CONCLUSION. India is sometimes designated as a country of spirituality by many

Transcription

1 201 CONCLUSION India is sometimes designated as a country of spirituality by many oriental and occidental scholars. However India also is rich with a fair amount of secular literature which includes works on technical sciences. The presence of the vast amount of Vedic, philosophical and religious treatises available from the early times are the clear evidence for the variety and richness of the cultural past of India. The Vedic, Epic and Purāṇic works in Sanskrit reveal many socio cultural tendencies of the man and such works exhibit the fact that our ancestors were aware of war and weapons. There are a number of descriptions about war and weapons in several ancient Sanskrit texts. The epics which highlight the concept of dharma have specific lengthy chapters describing wars. Even in Amarakos a, the remarkable lexicon from ancient India, the term s ara and bāṇa have more than thirteen synonyms. All these factors reveal the importance of weapons and weaponry in ancient India from the remote past.

2 202 Ancient Indian Artilleries- A Critical Study Based on Sanskrit Sources is a study on the art and science of war as well as weaponry in ancient India. The study started with a brief account of the history of the origin and development of the science of weapons in general. Then the study specifically limited its area to the description of various weapons of ancient India as referred to in the Sanskrit works which deal with the war and warfare. Sanskrit had been an intellectual language of ancient India in the royal courts in which a number of works on the theoretical wisdom of our ancestors were composed. Hence the study is focused on the Sanskrit sources on artilleries. The study is more or less limited to the Sanskrit sources and Sanskrit itself is a rich source of information on war and weaponry in ancient India. There are a number of works detailing directly or indirectly on warfare. Only a few studies or works are available on the artillery of ancient India. Though some works on Dhanurveda and the like are available, no research approach is seen in general; hence a study on the subject is attempted.

3 203 There are plenty of descriptions about weapons and war stories in Vedas, Purāṇas and Epics. The Vedic deities like Indra, Varuṇa and Marut are presented as great warriors. Indra and his weapon Vajrāyudha were praised in Vedas in a large account. In the Purāṇic age, the Trimūrti concept achieved more popularity. War achieved a specific space even in Purāṇas which propagates Dharma. The incarnation stories of Lord Viṣṇu which holds the great idea of peace are actually meant for propagating war. Each incarnation of Viṣṇu introduced new type of weapons and became more popular. There are also a number of references about artillery science in Agni purāṇa, Padma purāṇa, and Skanda purāṇa. Epics are actually war poems. In Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, there are also separate chapters for war. All these chapters praise great warriors and their special type of weapons. These Epics considered war as a remedy for the reinstatement of peace. The Bhagavatgītā gives a description about the well equipped battle field. Actually Gita empowers

4 204 a soldier for battle. Manusmṛti gives a detailed account on the war strategies. In the later period, the Sanskrit literature was found with substantial references about war and weapons. For example, Ūrubhanga of Bhāsa narrates the last moment of Duryodhana in the battle field. The strīparvan of Mahābhārata only refers the anarchy due to war. This richness of war and weaponry in spiritual and creative writings reveals the fact that our ancestors gave equal importance to the material life and spiritual life. One can realize that the ancient society strictly followed cast system. There was a clear separation between the lower and upper class of the society. Education was limited to the upper class only. Dhanurveda and all other ancient artillery works clearly support the ancient cast system. The weapon gradation was also based on casts. Each weapon is attributed to each cast. This reveals the importance of cast system in ancient Indian society. Actually the upper class consciously avoided the lower class from education and politics.

5 205 This study provides with some information about the origin of weapons. It also discusses the weapons of the mythical realm where almost all deities of India are connected with some kinds of weapons. Dhanurveda or the works on ancient artilleries is exclusively for the description of ancient Indian weapons. This study gives an account of the generally used weapons like bow and arrow, sword, spear and staff in ancient India. The details about the nature of these weapons are provided with in minute detail with sufficient photographs. Similarly this study goes through a list of weapons which are not mentioned in the texts of Dhanurveda but are referred to in some other Sanskrit literary texts. Finally an analysis of the data available is done in which the social, political and cultural importance of the warfare is discussed. Photos of some ancient Indian weapons are also included in the appendix. The Vedic weapons reveal its tribal nature and later ancestors developed it of mass destructive power. Ancestors applied poisoned

6 206 arrows and also discussed about the violation of war rules for victory. This reveals their attitude towards war and victory. One can see enough examples in Purāṇas and epics for the violation of war rules. Ancestors also spread several beliefs among the people relating war. Vīramṛtyu, Vīrasvargam, and the like as best examples or beliefs relating to war. Actually ancestors forced the common people to participate in war by exploiting these beliefs. The thesis has attempted to bring forth light on the original Sanskrit works wherein valuable information on ancient Indian art of war and warfare is embedded. The variety and richness of artillery in India shows the mentality of war of ancient Indians. All the major works in Sanskrit literature are actually written eulogizing the victories of the heroes of ancient times. The concept of weapon was originated from fear. Weapon was used for self protection in early stage. Later on weapon was used for domination also. For that purpose, ancestors spend their time to develop new weapons of mass destructive power.