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Dhanurveda is a sub-veda of Yajurveda. This includes subjects related to archery, military science or war art. In ancient times, this traditional knowledge was propagated & spread with great respect throughout India. Many texts on Dhanurveda were available in ancient India, but with time, almost all the scriptures on Dhanurveda are becoming obsolete now. The description of texts of Dhanurveda is available in some scriptures. In Agnipurana, it has been described as one of the 18 branches of knowledge. It also finds a mention in Mahabharata and a scripture called Dhanurveda Samhita is also available. But in most of the other scriptures, one can find some essence of this particular scripture. {{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biX0GdULcbQ&feature=youtu.be
Dhanurveda is a sub-veda of Yajurveda. This includes subjects related to archery, military science or war art. In ancient times, this traditional knowledge was propagated & spread with great respect throughout India. Many texts on Dhanurveda were available in ancient India, but with time, almost all the scriptures on Dhanurveda are becoming obsolete now. The description of texts of Dhanurveda is available in some scriptures. In Agnipurana, it has been described as one of the 18 branches of knowledge. It also finds a mention in Mahabharata and a scripture called Dhanurveda Samhita is also available. But in most of the other scriptures, one can find some essence of this particular scripture. {{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biX0GdULcbQ&feature=youtu.be
== धनुर्विद्या का महत्व॥ Importance of Archery ==
== धनुर्विद्या का महत्व॥ Importance of Archery ==
Archery had an important contribution in the combat system and military organization of ancient India. The Indian archer could not be stopped in any way, but with passage of time, its importance diminished on Indian soil. In spite of this fact, it does not mean that the use of bow and arrow has become totally obsolete. Prithvi Raj Chauhan was considered an excellent archer.
Archery had an important contribution in the combat system and military organization of ancient India. The Indian archer could not be stopped in any way, but with passage of time, its importance diminished on Indian soil. In spite of this fact, it does not mean that the use of bow and arrow has become totally obsolete. Prithvi Raj Chauhan was considered an excellent archer.<blockquote>दुष्टदस्युचौरादिभ्य साधुसंरक्षणं तथा। धर्मत: प्रजापालनं धनुर्वेदस्य प्रयोजनम॥ एकोऽपि यत्र नगरे प्रसिद्ध: स्याद्धनुर्धर:। ततो यान्त्यरयो दूरान्मृगा: सिंह गृहादिव॥ (वाशि० धनु० 1-5)<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>Meaning - the purpose of Dhanurveda is to protect the virtuous and gentle people from evil people, robbers, thieves etc. A city or village that was inhabited by even one famous archer, would always remain protected because the enemies would avoid and steer away from that village just like a deer and other prey animals, usually run away after seeing the location of a lion.
दुष्टदस्युचौरादिभ्य साधुसंरक्षणं तथा। धर्मत: प्रजापालनं धनुर्वेदस्य प्रयोजनम॥ एकोऽपि यत्र नगरे प्रसिद्ध: स्याद्धनुर्धर:। ततो यान्त्यरयो दूरान्मृगा: सिंह गृहादिव॥ (वाशि० धनु० 1-5)<ref name=":0" />
Meaning - the purpose of Dhanurveda is to protect the virtuous and gentle people from evil people, robbers, thieves etc. A city or village that was inhabited by even one famous archer, would always remain protected because the enemies would avoid and steer away from that village just like a deer and other prey animals, usually run away after seeing the location of a lion.
Dhanurveda Education
The Indian Army traditionally had four divisions – Elephantry, Cavalry, Chariot riding warriors and Infantry.<blockquote>धर्मार्थं यः त्यजेत्प्राणान्किं तीर्थे जपे च किम् । मुक्तिभागी भवेत् सोऽपि निरयं नाधिगच्छति॥ ब्राह्मणार्थे गवार्थे वा स्त्रीणां बालवधेषु च। प्राणत्यागपरो यस्तु सवै मोक्षमवाप्नुयात् ॥ (वाशि० धनु० 45-66)<ref>Rai, Purnima. (2003) ''Vasishta Dhanurveda Samhita'', English Commentary. Delhi: J. P. Publishing House. (p 75)</ref></blockquote>
== Dhanurveda Education ==
Dhanurveda is a synonym for Indian military science. There are four Vedas and for them there are four Upvedas. Among these Upvedas, the first was Ayurveda, the second was Shilpveda, the third was Gandharvaveda and the fourth was Dhanurveda. All the secrets and mysteries of archery and weaponry are included in this Dhanurveda. In Shukraneeti, five art forms, from art form18 to 22 to be precise, are related to Dhanurveda. ‘Nitiprakash’ or ‘Nitiprakashika’ composed by Vaishampayan embodies all the information pertaining to Dhanurveda. This book was edited by Dr. Aapart in Madras in 1882. Other than topics about Dhanurveda, the following topics are explained in this book-
Dhanurveda is a synonym for Indian military science. There are four Vedas and for them there are four Upvedas. Among these Upvedas, the first was Ayurveda, the second was Shilpveda, the third was Gandharvaveda and the fourth was Dhanurveda. All the secrets and mysteries of archery and weaponry are included in this Dhanurveda. In Shukraneeti, five art forms, from art form18 to 22 to be precise, are related to Dhanurveda. ‘Nitiprakash’ or ‘Nitiprakashika’ composed by Vaishampayan embodies all the information pertaining to Dhanurveda. This book was edited by Dr. Aapart in Madras in 1882. Other than topics about Dhanurveda, the following topics are explained in this book-
Archery was considered prestigious in ancient India, dating as far back as even during the Vedic period. Along with Vajra, there is also mention of bow and arrow in ‘[[Samhita (संहिता)|Samhitas]]’ and ‘[[Brahmana (ब्राह्मणम्)|Brahmanas]]’. It is written in ‘Kaushitaki Brahmana’ that the archer's journey is safe and secure on account of his bow. The archer who uses the arrow according to the methods prescribed in the shastras is assured success. Bhishma could use a bow that was six arms long. One specialty of archery was that it could be used by all four divisions of the army. In mythological times, the best archers like Sagara, Shri Ram, Bhishma, Arjuna etc. could all reputedly summon divine weapons (Divyastra), which had such potentially deadly capabilities and powers, that any ordinary chariot mounted archers could not defend. No one could fathom the influence of these magnificent bowmen. Bhishma himself had taken an oath to destroy 10,000 soldiers daily, as per his own orders.
Archery was considered prestigious in ancient India, dating as far back as even during the Vedic period. Along with Vajra, there is also mention of bow and arrow in ‘[[Samhita (संहिता)|Samhitas]]’ and ‘[[Brahmana (ब्राह्मणम्)|Brahmanas]]’. It is written in ‘Kaushitaki Brahmana’ that the archer's journey is safe and secure on account of his bow. The archer who uses the arrow according to the methods prescribed in the shastras is assured success. Bhishma could use a bow that was six arms long. One specialty of archery was that it could be used by all four divisions of the army. In mythological times, the best archers like Sagara, Shri Ram, Bhishma, Arjuna etc. could all reputedly summon divine weapons (Divyastra), which had such potentially deadly capabilities and powers, that any ordinary chariot mounted archers could not defend. No one could fathom the influence of these magnificent bowmen. Bhishma himself had taken an oath to destroy 10,000 soldiers daily, as per his own orders.
धनुर्वेद gaका प्रयोग Application of Dhanurveda
== धनुर्वेद का प्रयोग । Application of Dhanurveda ==
In the topic containing description of the duties of a king and its sub-topics, in ‘Agnipurana’, the description of archery is found in the Chapters starting from 249 till 252. In ancient times, many texts on Dhanurveda were available, but with the passage of time, almost all them were lost. Thirteen (13) parts of Dhanurveda have been described – (Niti Prakasika page 9)
In the context of the topic containing description of the duties of a king and its sub-topics, in ‘Agnipurana’, the description of archery is found in the Chapters starting from 249 till 252. In ancient times, many texts on Dhanurveda were available, but with the passage of time, almost all them got lost. Thirteen (13) parts of Dhanurveda have been described – (Niti Prakasika page 9)
# शब्द (Sound)
# शब्द (Sound)
# स्पर्श (Touch)
# स्पर्श (Touch)
# Smell (
# गन्ध (Smell)
# Taste
# रस (Taste)
# Distance
# दूर (Distance)
# Walk
# चल (Walk)
# Invisibility
# अदर्शन (Invisibility)
# Backside
# पृष्ठ (Backside)
# Location
# स्थिति (Location)
# Stability
# स्थिर (Stability)
# Excursion
# भ्रमण (Movement)
# Shadow
# प्रतिबिम्बम् (Shadow)
# Aim (Above) to hit a target (to penetrate)
# उद्देश्य (Aim) (Above) to hit a target with arrows (to penetrate)
According to Dhanurveda, weapons, both released and unreleased, are thirty-two in number -
# Twelve weapons such as the bow and arrows etc., belong to the category of released weapons (Mukt Ayudh । मुक्त आयुध)
# Twenty weapons such as sword etc., belong to the category of unreleased weapons (Amukth Ayudh । अमुक्त आयुध)
Many popular sports described in the Vedas and epics have their origins in military training, such as boxing (Mushti-Yuddha), wrestling (Mal, Dvandhva Yudh), Chariot-racing (Ratha Chalan), horse-riding (Ashva-Rohan) and archery (Dhanurvidya). Dhanurveda describes the rules, practices and uses of archery, bow-and-arrow making and military training. In this text, an explanation regarding the training of warriors, charioteers, horsemen, elephant warriors and infantry etc. have been elaborated. In Vishnu Purana, Dhanurveda is considered as one of the eighteen branches of knowledge.
== आयुधों के प्रकार ॥ Kinds of Weapons ==
According to Mahabharata, when the Kuru princes started growing up, the responsibility of their initial education went to Rajguru Kripacharya. It was from him that the Kuru princes procured knowledge about Dhanurveda. According to Kripacharya, the four main divisions of Dhanurveda, which he taught to his disciples are as follows<blockquote>चतुष्पाच्च धनुर्वेदः सांगोपांग रहस्यकः।(नी० प्रका० 1-38)<ref>Dr. Chandrasekharan. (1953) ''[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.369604/page/5/mode/1up?view=theater Vaishampayana Nitiprakashika]''. Madras: Government Oriental Manuscript Series, 24 (Adhyaya 1, p6)</ref>
मुक्तं चैव ह्यमुक्तं च मुक्तामुक्तमतः परम् । मंत्रमुक्तं च चत्वारि धनुर्वेदपदानी वै॥(नी० प्रका० 2-11)<ref name=":1">Dr. Chandrasekharan. (1953) ''Vaishampayana Nitiprakashika''. Madras: Government Oriental Manuscript Series, 24 (Adhyaya 2, p21)</ref></blockquote>Dhanurveda has four padas -
* मुक्त-धनुर्वेद - where weapons are released, such as the arrows released from the bow
* अमुक्त-धनुर्वेद - where the weapons are not released and are held in hand while being used to attack the opponent, such as the sword
* मुक्तामुक्त-धनुर्वेद - where the weapons, are used with awareness to release for an attack and are withdrawn to put away are called Muktamukta (Free-nonfree weapon)
* मंत्रमुक्त-धनुर्वेद - where the weapon is fired after reciting a mantra or a chant but the warrior doesn't know the method to terminate it is known as Mantra-mukta.
On the basis of the knowledge of weapons, Dhanurveda has also been classified into four branches<blockquote>शस्त्रमस्त्रंच प्रत्यस्त्रं परमास्त्रमितीव च। चातुर्विध्यं धनुर्वेदे केचिदाहुर्धनुर्विदः॥ (नीति०प्रका०)<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>
* शस्त्र ॥ shastra - these are hand-held weapons
* अस्त्र ॥ astra - weapons that are released
* प्रत्यस्त्र ॥ pratyastra - defensive weapons, used for defending oneself against released weapons (astra), skills procured to defend oneself from an astra
* परमास्त्र ॥ paramaastra - supreme weapon, divine weapons that have capability to chase the enemy they have been aimed at.
Dhanurveda has also been classified into four parts on the basis of actions or parts -<blockquote>आदानश्चैव सन्धानं विमोक्षस्संहृतिस्तथा। धनुर्वेदश्चतुर्धेति वदन्तीति परे जगुः॥(नीति०प्रका० २-१५)<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>
* आदान ॥ Adaan - To control the arrows i.e., to shoot down the enemy's arrows/weapons or to pull them and throw them far away. Destroying/confiscating enemy weapons, firing weapons while riding on a horse are also included in this section
* सन्धान ॥ Sandhaan - Combining two weapons or arts (styles) together, such as therapeutic weapons, aerial weapons, illusionary weapons or inventions. (Divyastra is said to be of two types, ‘नालिक (Naalika)’ and ‘Mantrika (मांत्रिक)’. War fought with Naalika weapons are termed as aasuri maayika or demonic illusory and those which are mantrika are daivika or weapons released by divine mantras.
* विमोक्ष ॥ Vimoksha - it is the art or style of releasing weapons against or in contrary to ‘Aadaan’
* संहार ॥ Sanhar - Compilation of instructions.
Kripacharya mentioned all these four types. Arjuna taught ten ‘angas’ or ten disciplines to the Upapandavas. Vimoksha here is a form of salvation, ‘Sanhara’ or compilation are not in Arjuna's list. Kripacharya included these under other headings. The method of teaching is different for all teachers, but the first two methods remain the same.
== References ==
== References ==
[[Category:Upavedas]]
[[Category:Upavedas]]