Essay name: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
Author: A. D. Pusalker
This book studies Bhasa, the author of thirteen plays ascribed found in the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series. These works largely adhere to the rules of traditional Indian theatrics known as Natya-Shastra.
Page 434 of: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
434 (of 564)
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414
R膩vana also gets news about war immediately his servant
goes out to obtain it."
After war, the principal duty of the commander-in-
chief was to reward the brave according to their merits.
The names of the warriors and deeds of their valour were
recorded in the annals of the state." The head of the
defeated army, however, took it as his main concern to
enquire as to the safety and whereabouts of the officers
under him."
The Rgveda mentions bow and arrow, axes, javelins
and swords as the instruments used in warfare.
References are also found to mailed warriors wearing
golden and iron helmets, leather-guards for arms, breast-
plates, coats of mail, armours and shields. Various
weapons and implements of war are mentioned by our
poet attesting to the progress of the science of warfare in
those days. The bow and arrows were the principal
weapons of all the four divisions of the army-the infantry,
cavalry, chariots and elephants. Bow and arrows
were preferred to discs (cakras) or lances, as they could
be effectively used from a distance and for a number of
times; whereas discs or lances can be used only once and
not often like boomerangs. Nor again can a large number
of discs or lances be carried on the person of a warrior,
whereas an individual can keep and use a number of
arrows. A charioteer could store a large supply and also
could change the venue of his attack quickly and thus
could use the bow and arrows to a greater advantage. On
the arrows was inscribed the name of the warrior to whose
quiver they belonged."
Many of the weapons mentioned by Bh膩sa are found
enumerated in the Artha艣膩stra. Kautilya classifies
weapons and instruments under offensive and defensive,
and the former are again sub-divided into movable
1 Pa帽c, p. 67, II. 24; Abh, pp. 35-38. 2 Pa帽c, p. 70; II. 28; p. 91; cf.
Arthas膩stra, X. 3, p. 868 啶膏啶むぎ啶距啶оぞ啶� 啶多啶班ぞ啶｀ぞ啶� 啶膏啶掂ぐ啷嵿啶じ啷嵿さ啶班啶� 啶啶班啶｀ぞ啶� 啶溹ぞ啶むた啶曕ぐ啷嵿ぎ啶掂啶む啶むじ啷嵿い啶掂 啶� 啶啶оぞ啶ㄠぞ啶�
啶掂ぐ啷嵿ぃ啶啶啶� 啷� [s奴tam膩gadh膩岣� 艣奴r膩峁嚹佱箖 svargamasvarga bh墨r奴峁嚹佱箖 j膩tikarmav峁泃tastava峁� ca yodh膩n膩峁�
var峁嘺yeyu岣� | ] 3 Pa帽c, III, 2, 3, 4. 4 Rgveda, VI. 27, 6; VI. 57. 1 and 2; VI. 75. 14;
Das, Rgvedic Cult, pp. 219-220, 336; Visvanatha, Racial Synthesis p. 43. a Pane
II. 50; III. 17, 18; Abh, p. 11-angrufu arafkan 6 Bh膩sa has mentioned
啶多啷嵿い啶�, 啶啶班ぞ啶�, 啶灌ぞ啶熰, 啶た啶｀啶∴た啶ぞ啶�, 啶多啶�, 啶啶膏げ, 啶啶︵啶椸ぐ, 啶掂ぐ啶距す啶曕ぐ啷嵿ぃ, 啶曕ぃ啶�, 啶曕ぐ啷嵿お啶�, 啶多啷嵿啷�, 啶む啶班ぞ啶膏た啶�, 啶椸う啶�,
啶ㄠぞ啶班ぞ啶�, 啶む啶ぐ, 啶栢ぁ啷嵿, 啶多ぐ, 啶曕啶ㄠ啶�, 啶曕さ啶�, 啶嬥し啷嵿啶�, 啶曕啶侧た啶�, 啶膏ぞ啶, 啶呧じ啶�, 啶曕ぐ啶掂ぞ啶�, [艣akti, pr膩sa, h膩峁璦ka, bhi峁囜笉ip膩la, 艣奴la, musala, mudgara, var膩hakar峁嘺, ka峁嘺ya, karpa峁嘺, 艣a峁卥u, tr膩sika, gad膩,
n膩r膩ca, tomara, kha岣峠a, 艣ara, kunta, kavaca, 峁涐梗峁璱, kuli艣a, s膩yaka, asi, karav膩la, ] st. 2. 8.
: (奴ru,
12, p. 90; Bal, V. 12; Abh, II. 10, VI. 3, 4; Pratij帽膩, pp. 26, 28, 113; etc).
