234 



ON THE WEAPONS USED 



certainly like her (Damayanti's) two brows, which are made 

 for the conquest of the world, the two guns of those two 

 (Rati and Manmatha) who wish to throw balls on you, are 

 like her (Damayanti's) two elevated nostrils." 124 To leavo 

 no doubt that guns are meant here, the learned commentator 

 Mallinatha explains nalika as the Dronicapa, the projectile 

 weapon from which the Dronicdpamra ) a dart or a ball is 

 discharged, an expression, we have already noticed in Vaisam- 

 payana's Nitiprakasika. 125 



On the other hand it is doubtful whether the asani missile, 

 which was given by Indra to Arjuna and which made when 

 discharged a noise like a thunder-cloud, alludes to firearms, 

 as von Bohlen explains it. 126 



In the first book of the Sukraniti we find it stated that 

 the royal watchmen, who are on duty about the palace, carry 

 firearms. The Kamandakiya, acknowledged as one of the 

 earliest works on Nitisastra, says that " Confidential agents 

 keeping near the king should rouse him by stratagems, 

 gunfiring and other means, when he is indulging in drinking 

 bouts, among women, or in gambling." 127 It seems from 

 this statement that the practice of firing guns as signals 



124 See Naisadha, II, 28. 



Dhanusl ratipancabanayorudite visvajayaya tadbhruvau 

 nalike na taduccanasike tvayi nallkavimuktikamayoh. 

 Mallinatha explains the second line as follows : " Damayantya uccanasike 

 unnatanasapute tvayi nallkanam dronicdpasardndm vimuktim kamayate iti 

 tathoktayostayossilakam abhiksacaribhyo na iti na pratyayah. Nalike 

 dronicape na kim iti kakuh purvavat utpreksa. 



125 See p. 180. 



126 See Das alte Indien, mit besonderer Riicksicht auf Aegypten. Von 

 Dr. P. von Bohlen, II, p. 66 ; compare Mahabharata, Vanaparva, Indra- 

 lokabhigamanaparva, I, 3, 4. 



3. Evam sampujito jisnuruvasa bhavane pituh 



upasiksan mahastrani sa sariiharani pandavah. 



4. Cakrasya hastat dayitam vajram astram ca dussaham 



asanlsca mahanada meghavarhinalaksanah. 



127 See Kamandakiya, V, 51. 



Panastridyutagosthisu rajanam abhitascarah 

 bodhayeyuh. pramadyantam upayairnalikadibhih. 

 All theMSS. I have consulted give nalika, and so do also the prints in 

 Tclugu and Grantha characters. The Calcutta edition has nadiha which as 



