Narayanastra
Encyclopedia
The Narayanastra(or Narainastra) was the personal missile of lord Vishnu
in his Narayana
(or Naraina
) form. This astra
("weapon" in Sanskrit
) in turn fires a powerful tirade of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously. The intensity of the shower increases with increase in resistance. The only way of defense towards this missile, is to show total submission before the missiles hit. This in turn will cause this weapon to stop and spare the target.
Ashwathama, a Kuru warrior-hero in the epic Mahabharata
unleashes this weapon on the Pandava
forces. Lord Krishna
, who is an Avatar
of Vishnu
tells the Pandavas and their warriors to drop their weapons and lie down on the ground, so that they all surrender completely to the power of the weapon. This secret of nullifing the power of this weapon by this method was known only to three warriors namely Drona
, Aswathama, and Krishna
. Even Arjuna
was not aware of this secret. It was also said that this weapon can be used only once in a war and if one tries to use it twice, then it would devour the user's own army.
When it was used, Ekadasha (Eleven ) Rudras appeared in the sky to destroy Pandavas.. Million and million types of weapons like Chakra, Gadha, ultra sharp arrows appeared in rage to destroy them.. Who ever tried to offend were destroyed.. Shri Krishna who knew how to cool down the Shri Narayanastra advised Pandavas and their army to immideately drop all types and sorts of weapons from their hands and utterly surrender to the great astra of Lord Vishnu. Everybody does the same and are survived.
When targeted, the Pandava hero Bhima
refuses to surrender thinking that it a cowardice act, and attacks the downpour of fiery arrows. The Narayana weapon concentrates its shower on him, and he gets steadily exhausted. However, he was not killed as Krishna and his brothers restrain him at the right time.
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
in his Narayana
Narayana
Narayana or Narayan or Naraina is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...
(or Naraina
Naraina
Naraina Area or Narayana is a locality in South West Delhi. It is divided into industrial, residential, and rural areas....
) form. This astra
Astra (weapon)
In Hindu mythology, an ' was a supernatural weapon, presided over by a specific deity. To summon or use an astra required knowledge of a specific incantation/invocation, when armed. The deity invoked would then endow the weapon, making it impossible to counter through regular means. Specific...
("weapon" in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
) in turn fires a powerful tirade of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously. The intensity of the shower increases with increase in resistance. The only way of defense towards this missile, is to show total submission before the missiles hit. This in turn will cause this weapon to stop and spare the target.
Ashwathama, a Kuru warrior-hero in the epic Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
unleashes this weapon on the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
forces. Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, who is an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
tells the Pandavas and their warriors to drop their weapons and lie down on the ground, so that they all surrender completely to the power of the weapon. This secret of nullifing the power of this weapon by this method was known only to three warriors namely Drona
Drona
In the epic Mahābhārata, Drona or Dronacharya was the royal guru to Kauravas and Pandavas. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Arjuna was his favorite student. Dronas love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama...
, Aswathama, and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. Even Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
was not aware of this secret. It was also said that this weapon can be used only once in a war and if one tries to use it twice, then it would devour the user's own army.
When it was used, Ekadasha (Eleven ) Rudras appeared in the sky to destroy Pandavas.. Million and million types of weapons like Chakra, Gadha, ultra sharp arrows appeared in rage to destroy them.. Who ever tried to offend were destroyed.. Shri Krishna who knew how to cool down the Shri Narayanastra advised Pandavas and their army to immideately drop all types and sorts of weapons from their hands and utterly surrender to the great astra of Lord Vishnu. Everybody does the same and are survived.
When targeted, the Pandava hero Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
refuses to surrender thinking that it a cowardice act, and attacks the downpour of fiery arrows. The Narayana weapon concentrates its shower on him, and he gets steadily exhausted. However, he was not killed as Krishna and his brothers restrain him at the right time.