Stūṇakarṇāstra

The Stūṇakarṇāstra was a divine weapon (astra) used by Balarāma, the elder brother of Kṛshṇa. With it he killed Jarā, a rākshasī. When Jarāsandha was born in two halves, it was Jarā who joined the two halves of his body together, and she was linked with his divine protection. Using this weapon also caused Jarāsandha to lose his great gadā (mace), the Sarvaghātinī.

In Chapter 181 of the Droṇa Parva of the Mahābhārata, Bhagavān Kṛshṇa recalls this event to Arjuna. He tells it as part of his explanation of how he had carefully arranged the removal, one by one, of each of Karṇa’s possible protectors and allies before the deciding battle of the war.

Description

The Stūṇakarṇāstra takes its name from Sthūṇakarṇa, a powerful yaksha (a nature spirit in the service of Kubera) of Kubera’s line, known for granting extraordinary boons. The Droṇa Parva does not say whether the weapon draws on this yaksha’s power or is named after him for some other reason. What is clear is that Balarāma possessed this weapon and used it against Jarā.

Effect on Jarāsandha’s Power

When Balarāma used the Stūṇakarṇāstra against Jarā, her death broke the protecting bond she had kept with Jarāsandha since his birth. At the same time, Jarāsandha lost his Sarvaghātinī gadā. This double loss, of his divine protector and of his greatest weapon, was one of the key steps in the larger divine plan that made Jarāsandha’s death at Bhīmasena’s hands possible. Kṛshṇa named it as one of the planned removals, done in preparation, before the Kurukshetra War.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapter 181