Śārṅga

Śārṅga is the divine dhanus (bow) of Bhagavān Vishṇu. It is one of his best-known weapons, named in the Purāṇas and the epics. The sound of its string alone fills the three worlds and strikes terror into his enemies.

Kṛshṇa carries Śārṅga as one of the weapons of his avatāra. The others are the Sudarśana Cakra, the Pāñcajanya śaṅkha (conch), the Kaumodakī gadā (mace) and the Nandaka khaḍga (sword). Śārṅga is named among Kṛshṇa’s weapons in Bhīshma’s stuti (hymn of praise) at the Rājasūya. It is also named in the account of the Narakāsura campaign, where Kṛshṇa came to Prāgjyotisha armed with all his weapons.

Description

Śārṅga is Vishṇu’s bow. It was given or made for him as one of his main weapons. It is very large and very powerful. The sound of its string alone terrifies his opponents. Kṛshṇa is shown carrying Śārṅga with all his other divine weapons in his full warrior form.

Śārṅga is the proper name of this particular bow. It is a different bow from Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva.

In the Narakāsura campaign

Kṛshṇa rode Garuḍa to Prāgjyotisha to kill Narakāsura. He came armed with his main weapons: the Sudarśana Cakra, the Pāñcajanya śaṅkha, the Kaumodakī gadā and the Śārṅga bow. Śārṅga was the weapon for fighting at a distance, and the Cakra the thrown weapon for closer fighting. Together they made Kṛshṇa almost impossible to defeat against any defence the city could raise.

Śārṅgadhanvā at the end of the Yādavas

In the Mausala Parva, Kṛshṇa is often called by the epithet Śārṅgadhanvā, “the wielder of the Śārṅga”. The Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛshṇis use it as they face his departure.

When the news first reached Yudhishṭhira that Kṛshṇa and Balarāma had left the world, the heroes could not at first believe that the bearer of the Śārṅga had left his body. It seemed as impossible as the ocean drying up. Arjuna also spoke to Vyāsa about the loss of Kṛshṇa, the Śārṅgadhanvā. He called it unbelievable, like the sea running dry, a mountain moving, or fire growing cold.

At the close of the age, the epithet stands as a sign of the divine majesty that Kṛshṇa withdrew of his own will when his work on earth was done.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, dākshiṇātya prati, Chapter 38
• Mahābhārata, Mausala Parva, Chapters 1 and 8