The Fateful Evening...Arjun Draupadi OS Thread.3 - Page 107

My Quora answer on Topmost astras Of MBH era.

The three topmost astras belong to Trinity. Brahma Vishnu And Mahesh.

Brshmasira Narayanastra And Mahapasupata.

The other astras that belong to Trinity,used in Mahabharata war are

Brahmastra,Vaishnavastra And Raudrastra.

Then come the Astras that belong to Indra,the King of Devas.

Vajrastra,Sakti Astra,And Aindrastra

Remaining astras that can be placed together are

Bhargavastra,Agneyastra,Varunastra,Vayuvyastra,Nagastra,..etc.

I begin with the Astra that was not used by Arjuna.

1.Mahapasupata: Arjun got this from Siva.

Siva stated thus..to Arjuna

Bhava replied, 'O powerful one. I will give to thee that favourite weapon of mine called the Pasuputa. O son of Pandu, thou art capable of holding, hurling, and withdrawing it. Neither the chief himself of the gods, nor Yama, nor the king of the Yakshas, nor Varuna, nor Vayu, knoweth it. How could men know anything of it? But, O son of Pritha, this weapon should not be hurled without adequate cause; for if hurled at any foe of little might it may destroy the whole universe. In the three worlds with all their mobile and immobile creatures, there is none who is incapable of being slain by this weapon. And it may be hurled by the mind, by the eye, by words, and by the bow.'

Mahapasupata May destroy the universe if hurled without a cause..

It can be hurled by mind,by the eye and by word.

2Narayanastra

Aswathama hurled this after the death of his father Drona.

Excerpt

Then Drona's son, aiming at the host of the Pandavas and the Panchalas, invoked the weapon called Narayana. Then thousands of arrows with blazing mouths appeared in the welkin, resembling snakes of fiery mouths, that continued to agitate the Pandavas. In that dreadful battle, those shafts, O king, like the very rays of the sun in a moment shrouded all the points of the compass, the welkin, and the troops. Innumerable iron balls also, O king, then appeared, like resplendent luminaries in the clear firmament.

Within a short while one akshouhini Of Pandava army was burnt by the fury of Narayanastra

Krishna asked Pandava side to submit before the Astra casting away their weapons. Bheema tried to face the weapon but Krishna and Arjuna pulled him from the chariot and made him surrender..before Narayanastra.

3.Brahmasirastra

Aswathama hurled it to destroy Pandavas and Arjun shot his Astra to neutralise that.

Arjuna was able to withdraw the Astra on Vyasa's word but Aswathama can not.

In the words of Vyasa

Excerpt

Arjuna is possessed of such patience, and such honesty. He is, besides, conversant with every weapon, Why dost thou seek to compass the destruction of such a person with all his brothers? That region wherethe weapon called brahmashira is baffled by another high weapon suffers a drought for twelve years,

Due to the power of Brahmasira Uttara's Son Parikshit was born dead.Krishna revived him with his yogic power.

Other weapons of Trinity

4.Vaishnavastra

On the twelfth day of war Bhagadutta hurled it on Arjuna..it was taken by Krishna to whom the Astra became a garland round his neck.

Excerpt

That all- slaying weapon, hurled by Bhagadatta, Kesava, covering Arjuna, received on his breast. Thereupon, that weapon became a triumphal garland on Kesava's breast

5Raudrastra

Arjuna in heaven killed Kalakeyas by using Raudrastra . He killed 60000 of them with that Astra.

Excerpt

Thereupon collecting (my energies) in fight, I (bowed down) unto that god of gods, Raudra, and saying, 'May welfare attend on all beings!' I fixed that mighty weapon which, celebrated under the name of Raudra, is the destroyer of all foes.

Arjuna got ready to hurl it on Karna on 17th day but did not since Karna's chariot wheel sunk .

Excerpt

Then Dhananjaya, filled with rage, inspiring with mantras another celestial weapons that looked like fire and that resembled the poison of the snake and that was as hard as the essence of adamant, and uniting the Raudra weapon with it, became desirous of shooting it at his foe. At that time, O king, the earth swallowed up one of wheels of Karna's car. Quickly alighting then from his vehicle, he seized his sunken wheel with his two arms and endeavoured to lift it up with a great effort

6Brahmastra.

Both Arjuna and Karna used this on 17 th day. Drona,Yudhishtir. and others also used this at various places.

Astras Of Indra

7.Sakti weapon.

Vasavi Sakti given to Karna will kill one person without fail. So said Indra.

Excerpt

In thy hand, however, this dart, O son of Suta, will slay only one powerful enemy of thine. And having achieved that feat, it will, roaring and blazing, return to me!' Thereat Karna said, 'I desire to slay in fierce fight even one enemy of mine, who roareth fiercely and is hot as fire, and of whom I am in fear!'

Karna used the Vasavi Sakti on 14 th night to kill Ghatotkacha.

8Vajrastra

Vajra or the thunderbolt is the most powerful Astra Of Indra which he refused to offer to Karna. Except Vajra ask any thing he said.

Vajrastra was given by Indra to Arjuna. He used it in his battle with Nivata kavachas.

Excerpt

And the son of Pandu continued all the while to acquire celestial weapons, together with the means of withdrawing them. And he received from the hands of Sakra his favourite weapon of irresistible force, viz., the thunder-bolt and those other weapons also, of tremendous roar, viz., the lightnings of heaven, whose flashes are inferable from the appearance of clouds and (the dancing of) peacocks.

Excerpt

"I then discharged the favourite weapon of the king of the celestials--the dreadful thunderbolt. And inspiring the Gandiva with mantras, I, aiming at the locality of the crags, shot sharpened iron shafts of the touch of the thunder- bolt. And sent by the thunder, those adamantine arrows entered into all those illusions and into the midst of those Nivata-Kavachas.

Hence Arjuna used Vajrastra and annihilated Nivatakavachas.

9Aindrastra

Arjuna used this on the second day of war

And the Kurus, with Bhishma, and Drona and Duryodhana and Valhika, exceedingly mangled by the weapons (of Arjuna), beholding the sun withdraw his rays, and seeing also that awful and irresistible weapon called after the name of Indra spread out and causing (as it were) the end of the Yuga to appear, withdraw their forces for the nightly rest.

Arjuna also hurled this in his final battle with Karna.

Agneyastra was hurled by Aswathama on15 th day and Arjuna on 17th day and also when he faced Angaraparna Gandharva on the way to Kampilya.

Arjuna used Nagastra on Samsaptakas,Parjanyastra when he created water for Bhishma.

In the final battle Arjuna and Karna hurled Agneya,Varuna,Vayuvya etc.

Arjuna used Visoshanastra to dry up water during his war with Nivatakavachas.

Arjuna also posessed Varuna pasa,Antarthana And Yama s mace..

Bhargavastra

Karna hurled Bhargavastra on 17 th day on Pandava army that caused huge loss of lives.

Excerpt

the mighty Karna of immeasurable soul fixed on his bow-string the weapon known by the name of Bhargava. From that weapon flowed, O king, millions and millions of keen arrows in that great battle. Entirely shrouded with those blazing and terrible arrows winged with feathers of Kankas and peacocks, the Pandava army could not see anything

Arjuna used Sammohanastra during Virat war and made the whole Kaurava army except Bhishma became unconscious.

Anjalikastra

Arjuna hurled Anjalikastra to kill Karna.

Excerpt

Hastening then for Karna's destruction, Partha took out from his quiver an excellent Anjalika weapon that resembled the thunder of Indra or the rod of fire and that was possessed of the effulgence of the thousand-rayed Sun. Capable of penetrating the very vitals, besmeared with blood and flesh, resembling fire or the sun, made of costly materials, destructive of men, steeds, and elephants, of straight course and fierce impetuosity, it measured three cubits and six feet. Endued with the force of the thousand-eyed Indra's thunder, irresistible as Rakshasas in the night, resembling Pinaka or Narayana's discus, it was exceedingly terrible and destructive of all living creatures.

Apart from the above mentioned astras many other astras are there..but ten was the number. So Stuck to that and a little more.

Bhishma after his fall elaborates on the astras posessed by Arjuna alone.

AgneyaM vAruNaM saumyaM vAyavyamatha vaiShNavam |

aindraM pAshupataM brAhmaM pArameShThyaM prajApateH || 38||

dhAtustvaShTushcha saviturdivyAnyastrANi sarvashaH || 38||

sarvasminmAnuShe loke vettyeko hi dhana~njayaH |

kRRiShNo vA devakIputro nAnyo vai veda kashchana || 39||

Excerpt

The weapons appertaining to Agni, Varuna, Soma, Vayu, and Vishnu, as also those appertaining to Indra, Pasupati, and Paramesthi, and those of Prajapati, Dhatri, Tashtri, Savitri, and Vivaswat, all these are known to Dhananjaya alone in this world of men! Krishna, the son of Devaki, also knoweth them.

Bhishma validated the fact that Arjuna knows astras related to every god.He mentioned the wide range of astras here. Certainly Top ten as well as other astras listed out by Bhishma throws light on the astras of Dwapar yug..the word of the great warrior serves purpose.

Footnotes.

Bori Critical Edition Of Mahabharata

Kisari Mohan Ganguli English Translation Of Mahabharata.

Vana Parv CLXXIV, XLIV,CCCVIII,XL,CLXXII

Virata ParvLXV

Bhishma Parv,LIX,CXXXIii

Drona ParvCC,XXVII

Karna Parv Sec. 64 91

Sauptika ParvSec 16

Lakshmi telidevara