Dhanurveda: The Vedic Science of Archery and Weapons

Dhanurveda means “the knowledge of the bow”. It is the Vedic science of archery, weapons and the arts of war. The Agni Purāṇa gives four chapters (249 to 252) to explaining it in detail. It covers how weapons and ways of fighting are grouped, how to make bows and arrows, the five battle stances, how to aim, how to use the sword and the lasso, the mantras for weapons, and how a warrior should conduct himself on the battlefield.

In the Agni Purāṇa, Agni-deva (the deva of fire) teaches the Dhanurveda to the ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha as a complete śāstra (body of sacred knowledge). It is remarkable for how much it covers: from the way weapons are grouped, down to the fine details of grip and aim, and the mental discipline a warrior needs.

How the Dhanurveda Is Divided

The Dhanurveda is said to have four pādas (quarters). These match the four branches of an army: rathas (chariots), gajas (elephants), aśvas (horses) and padātis (foot soldiers). So the science applies to all four arms of the ancient caturaṅga-senā (four-part army).

The Five Forms of Combat

The Agni Purāṇa lists five main forms of combat (pañca-prakāra) in the Dhanurveda:

Yantramuktam: weapons released by machines, such as slings, bows, catapults and mechanical throwers, and the stones they hurl.
Pāṇimuktam: weapons thrown by hand, such as pieces of stone (śilākhaṇḍa), the tomara (javelin) and similar weapons.
Muktasandhāritam: weapons thrown and then pulled back, such as lances (balle) that are thrown at the enemy and brought back.
Amuktam: weapons that never leave the hand, such as the khaḍga (sword), used in close combat.
Bāhuyuddham (niyuddha): wrestling and close body-to-body fighting without weapons.

Which Forms Rank Highest

The text sets out a clear order of rank:

Dhanurbāṇa (bow and arrow) fighting is the most excellent (sarva-śreṣṭha).
Bhalla (lance or spear) fighting is madhyama (middle).
Khaḍga (sword) fighting is adhama (lower).
Bāhu-yuddha (wrestling) is the least valued.

Who May Learn, and the Brāhmaṇa Teacher

In the Dhanurveda, a brāhmaṇa is the guru for all the varṇas (social classes). Kṣatriyas (warriors), vaiśyas (traders and farmers) and brāhmaṇas all learn the Dhanurveda from a brāhmaṇa teacher. In times of emergency (āpat-samaya), śūdras too must practise the arts of weapons and help in battle. Even the varṇa-saṃkaras (people of mixed family line) who live in the kingdom must support the king in battle.

Making the Bow and Arrow (Chapters 249 and 250)

The Bow (Dhanus): Materials and Size

The Agni Purāṇa names the materials for making bows.

Materials: loha (metal), śṛṅga (horn) and kauṣṭha. Also veṭuru (bamboo), bhaṅgam (cane) or carma (leather). The best wooden bow is made from candana (sandalwood), vetasa (cane), sāla, dhava or arjuna trees. Bamboo (veṇu) cut in śarad ṛtu (autumn) and properly seasoned makes the finest bow of all.

Size:

The best (uttama) wooden bow is four hastas long (a hasta is a forearm’s length).
Each hasta less gives the middle (madhyama) and lower (adhama) grades.
Foot soldiers (padāti) always use only the three-hasta bow.
Warriors on horseback, on chariots or on elephants use only the finest, four-hasta bow.

How it is made:

The grip (muṣṭi or piḍikali) must be wrapped so it is comfortable to hold.
The tips (koṭi) must be shaped gracefully, like the arched eyebrows of a beautiful woman (kāminī-bhrūlatā): elegant yet very strong.
Metal and horn bows may be made of one material or several.
The finest horn bows use the horns of the mahiṣa (buffalo), the śarabha and the rohiṇa deer.

Stringing the Bow and the Right Stance

The warrior first holds the bow in the left hand and the arrows in the right. He then salutes his gurus by making the arrows form a svastika shape. He stands in the vaiśākha-sthāna (the second of the five stances), sets the lower tip of the bow on the ground, and uses the span of his fingers and wrist to judge the right tension of the string. The string must be drawn so that there are exactly twelve aṅgulas (finger-widths) between the grip (piḍikali) and the feathered end of the arrow (bāṇa-puṅkha), no more and no less.

The Arrow (Bāṇa): Kinds and Size

Arrows may be made of loha (metal), bamboo, śarakāṇḍa (reed) or other stiff materials. The ideal arrow:

Is perfectly straight, with no bending
Shines like gold
Is as strong and tight as a sinew (snāyu-sadṛśa)
Is decorated with gold at the tip
Has been polished with oil (taila-dhautam)
Has beautiful feathers (sundara-pakṣa)

Arrow lengths:

Twelve muṣṭis (fists) long is uttama (best).
Eleven muṣṭis is madhyama (middle).
Ten muṣṭis is adhama (lower).

Battle Stances (Chapters 249 and 251)

The text lists five main sthānas (stances) for archers:

Samapada-sthāna, the “equal-foot stance”: both thumbs, wrists, grips and feet on the same side; the knees together; three spans (jāna) between the feet. The body stands still and even.
Vaiśākha-sthāna, the “Vaiśākha stance”: both feet pressing on the toes, knees bent, four spans between the feet, and the knees looking like a row of geese (haṃsa-paṅkti).
Maṇḍala-sthāna, the “circle stance”: both knees showing, with four spans between them.
Ālīḍha, the “drawn-back stance”: the right leg stretched forward and the left leg behind, with five spans between the feet. It is named after the act of drawing the bow.
Pratyālīḍha: the mirror image of ālīḍha, with the left foot stretched forward.

A sixth kind, sthānaka (the “great stance”, also called vikaṭa), has its own set measurements and complex placing of the feet and knees. It is used in special fighting situations.

The archer uses the bowstring (nārī) to aim. He holds the bow at the level of the navel, keeps the arrow at the hip, places the raised hand between the eye and the ear, and then releases. The tail of the arrow (puṅkha) is held and released from the right side of the chest before aiming. After one arrow is let go, the next is quickly drawn from the quiver with the index finger and thumb, steadied with the middle finger, and the sequence goes on rapidly.

Aiming and Kinds of Targets (Chapter 250)

The Agni Purāṇa sorts targets and ways of aiming in an orderly way.

Kinds of targets (vaidhya-bheda):

Dṛḍha (firm, still) targets, divided into nata-nimna (angled downward) and tīkṣṇa
Duṣkara (difficult) targets, divided into nimna (low) and ūrdhvagata (raised high)
Citraduṣkara (especially difficult) targets, divided into mastaka-panam (targets that turn like a head) and madhyama targets

From the very beginning, the warrior should practise aiming from the right, from the left and in all four directions. He must master bhramaṇa (turning targets), chandala (fast-moving targets) and targets in every direction. Both the eye and the mind must be fixed firmly on the target before the arrow is released. A warrior who masters this joining of eye and mind can overcome even Yama (death) in battle.

Sword, Lasso and Other Weapons (Chapter 251)

The Pāśa (Lasso)

A fighting rope (pāśa) should be ten hastas long, round (gola-ākāra) and comfortable to hold. It may be made from muñja grass, deer gut, bark rope or any other strong cord. The rope is tightly woven with thirty coils. Students first learn by throwing it at a dummy figure made of grass and leather (tṛṇa-carma), then at men who are jumping, before using it in real combat. The pāśa is held in the left hand, opened with the right, whirled in circles overhead, and thrown at the enemy’s head.

The Khaḍga (Sword)

The sword is worn on the left side of the belt and drawn with the right hand. It is six aṅgulas wide and seven hastas long. Iron śalākās (plates), kavaca plates (armour) and other protective armour are also worn on the forearm.

The Agni Purāṇa describes the fighting method vividly. A fresh, strong stick wrapped in quiver leather is kept ready in the right hand for striking the head of a fallen opponent. One who is struck on the skull with such a rod will certainly die. Both hands are then used for a heavier blow.

Weapon Mantras and Consecration (Chapter 252)

Before going onto the battlefield, each weapon receives pūjā with its own mantra. The bow, the sword and all the other arms receive pūjā, and then the Trailokya-mohana kavaca is recited. This is a protective mantra, called “armour”, that enchants the three worlds. A warrior who enters the battlefield after this mantra-pūjā and the recitation of the kavaca defeats all enemies and protects the earth.

Moves for the Mace, Discus, Trident and Other Weapons

Chapter 252 lists the exact technical moves (karma) for each kind of weapon.

Gadā-karma (mace moves), thirteen kinds: āhata, vihṛta, prabhūta, kamalāsana, natordhvagātra, namita, vāma-dakṣiṇa, āvṛtta, parāvṛtta, pādoddhūta, āvapluta, haṃsa-mardha and vimardha.

Cakra-karma (discus moves), seven kinds: dana, bhedana, pāta, bhramaṇa, śamana, vikartana and kartana.

Śūla-karma (trident and lance moves), six kinds: āsphoṭa, kṣveḍana, bheda, krāsa, āndolita and āghāta.

Tomara-karma (javelin moves), six kinds: dṛṣṭighāta, bhujāghāta, pārśvaghāta, ṛjupāta, pakṣapāta and iṣupāta.

Malla-yuddha (wrestling) and gadā-yuddha (mace fighting) also have long lists of moves, each with its own Sanskrit name for holds, throws and blocks.

The chapter also describes how an elephant is placed in battle. Two experts hold aṅkuśas (elephant goads), one on the neck and one on the shoulder. More archers, swordsmen and horsemen are assigned to guard each elephant and chariot in the formation.

How a Warrior Should Conduct Himself

The Dhanurveda of the Agni Purāṇa includes principles of right conduct in war:

A warrior must overcome śrama (tiredness) and prepare well before battle.
The best protection in battle is not to offer the enemy a target, keeping the elbow (mocēti) protected and out of sight.
Weapons must receive pūjā with mantras (mantra-pūjā) before they are used.
These chapters do not spell out rules against striking the unarmed or those running away. But the stress on consecrating weapons with mantras and on the protective kavaca shows the understanding that dharma-yuddha (war fought by dharma) cannot be separated from proper ritual preparation.

Sources

Agni Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 249
Agni Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 250
Agni Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 251
Agni Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 252