आग्नेयास्त्र

यन्त्रोपारोपितकोशांशः

Monier-Williams

पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्।

आग्नेयास्त्र/ आग्नेया n. " fiery weapon " , N. of a Tantric formula.

Purana Encyclopedia

पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्।

Āgneyāstra^1 : nt.: Name of a missile; referred to as Āgni-astra in ubhe caivāgnimārute 5. 140. 6.


A. Origin and succession: Arjuna told Gandharva Aṅgāraparṇa that Bṛhaspati gave it first to Bharadvāja, Bharadvāja to sage Agniveśya, Agniveśya to Droṇa, and Droṇa to Arjuna 1. 158. 26-27; 1. 121. 6-7; but Arjuna told Uttara that he obtained Āgneyāstra from god Agni 4. 56. 14; when Gandharva Aṅgāraparṇa expressed his desire to learn the astra, Arjuna taught it to him in exchange of the Gandharva horses (gandharvajāḥ…hayāḥ 1. 158. 51) 1. 158. 54-55; Arjuna taught it to the Gandharva with due rites (yathāvidhi) 1. 174. 3; when Arjuna requested Indra for heavenly weapons, Indra assured him that he would give him all the heavenly missiles, āgneya and the rest (āgneyāni ca sarvāṇi) after Arjuna had satisfied god Mahādeva 1. 225. 12, 10; among the epic heroes, besides Droṇa and Arjuna, its use was known also to Kṛṣṇa (6. 116. 38; also see Āgneyāstra^2 ), Bhīṣma, Karṇa and Aśvatthāman (7. 166. 2) [See the section


C. below].


B. Description: divine (divya) 6. 116. 38; 7. 73. 46; very dreadful (mahāghora) 7. 73. 46; very frightful (sudāruṇa) 4. 59. 21; irresistible even by the gods (devair api sudurdharṣam) 7. 172. 14.


C. Its use in war and its effects: 1. In the epic war: (i) when used by Karṇa against Arjuna, it gave to Karṇa's bow a fiery look and it released fiery arrows; Arjuna apparently combated it with the same kind of astra (astraṁ astreṇa saṁvārya) 7. 31. 5152; (ii) used by Droṇa against Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki); this was combated by Sātyaki with Vāruṇāstra 7. 73. 46; (iii) Bhāradvāja (Droṇa) used Āgneya and other heavenly missiles against Yudhiṣṭhira which were rendered ineffective by Yudhiṣṭhira 7. 132. 29-30; (iv) Aśvatthāman used it against Arjuna; when released, it produced a shower of arrows (śaravarṣam ajāyata 7. 172. 16; śaravṛṣṭayaḥ 7. 172. 22); cold winds blew, sun lost its lustre, clouds rained blood, all beings became restless; the arrows were fiery and produced good deal of heat; they burnt down enemies, elephants, horses and chariots; the god Fire burnt the army like the Saṁvartaka fire at the end of the aeon 7. 172. 16-27; the whole army, including Arjuna, could not be seen due to the darkness; the like of the astra released by Aśvatthāman was never seen before by Saṁjaya and his colleagues 7. 172. 30-31; Arjuna combated it with Brāhma Astra 7. 172. 14, 32; it was meant to be used by Arjuna in the war 5. 140. 6 (here referred to as Āgni instead of Āgneya). 2. Outside the epic war: (i) Arjuna used it against Gandharva Aṅgāraparṇa; when released, it burnt down the excellent chariot of Aṅgāraparṇa, and he fell down, head downwards, as he swooned due to the lustre of the missile 1. 158. 28, 29, 37; (ii) used by Droṇa (besides using other divine missiles) against Arjuna at the time of the cattle-raid; Arjuna combated it with his Āgneyāstra 4. 53. 48; (iii) on the same occasion used by Bhīṣma and Arjuna against each other to combat each other's missiles 4. 59. 21; (iv) in his fight with Citrasena and the Gandharvas Arjuna killed thousands of Gandharvas with Āgneyāstra 3. 234. 7; when released once again, the Gandharvas, afflicted by heat, were dejected 3. 234. 17; (v) at the time of displaying his skill in the use of missiles, Arjuna produced fire by releasing Āgneyāstra 1. 125. 19; (vi) employed by Bhīṣma against Rāma (Jāmadagnya); it was rendered ineffective by the counter-use of Vāruṇāstra 5. 181. 12.


D. Mode of use: The normal arrows were supposed to be infused by this astra (astre te vāruṇāgneye tābhyāṁ bāṇasamāhite 7. 73. 48) by reciting mantras over it (anumantrya 5. 181. 12, abhimantrya 7. 172. 15); Aśvatthāman also sipped water (vāry upaspṛśya 7. 172. 14) before reciting mantras.


E. Status: Inferior to Śivā's Pāśupatāstra 13. 14. 127.


_______________________________
*3rd word in left half of page p91_mci (+offset) in original book.

previous page p90_mci .......... next page p92_mci

Āgneyāstra^2 : nt.: Name of a missile identified with Kṛṣṇa's Sudarśana cakra.

Received by Kṛṣṇa from God Fire before the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest 1. 216. 21; however, it is said that Kṛṣṇa got it from God Fire after satisfying him 7. 10. 21; released by Kṛṣṇa against Śālva 3. 23. 28. [See Sudarśana ].


_______________________________
*1st word in left half of page p92_mci (+offset) in original book.

Mahabharata Cultural Index

पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्।

Āgneyāstra^1 : nt.: Name of a missile; referred to as Āgni-astra in ubhe caivāgnimārute 5. 140. 6.


A. Origin and succession: Arjuna told Gandharva Aṅgāraparṇa that Bṛhaspati gave it first to Bharadvāja, Bharadvāja to sage Agniveśya, Agniveśya to Droṇa, and Droṇa to Arjuna 1. 158. 26-27; 1. 121. 6-7; but Arjuna told Uttara that he obtained Āgneyāstra from god Agni 4. 56. 14; when Gandharva Aṅgāraparṇa expressed his desire to learn the astra, Arjuna taught it to him in exchange of the Gandharva horses (gandharvajāḥ…hayāḥ 1. 158. 51) 1. 158. 54-55; Arjuna taught it to the Gandharva with due rites (yathāvidhi) 1. 174. 3; when Arjuna requested Indra for heavenly weapons, Indra assured him that he would give him all the heavenly missiles, āgneya and the rest (āgneyāni ca sarvāṇi) after Arjuna had satisfied god Mahādeva 1. 225. 12, 10; among the epic heroes, besides Droṇa and Arjuna, its use was known also to Kṛṣṇa (6. 116. 38; also see Āgneyāstra^2 ), Bhīṣma, Karṇa and Aśvatthāman (7. 166. 2) [See the section


C. below].


B. Description: divine (divya) 6. 116. 38; 7. 73. 46; very dreadful (mahāghora) 7. 73. 46; very frightful (sudāruṇa) 4. 59. 21; irresistible even by the gods (devair api sudurdharṣam) 7. 172. 14.


C. Its use in war and its effects: 1. In the epic war: (i) when used by Karṇa against Arjuna, it gave to Karṇa's bow a fiery look and it released fiery arrows; Arjuna apparently combated it with the same kind of astra (astraṁ astreṇa saṁvārya) 7. 31. 5152; (ii) used by Droṇa against Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki); this was combated by Sātyaki with Vāruṇāstra 7. 73. 46; (iii) Bhāradvāja (Droṇa) used Āgneya and other heavenly missiles against Yudhiṣṭhira which were rendered ineffective by Yudhiṣṭhira 7. 132. 29-30; (iv) Aśvatthāman used it against Arjuna; when released, it produced a shower of arrows (śaravarṣam ajāyata 7. 172. 16; śaravṛṣṭayaḥ 7. 172. 22); cold winds blew, sun lost its lustre, clouds rained blood, all beings became restless; the arrows were fiery and produced good deal of heat; they burnt down enemies, elephants, horses and chariots; the god Fire burnt the army like the Saṁvartaka fire at the end of the aeon 7. 172. 16-27; the whole army, including Arjuna, could not be seen due to the darkness; the like of the astra released by Aśvatthāman was never seen before by Saṁjaya and his colleagues 7. 172. 30-31; Arjuna combated it with Brāhma Astra 7. 172. 14, 32; it was meant to be used by Arjuna in the war 5. 140. 6 (here referred to as Āgni instead of Āgneya). 2. Outside the epic war: (i) Arjuna used it against Gandharva Aṅgāraparṇa; when released, it burnt down the excellent chariot of Aṅgāraparṇa, and he fell down, head downwards, as he swooned due to the lustre of the missile 1. 158. 28, 29, 37; (ii) used by Droṇa (besides using other divine missiles) against Arjuna at the time of the cattle-raid; Arjuna combated it with his Āgneyāstra 4. 53. 48; (iii) on the same occasion used by Bhīṣma and Arjuna against each other to combat each other's missiles 4. 59. 21; (iv) in his fight with Citrasena and the Gandharvas Arjuna killed thousands of Gandharvas with Āgneyāstra 3. 234. 7; when released once again, the Gandharvas, afflicted by heat, were dejected 3. 234. 17; (v) at the time of displaying his skill in the use of missiles, Arjuna produced fire by releasing Āgneyāstra 1. 125. 19; (vi) employed by Bhīṣma against Rāma (Jāmadagnya); it was rendered ineffective by the counter-use of Vāruṇāstra 5. 181. 12.


D. Mode of use: The normal arrows were supposed to be infused by this astra (astre te vāruṇāgneye tābhyāṁ bāṇasamāhite 7. 73. 48) by reciting mantras over it (anumantrya 5. 181. 12, abhimantrya 7. 172. 15); Aśvatthāman also sipped water (vāry upaspṛśya 7. 172. 14) before reciting mantras.


E. Status: Inferior to Śivā's Pāśupatāstra 13. 14. 127.


_______________________________
*3rd word in left half of page p91_mci (+offset) in original book.

previous page p90_mci .......... next page p92_mci

Āgneyāstra^2 : nt.: Name of a missile identified with Kṛṣṇa's Sudarśana cakra.

Received by Kṛṣṇa from God Fire before the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest 1. 216. 21; however, it is said that Kṛṣṇa got it from God Fire after satisfying him 7. 10. 21; released by Kṛṣṇa against Śālva 3. 23. 28. [See Sudarśana ].


_______________________________
*1st word in left half of page p92_mci (+offset) in original book.