BY THE ANCIENT HINDUS. 



191 



The story goes, that when the gods were battling against 

 the demons, there appeared through Brahma's agency on the 

 top of the Himalaya mountain the deity of the sword, the 

 Asidevatd, illuminating by its splendour the whole sky, 

 the earth at the same time was shaking to its very foundation. 

 The khadga was thus introduced into the world by Brahma 

 for the sake of freeing the universe from the mighty demons. 

 It was 50 thumbs long and 4 broad, and Brahma entrusted it 

 to Siva or Rudra. After success had attended the undertaking 

 of Siva, he delivered the sword to Visnu, who on his side 

 handed it over again to Marlci and the other sages. One of 

 the latter, the sage Rsabha, gave it to Indra. Indra conferred 

 it on the guardians of the quarters of the world, and these 

 latter presented it to Manu, the son of the Sun, to help him 

 in the administration of justice against evil-doers. Since that 

 time it has remained in the family of Manu. The constellation 

 of the khadga is the Krttika, its deity Agni, the head of its 

 gotra Eohini, and its supreme deity is Rudra. Besides 

 Nistrimsa it has the eight following different names : Asi, 

 Viiamana, Khadga, Tikmadharma, Durdsada, Srigarbha, 

 Vijaya and Dharmamula. It is handled in thirty-two 

 different ways, and carried on the left side. 



The third species of weapons, the Muktdmukta, those which 

 may be thrown and not thrown are divided into two classes, 

 into the Sopasaiiihara or those which are connected with 

 the withdrawing or restraining Upasamhara and into the 

 Upasariihara themselves, which are the restrainers of the 

 previous class. 56 



Of the former there are 44 varieties, and of the latter 54. 



Ibidem, 149, 7, 8 ; 150, 1-5; Compare Sukranlti, Chapter V, si. 154, 155 ; 

 and Nltiprakasika III, 1-40. The third book of the Nltiprakasika is entirely 

 devoted to the khadga. Compare ibidem also, II. 12a. 



12a. Muktam banadi vijneyam khadgadikam amuktakam. 



56 The Sopasaiiihara and Upasariihara weapons are almost identical with 

 the lists of arms presented by Visvamitra to Kama as we read in the Bala- 

 kanda (in Schlegel's edition, cantos 29 and 30 ; in the old Calcutta edition, 



