Indian Gods(also referred as Hindu Gods) have different weapons such as Trishul, Chakra, Danda, Mace(Gada), Sword, Parsha etc. According to Hindu mythology written in the ancient Indian history, Indian Gods like Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Kali, Durga, Ganesha and so forth used multiple weapons to fight against demons, asuras and rakshasas. These demons used to spoil the peaceful living of the normal people and try to kill them for no reasons. In order to maintain and balance the peace and harmony in the society Indian Gods used different weapons.
As per the Indian mythology, there could be more than 3300 weapons or astras used by the Indian Gods, especially the Vedic Gods. In this article, I am sharing the information of the main weapons used by the most worshipped/followed Indian Gods.
Deadly weapons by Indian Gods
1. Trishul – The Divine weapon of Lord Shiva
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is the destroyer in the holy trinity. Lord Shiva’s main and divine weapon is Trishul. Trishul looks like a straight rod with one end having three sharp spikes in the form agni flames. These spikes indicate the gunas such as Sattva, Rajas and Tamo. But the combined form is having more importance than these three gunas. Some say these three spearheads also indicates the three lokas – Bhu, Pathaal and Swarg and some believe that the three pointed blades indicate Lord brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, there is no specific definition for Trishul. However, Trishul is the powerful and primary weapon of Lord Shiva.
2. Sudarshana Chakra – The Primary weapon of Lord Vishnu
Sudarshana Chakra is the primary weapon of Lord Vishnu that is circular in shape consisting of 108 serrated(saw toothed) edges and is a spinning, disk-like powerful weapon. It is explained in the great Indian epics like ramayana and Mahabharata that Sudarshana Chakra is the ultimate weapon used by Lord Vishnu. The use of this weapon was also stated in the Hindu texts such as Puranas, Yajur Veda and Rig Veda as the most powerful weapon to knock out the enemy of law, preservation and law. Such enemies are listed out differently as the rakshasas, vikrutatmas and asuras etc. To quote one, there is an instance as stated in the episode of the Mahabharata, Lord Sri Krishna( the Avathar of Lord Vishnu) executes Sudarshana Chakra on shishupala for his ferocious behaviour (committing hundred mistakes each worthy of death) at the Rajasuya yagna event of the emperor Yudhisthira.
3. Saranga – Dhanush Ban of Lord Sri Rama
Lord Sri Rama’s bow name is known as Saranga. Incidentally, Lord Sri Rama had many Dhanush and bow weapons, but his Saranga Dhanush ban or bow is a popular one. This weapon has many traits and the most powerful is it cannot be broken by any other weapon in the battle field. This bow was forged from the bones of Saint Dadichi by Lord Vishwakarma. Out of the 4 most powerful created weapons, Saranga is one among them. The other three are, Gandheeva held by Lord Brahma, Pinaka held by Lord shiva and vajra held by Indra. Saranga bow was used by Lord Rama to kill the bulky hulk kumbhakarna and the king of demons, Ravana. The same bow was used by Lord Krishna during Mahabharata.
4. Durga Maa – Ten Armed Goddess
The ten armed Goddess, Durga Maa holds a set of contradictory objects, ranging from kamandal and lotus to the weapons of warfare like mace, sword, bow and arrow. The Goddess Durga is known as Divine Mother and protects the mankind from evil and misery by destroying vices.
5. Gada – The Powerful Weapon of Lord Hanuman
Gada (Mace) is the main and powerful weapon of the Lord Hanuman. He carries Gada on his right shoulder indicating as the power to rule, authority of governance and self-sovereignty. The Mace indicates concentrated Prana (Life). Just like the earth revolves around the sun and collects life force from it and stores it, similarly mace also revolves around the body to gather the life force to be used by its practitioner. Mace indicates the sign of bravery, virility, immense physical strength and radiance like the sun.
6. Vajra – The Thunderbolt Weapon of Lord Indra
Vajra in sanskrit means both diamond and thunderbolt. Lord Indra used this weapon to slay demon Vritra. The picture of Lord Indra shows he is wielding a lightning thunderbolt called as vajra, riding on a white elephant which has four tusks. In Jainism, it is shown that the elephant is with five heads and in Buddhism it is shown as four heads.
7. Axe – The Main Weapon of Lord Parashuram
The sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu is Lord Parashruam. He performed great penance to Lord Shiva and was gifted with a divine weapon called “ Axe ”, and Lord Shiva also taught him martial arts after presenting the Axe. Parashuram name was given to him after obtaining the Axe, and was called as Ram before. Parshu means axe, hence Parshuram(Ram of Axe) was named. Parashuram is well known for emptying the batch of Kshatriyas 21 times over after the mighty king Kartavirya killed his father.
8. Kala Danda – Weapon of Lord Yama Dharmaraja
Lord Yama is Lord of Justice and god of Death and son of Surya Bhagwan(Sun God) Lord Brahma had granted him a special weapon called ‘Kala Danda’. The weapon once fired on any human being would kill no matter what boons he/she had to protect himself/herself. Lord Yama is also an adithya and a Lokapala. According to Hindu mythology, he is depicted with red or green skin, wearing red clothes and riding a water buffalo. He holds a loop of rope(Kala Dhanda) in his left hand with which he brings out the soul from the corpse. With reference to his unswerving dedication to maintaining law and order and adherence to harmony is sometimes referred as Dharmaja. It is also known that he is the considered as the wisest of the devas.
9. Goddess Kali has many weapons
Kali is a complex and powerful goddess with multiple forms. Her physical traits portrays her with another classification. She holds several weapons protecting the mankind during natural disaster. The list of weapon goes like this: Trident (Trishula), Javelin (Barji), Noose (Pasha), Shield (Sipar), Club (Kithaka), Sword (Khadga), Thunder Disc (Chakra), Arrow (Tir), Club (Kithaka),Bow (Dhanush), Goad (Ankush), and Axe (Parashu).
10. Brahmastra – Created by God Brahma
Last but not the least, the most popular weapon of all time, the Brahmastra. In Hindu mythology, it is considered very destructive and as powerful as nuclear weapons. Other supernatural weapons don’t stand a chance against it and when released it can destroy everything. Brahmastra is the most popular and known weapon in Hindu stories and it’s very destructive considered as powerful as nuclear weapons today. When released could be very disastrous as well as it can counter other supernatural weapons in defense.
