Pināka

Pināka

Pināka is the divine bow of Bhagavān Śiva. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa names it in the battle at Śoṇitapura, the city of the asura Bāṇa, son of Bali. There Bhagavān Śiva came on his bull Nandī for Bāṇa’s sake, with his son Kumārasvāmī and the pramatha-gaṇas, and holding the Pināka he loosed astra after astra on Śrī Kṛshṇa, who held the Śārṅga bow. Śrī Kṛshṇa answered each with its counter-astra. Śrī Śuka Maharshi tells this to King Parīkshit in Skandha 10, Chapter 63.

The Pināka at Śoṇitapura

When Bāṇa held Aniruddha, the grandson of Śrī Kṛshṇa, captive, the Yādavas, led by Balarāma and Śrī Kṛshṇa, besieged Śoṇitapura with twelve akshauhiṇīs. Bhagavān Śiva mounted Nandī and fought Balarāma and Śrī Kṛshṇa, while Brahmā, Indra, the munis, siddhas, cāraṇas, gandharvas, apsarases and yakshas watched from their vimānas, the hair of the onlookers standing on end. With arrows from the Śārṅga, Śrī Kṛshṇa drove away Śaṅkara’s hosts.

Then Bhagavān Śiva, holding the bow named Pināka, loosed many kinds of astras on Śrī Kṛshṇa. Śrī Kṛshṇa, without fear or pride, the Śārṅga in hand, answered each with its counter-astra:

• the Brahmāstra with the Brahmāstra;
• the Vāyavyāstra with the Parvatāstra, the mountain astra;
• the Āgneyāstra with the Parjanyāstra, the rain-cloud astra;
• the Pāśupatāstra with his own Nārāyaṇāstra.

Then Śrī Kṛshṇa loosed the Jṛmbhaṇāstra on Śiva, and Śiva was made to yawn and was stilled. Later, when Śrī Kṛshṇa was cutting Bāṇa’s arms with his cakra, Bhagavān Śiva, whose compassion for his bhaktas is abundant, came near and praised him, and Śrī Kṛshṇa granted Bāṇa abhaya.

The Purāṇa gives the phalaśruti of this account: whoever rises at dawn and remembers this victory of Śrī Kṛshṇa and his battle with Śaṅkara will have no defeat.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 63

Sources

• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 63