6 



THE NITIPRAKASIKA. 



Brahma Brahma being apprised of his virtues, visited Prthu and 



instructs 



Prthu on granted him a boon, upon which the latter, highly pleased, 

 in iS the qUe8t replied " Teach me the Dhanurveda, with its < members, ' 



Dhanur. < minor limbs ' and * secrets ' ; adorned with its arms and mis- 

 veda. 



siles. I am blessed among men that I have been granted the 

 sight of you, the depository of the Veda." To the king — who 

 was immersed in the ocean of delight, on which Brahma's 

 voice floated as a boat bearing away the enchanted Prthu — 

 replied thus the Creator of the Universe : " The desire 

 of learning the Dhanurveda is given to you by fate, and 

 I have come to teach it to you. The sword was formerly 

 created by me in order to suppress wicked people ; if it is in 

 the hands of men resembling you, it will punish the bad. 

 Thou art the first to whom the weapons, beginning with the 

 bow, are imparted, and all the arms and missiles are therefore 

 given to you. Bhrsasva had two wives, 10 Jaya and Suprabha, 

 the daughters of Daksa. Jaya obtained from me a boon, and 

 brought forth all the arms and missiles ; while the other, 

 Suprabha, became the mother of the powerful and unapproach- 

 able Samhara weapons. 11 Having accepted from me the 

 Dhanurveda, protect all your subjects as if they were your 

 sons. Knowing the nature of peace and war, being well 

 accustomed to think and to discern, and familiar with the use 

 of the six political principles 12 and well versed in all sciences ; 

 possessing the six regal qualities, 13 apply, according to your 



10 Both forms Bhrsasva and Krsasva occur. 



11 See : Weapons, p. 9 ; and Madras Journal for 1879, p. 175. 



12 I.e., Sandhi, vigraha, yana, asana, dvaidhibhava and samasraya ; compare 

 Eamayana (Carey and Marshman's edition) II, 72, 100 (or, according to the 

 Grantha edition, II, 100, 69). Compare Mahabharata, Santiparva, Raja- 

 dharma, LXIX, si. 65-72. 



13 I.e., the king should be, according toNarada, eloquent, fearless, wise, of 

 retentive memory, well versed in polity and gifted with originality. 



