Ajagava
Ajagava · aja-gava
Ajagava is a divine bow. In the Vāmana Purāṇa it is the famous bow of Nara, the tapasvin born from the arm of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa, who carries it with an inexhaustible quiver (akshaya tūṇīra). Nara takes it up the moment he is born, at the command of Bhagavān Śiva, and draws it again in the forest by the Sarasvatī against Prahlāda, king of the daityas. Ajagava lies beside the divine bow Śārṅga of Nārāyaṇa, and both are among the weapons held by the wondrous Hari-Hara form in which Bhagavān Vishṇu showed the devas that Hari and Hara are one.
Nara takes up Ajagava
At Badarikāśrama in the Himālaya, the land of the tapas of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, where the holy Sarasvatī flows, Bhagavān Śiva came as a Mahākāpālika seeking bhikshā (alms). Nārāyaṇa, the son of Dharma, asked him to strike his left arm with his triśūla. From the place struck by the triśūla streams came forth, and a youth arose: dark, with a lovely radiance, bearing bow and arrows, and from his birth already a youth. With a voice deep as a thundercloud he asked whose heads he must strike down.
Bhagavān Śiva named him Nara and commanded him to destroy the warrior whom Brahmā had created, a four-armed being in armour who shone with the light of a hundred suns. Hearing that command, the hero took the famous bow Ajagava and the inexhaustible quiver and went into battle. The two fought for a thousand divine years, and Nara’s arrows prevailed. Then Bhagavān Śiva placed Brahmā’s warrior into the Sun, and Nara, the victor born of Nārāyaṇa’s arm, into the body of Nārāyaṇa.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 2
Ajagava against Prahlāda
Once Prahlāda, king of the daityas, came with his daityas and dānavas to bathe at Naimishāraṇya, and roamed the forest on a hunt. By the pure waters of the Sarasvatī he saw a great sāla tree pierced with arrows, point against point, with no gap between them. Further on he saw two tapasvins in black antelope skins with long jaṭā (matted hair), and beside them two divine bows with excellent marks, named Śārṅga and Ajagava, and great inexhaustible quivers. Taking them for false ascetics, he challenged them, and Nara answered that no one can fight with Nara and Nārāyaṇa.
Prahlāda left his armies at the edge of the forest, went alone and twanged his bow. Hearing that harsh sound, Nara strung his bow Ajagava and loosed many sharp arrows, and the daitya king cut them all with his golden-feathered arrows. Then the exchange grew: for each arrow of Nara, Prahlāda answered with two; to 3 he answered 4, to 5 with 6, to 7 with 8, to 9 with 10 iron nārāca arrows, to 12 with 15, to 36 with 72, to 100 with 300, and to Nara’s 600 he answered with 1,000 nārācas. When the arrows passed all counting, Prahlāda fixed the Brahmāstra on his bow and Nara loosed the Pāśupata; the two unfailing astras struck each other and fell. Prahlāda took up a fearsome gadā (mace), and Nārāyaṇa, resolving to fight himself, drew Nara back.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 7
Held by the Hari-Hara form
When the devas wondered how Hari and Hara, of the sattva and tamas guṇas, could be one, Bhagavān Vishṇu, holding all weapons and bearing every auspicious mark, took the viśvarūpa: three eyes, earrings of serpent and lotus, jaṭājūṭa, the banners of Garuḍa and the bull, serpent necklaces, pītāmbara (yellow silk), a tiger skin and the vanamālā (forest garland). In his hands were the cakra, the sword, the śaṅkha, the plough, the bow Śārṅga, the bow Pināka, the śūla, the bow Ajagava, the khaṭvāṅga, the kapāla, the bell and other weapons, the weapons of Śiva and of Keśava together. Seeing that form, all the devas headed by Brahmā bowed and knew that the two are one.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 36
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 2, 7, 36