Vishvamitra hands Rama the divine weapons

Classical

Rama owned the Brahmastra from boyhood, years before he ever met Ravana.

The morning after Rama has killed Tataka, Vishvamitra speaks to him sweetly and with a smile. He is delighted with Rama, he says, and is going to give him all the divine missiles, the astras. These, he says, are weapons that can defeat gods, demons, gandharvas, serpents and any enemy on earth.

Then, in the way of an ancient poem, he starts to name them, and the list is long. There are discs: the Danda, the Dharma, the Kala and the Vishnu disc, and the disc of Indra. There is the thunderbolt, Shiva's trident, Brahma's Crest, the Aishika, and the unequalled missile of Brahma. There are two shining maces, Modaki and Shikhari. There are three nooses, of Dharma, of Time and of Varuna, and the missile of Varuna. There are two bolts, Shushka the dryer and Ardra the drencher, and Shiva's Pinaka and the missile of Narayana. There are the Agneya, dear to Agni, and the Vayavya, the Blower. There are the Horse-head and the Krauncha, two impelling spears, and a series of weapons used by demons against other demons: Kankala, Musala, Kapala and Kinkini.

Then the list turns almost poetic. The Vidyadhara missile and a jewel-like sword called Nandana. Three gandharva missiles, the Stupefier, the Sleep-inducer and the Pacifier. The Rainer, the Drainer, the Heater and the Weeping-inducer. A weapon named for humans, and one of the pishachas. Taamasa, Saumana, Samvarta, Mausala, Satya and Maya-maya. The sun's Tejaprabha, which saps others' brilliance. The moon's Shishira, the Cooler. Tvashtra, Bhaga, and the missile of Manu.

These weapons, Vishvamitra says, take many forms and are very powerful, and he urges Rama to take them quickly.

Then comes the part that matters. Facing east and purified, Vishvamitra hands Rama the collection of mantras for the weapons, which even gods find hard to obtain. While he chants, the missiles themselves appear before Rama, in astral form, with their hands joined, and offer to serve him.

Rama accepts. He touches them and tells them that when he needs them they should appear in his mind. And he sends them away. Then he bows to Vishvamitra and prepares to continue the journey.

Valmiki makes the point twice: the weapons are not simply handed over like objects; they appear before Rama as beings, offer service, and wait to be called. Everything else in the chapter is a catalogue of what Rama now has at his command.

The translator's note at the end says that descriptions of several of the astras, including the Brahma weapon, Kalachakra and Vishnu's disc, come from Puranic sources whose origin cannot be traced, and are presented as Shiva's account to Narada. The names in the chapter are older than those descriptions, in other words, and what each weapon does is mostly supplied by later tradition.

The following chapter, which was not read here, is said to add more.

Who: Vishvamitra, Rama

Bound to

Indrajit's Brahmastra, Nagapasha and Garuda boon→payoff

The last Brahmastra: Dunuvila and Yudhaganawa boon→payoff

Places: Siddhashrama (Buxar region, per tradition)

Where this comes from

valmiki · valmikiramayan.net Bala Kanda sarga 27 Bala 27
read for this telling · valmikiramayan.net Valmiki Ramayana Bala Kanda sarga 27

See it on the tree · All stories

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