Divine weapons given by Varuṇa to Janaka

The Divine weapons given by Varuṇa to Janak are not a single weapon but a carefully preserved celestial armament set, consisting of two formidable bows, protective coats of mail, inexhaustible quivers, and keen swords with golden hilts. In the forest episode, Lakshmaṇ is asked to retrieve the set from Ráma’s teacher’s hall, bringing a gift once bestowed on Janak into the brothers’ immediate preparations for woodland life.

Provenance and Custody

The bows are identified as celestial weapons given by Varuṇ to Janak, king of the Videha kingdom, at a celebrated rite. Their stated provenance connects them to a royal and ceremonial history before they enter the brothers’ forest setting. The passage does not describe the rite further or explain how the arms passed from Janak to their later custodian.

At the time they are called for, the arms are preserved in the hall of Ráma’s teacher. The passage thus places the set in trusted keeping rather than in immediate use: it has been stored and tended until Ráma requests it. The teacher is not named in this episode, and the text does not specify how long the weapons have remained in his care.

The Armament Set

The inventory begins with two bows of great might. They are accompanied by heavenly coats of mail described as sword-proof, quivers whose arrows never fail, and keen swords with golden hilts. Together, these details define a complete fighting equipment set: bows and inexhaustible arrows for striking at a distance, armor for protection, and swords for close combat. The passage names no particular enemy or battle for which the equipment is intended.

The objects are also described as visibly well kept. The arms gleam, and wreaths of flowers adorn their cases, hilts, and sheaths. That detail applies decoration across the stored equipment, not just to the bows: the protective coverings and the fittings of the blades share in its presentation. The set is therefore shown as both potent armament and cared-for possession, maintained with attention while it waits in the hall.

Retrieval for the Forest

Ráma directs Lakshmaṇ to bid farewell to his friends and retinue and to bring the bows and their accompanying equipment. The request joins a social leave-taking with a practical errand: as the brothers turn toward woodland life, Lakshmaṇ is to collect arms already held in safe custody. He goes to see the faithful friends and returns with the celestial weapons from the teacher’s hall.

Lakshmaṇ then shows the collected arms to Ráma. The sequence makes his role in their preparation concrete: he retrieves the stored set and presents it to his brother. Ráma’s response is described as prudent and delighted, but the passage does not go on, in the supplied lines, to narrate the weapons being used.

Narrative Significance

The episode shifts the weapons from a remembered royal gift into the practical present of the brothers’ forest life. Their celestial origin and the description of their might establish exceptional capacity; their storage, careful tending, and floral adornment emphasize that they have been preserved rather than casually carried. When Ráma asks for them and Lakshmaṇ brings them, a venerable set of arms becomes part of the brothers’ preparations beyond the court.

The passage establishes readiness, not a particular act of combat. It gives the reader the weapons’ provenance, their full inventory, their place of custody, and the act of retrieval, while leaving their subsequent use outside the evidence presented here. Their immediate significance lies in that transition: royal and ceremonial arms, kept in a teacher’s hall, are brought forward as Ráma and Lakshmaṇ prepare for life in the woods.