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46
A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
(an arrow with crescent-shaped head), asi or khagga1 (sword), churiya or kṣurika ( (dagger), kumta2 (lance), bhallis (spear) and gada (club). The bow and arrow seem to have been the most popular weapons of the time. The science of archery (dhanurveda) was regularly practised and had reached an advanced stage. Mention has been made of the five postures of body which are assumed by the archers at the time of fighting (johatthana). These were aliḍha, paccaliḍha, vesaha, maṁḍala and sama-pada. Chaliya is also mentioned as another posture according to certain authorities." Kalidasa in his Raghuvamia mentions the aliḍha posture of fighting.' Commenting upon the verse Mallinatha quotes from a lexicon according to which there were five postures of fighting, and aliḍha was the one in which right foot was placed forwarded and left bent back." Vallabha also mentions eight such postures of fighting.10 There were proficient archers who could shoot on hearing the sound (saddaveh no-gahiyacă pă).11 Among the defensive equipments the coat of mail (kavaca-sannaha) is mentioned and the soldier clad with the same (vammita-kavaca )12 was supposed to be invincible in the battlefield. These weapons (ayudha-sastra (13 were stored in the ayudhāgar which was under the charge of a responsible State officer.
8
1. NC. I, p. 45.
2. NC. 1, p. 32.
3. NC. 2, p. 28.
4. NC. 3, p. 203.
5. इदाणि जोहट्ठाणं पंचविहं इमं - आलीढ पच्चलीढे, वेसाहे मंडले समपदे य-- NC 4, p. 281.
6. Ibid.
7. Raghuvamia, III. 53.
8. स्थानानि धन्विनां पंच तत्र वैशाखमस्त्रियाम्, त्रिवितस्त्यन्तरौ पादौ मंडलं तोरणाकृति । अन्वर्थं स्यात् समपदमालीढं तु ततोऽग्रतः — Com. on III. 52.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. NC. I, p. 103.
12. NG. 3, p. 298; cf. Brh. Vr., p. 1123, also p. 1122.
13. NC. 4, p. 127.
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