Top 5 Most Powerful celestial bows in Hindu Mythology
5. Vijaya Bow
During the age of Mahabharat, there have been many great bowmen. It is said that there was no one greater than Karna during this age, though it is highly contested. Born with natural armor, Karna was impossible to be defeated due his excellent bowman skills.
Karna's bow was the Legendary Vijaya Bow. The main reason this bow was so special is that no weapon could destory this bow and the wielder is sure to never loose. The bow emanated a deafening sound when an arrow was released.
Karna disguised himself as a brahman to learn warfare and bowman skills from the mighty Parasuram who only taught brahman kids. Though Karna was able to learn and impress Parasuram with his skill and devotion, Parasuram learned that Karna was not a brahman.
In rage of being cheated, Parasuram cursed Karna that one day when he will need the skill the most, he will forget all this learning. After learning the truth, Parasuram was so heart-broken that he trained and gifted Karna many more divine weapons and astras.
Parasuram also gifted Karna the Vijaya bow. It is said that this was once used by Lord Shiva himself. Karna rarely used this bow during the Kurukshetra war.
4. Gandeev Bow
During the time of Mahabharata, Arjun was one of the foremost bowmen in that age. While studying bowmanship from his teacher Dronacharya, who was impressed by Arjun's talent and impeccable aim, promised to make Arjun the best bowmen in the whole world.
Arjun wielded the Gandeev bow during this time. The sound of Gandeev made everyone in the entire battlefield crumble with fear. It is said that once, a sage name Kanva performed penance with immense devotion to the please the gods. The sage was so immersed in penance that a mud house started forming around him and slowly grass crept up.
Eventually after many years Lord Brahma was pleased and appeared before him. Brahma started asking what sage Kanv was looking for and granted many boons. Before leaving he noticed the grass on the mud house and contemplating that this is no ordinary grass and can be used for something special.
Lord Brahma plucked the grass and gave it to Vishwakarma, the forger of divine weapons, who made three powerful bows from it: Pinaak, Sarang and Gandeev. Lord Brahma gave the three bows to Lord Shiva who eventually gave them up to Lord Indra. It moved next into the hands of Varun, the lord of rain, and then to Agni, the lord of fire.
Lord of Fire, Agni, gifts the bow to Arjun during the burning of the Khandava Forest in the Mahabharata.
3. Sarang Bow
The Sarang bow was made along with the Pinaak bow by Vishwakaram. This bow belongs to Lord Vishnu. Once Lord Brahma wanted to know who was the better archer out of Vishnu and Shiva. He incited a fight between the two Almighties which shook the balance of the universe and made the gods tremble.
All the gods appeared and pleaded to stop the fight and announced Lord Vishnu as the winner. Angered by this decision, Lord Shiva threw out the Pinaak bow which fell onto earth which later appeared in the time of Ramayan.
Lord Vishnu also decided to do the same thing and gave it to a sage. Later the bow ended up with Parasuram, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Once Parasuram fulfilled his life's destiny, gifted this bow to Lord Ram who eventually gave it to Lord of the rain, Varun.
During the time of Mahabharat, Varun, Lord of rain gifted this to Lord Krishna during the burning of the Khandava Forest. After the war of the Mahabharat, Lord Krishna returned this to the Lord of Sea by throwing it out into the sea.
2. Kodand Bow
During the age of Ramayan, Lord Ram is considered as the best bowmen. When his wife Sita was abducted by Ravana, Lord Rama approached the sea. The sea was being unapologetically cruel by not allowing the vanaras (monkey tribe) to build a bridge for many days.
Enraged by this, Lord Ram decided to dry up the sea with a single arrow. Frightened, the Lord of the Sea, apporached and pleaded not to dry the sea. Lord Lord Ram wielded the Kodand bow which was a special one. He used this bow only during difficult times. An arrow released from this bow would never return without hitting its target.
1. Pinak Bow
This is the bow of the Almighty, the destroyer, Lord Shiva himself. In an excerpt from Ramayan, it is said that Lord Indra had two bows of equal power and wanted to find out which bow was the best one and more powerful. So these were given to Lord Shiva and Vishnu, and both of them were asked to fight it out.
Before the fight, a voice from the sky pleaded not to fight as this would end the universe. Lord Shiva threw the bow, which then fell onto earth and came to be know as Shiva Dhanush (bow). Lord Shiva used this bow to end up many asuras like Tripurasura, who plesae Lord Brahma and received the gift of immortality, with a catch of course.
After the ending of Tripurasura (demon with three floating cities) by a single arrow, Lord Shiva gave this bow to Indra for safekeeping which was later given to the lineage of King Janak. Later in the Ramayan, Lord Ram tries to string the bow and breaks it to wed Sita.
