Prāsa
Prāsa, “a barbed lance, a dart”
Grammar: masculine noun, from pra and the root as (to throw): “that which is hurled forward”.
Meaning: a barbed lance or dart, a weapon held or thrown in battle.
In the scriptures: at Daksha‘s yajña, when Vīrabhadra, lord of the gaṇas, drove at Dharma with four arms, Dharma at once took eight arms holding the khaḍga (sword), carma (shield), gadā (mace), prāsa, paraśu (axe), aṅkuśa (goad), cāpa (bow) and mārgaṇa (arrows), and set himself to kill Vīrabhadra (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 4).
The word in use:
- Fighting Nārāyaṇa, the son of Dharma, Prahlāda hurled a prāsa when his mudgara (mallet) proved useless; the Dharmaputra cut that too (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 8).
- In the river of blood that flowed in the devāsura battle, prāsa weapons took the place of crocodiles (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 9).
- The asuras rained on Devī Kātyāyanī arrows, śaktis, aṅkuśas, paraśus, śūlas, bhuśuṇḍis, paṭṭiśas, sharp prāsas and parighas (iron clubs) (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 30).
- In Skanda’s battle, the gaṇa Daṇḍaka, with a fearful prāsa, lifted a great asura together with his vāhana and hurled him into the great ocean. When Śaṅkukarṇa smashed the heads of rākshasas with a pestle, the text compares him to a minister who has won over the people and cuts the king’s head to pieces with a prāsa (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 32).
- Nandī split the prāsa of the son of Hasti with the vajra. When the daitya, his prāsa made useless, leapt at him with his fist, Nandīśvara hurled the vajra and cut off his head (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 42).
Related terms: Śakti · Paraśu · Parigha · Khaḍga · Vajra
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 4, 8, 9, 30, 32, 42