Talk:Gāṇḍiva
By Swami Harshananda
Gāṇḍiva literally means ‘a bow made of the hide of a rhinoceros’.
The greatest archers found in the mythological literature are Śri Rāma and Arjuna. Śrī Rāma’s bow was known as the Kodaṇḍa and Arjuna’s was called the Gāṇḍīva.
Creation[edit]
Gāṇḍīva was made by Brahmā, the four faced creator, with the hide of a Gaṇḍa or rhinoceros. Hence it is named as Gāṇḍīva.
Successors[edit]
Gāṇḍīva was handed down to a succession of heroes as follows:
- Prajāpati
- Indra
- Candra
- Varuṇa
Journey with Arjun[edit]
When Agni, the fire-god, wanted to devour the Khāṇḍava forest, Varuṇa lent the Gāṇḍiva bow to Arjuna so that he could protect Agni. Arjuna kept it for 65 years, fought all his battles with it, including the Kurukṣetra war. This bow was so versatile and powerful that one could fight with one lakh persons at a time. Agni took it back for Varuṇa when Arjuna was on his last journey.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ Last journey is referred as mahā prasthāna.
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore