170 



ON THE WEAPONS USED 



Tlie Nitiprakasika is an extract from a larger work devoted 

 to the Nitisastra, 2 which is ascribed to Vaisampayana, the 

 same to whom the Yajurveda is assigned, and who recited 

 the contents of the Mahabharata to Janamejaya, the great- 

 grandson of Arjuna, the son of Pandu. Vaisampayana 

 is introduced in the Nitiprakasika as communicating at 

 Taksasila in the Pan jab to the same king Janamejaya the 

 nature of the Dhanurveda, the peculiarity of the weapons and 

 of all the matter connected with war and the administration 

 of the kingdom. The Nitiprakasika is divided into eight 

 books, the first five speak about the Dhanurveda and 

 weapons in general, the sixth and seventh contain remarks 

 on the divisions and constitution of an army, and the eighth 

 on different subjects connected with the royal prerogative 

 and the duties of subjects. 



Horace Hayman Wilson, the eminent Sanskrit scholar, has 

 devoted a special article to " the art of war as known to the 

 Hindus ;" but this excellent essay was written many years ago 

 and does not enter deeply into the question of gunpowder 

 and firearms, which is particularly commented upon in the 

 following lines. 



The smallest unit of the Indian army, a patti, is described 

 to consist of 1 chariot, 1 elephant, 3 horses, and 5 men. The 

 Sendmukha, Gufona,, Gana, Vahinl, Prtand, Camu, and Ariikirii 

 are respectively three times as big as the corps preceding 

 them, and the 9th formation, which was called Aksauhim and 

 was considered to represent a complete army, was ten times 

 as numerous as the preceding Anikini. 3 The Nitiprakasika, 

 after describing the original patti, goes on to say that a chariot 

 has a retinue of 10 elephants, 100 horses, and 1,000 men ; 



2 I hope soon to obtain a copy of this work, as it is in the library of one 

 of my native friends. It is perhaps the work alluded to in the following words 

 contained in the Asvalayana Grhya : " Sumantu-Jaimini-Vaisampayana- 

 Paila-sutrabhashya-bharata-mahabharata-dharmacaryah.' > 



3 Amarakosa, II, viii, 48 and 49 ; Nitiprakasika, vii, 5, " Eko ratho 

 gajasoaiko narab panca hayah tray ah," 



