerful missiles called ‘astras’. Some of the famous astras include:

1. Brahmāstra
2. Pāśupatāstra
3. Nārāyaṇāstra
4. Āgneyāstra
5. Sarpāstra

Bag of Arrows

The bag in which the arrows are kept and tied to one’s back is called ‘tuṇīra’. Some great warriors who had been blessed by the divine powers or deities had ‘akṣaya-tuṇīra’ , which is a bag of arrows that would never become empty.

Stances For Using Arrows

For discharging the arrows effectively, several postures have been prescribed, which should be learnt from a competent teacher as we learn the other aspects of archery. These postures include:

1. Samapāda
2. Maṇḍala
3. Ālīḍha
4. Daṇḍayāta

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore