In this article, you are going to be aware of some amazing facts about Lord Shiva’s powerful weapon Pinaka Bow (aka Shiva Dhanush: The word Dhanush means Bow).
The bow is incredibly powerful which can even cause total destruction of the earth.
This article elaborates some significant and remarkable tidbits related to the Shiva Dhanush.
Let’s get started.
#1. Vishwakarma Made the Pinaka Bow
The Pinaka Bow was made by God Vishwakarma (Vishwakarma is a Divine Architect) and later he gifted it to Lord Shiva.
SIDE NOTE: God Vishwakarma made another bow along with the Pinaka Bow, which was “Sharanga” and he gifted it to Lord Vishnu.
#2. The Material of the Pinaka Bow
Pinaka Bow was made using the bones Maharshi “Dadhichi”!
Unbelievable and fascinating! Right?
#3. Shiva Used it to Destroy Evil Cities
Lord Shiva destroyed three flying cities of Asura’s using the Pinaka Bow with just one arrow.
Shiva did it when he was requested by the Devas to bring those cities down because the Asuras were trying to topple the Devalok (Swarga).
#4. Shiva Gifted it to the King Devaratha
Shiva later gifted this bow to his devotee Devaratha (father of King Janak) who was the king of the place “Mithila”.
#5. No One Can Lift the Pinaka Bow
Pinaka Bow cannot be lifted by anyone except Lord Shiva himself and Vishnu (also their Shaktis Parvati, and Laxmi respectively).
#6. It was Broken by Lord Ram
Pinaka Bow was broken by Lord Ram when he lifted it and pulled the string to test its tautness.
Finally, this incident causes the marriage between Ram, and Sita.
#7. Ram Requested the Pinaka Bow to Try Lifting It
When Ram felt an urge to lift the Shiva Dhanush it was drawn by 5,000 people to bring it from inside of the palace (there’s no Swayamvara according to Valmiki Ramayana).
#8. The Pinaka Bow Produced an Explosive Sound
When Ram accidentally broke the Shiva Dhanush, it produced an incredibly explosive sound (as if a mountain is exploding) that dropped all the spectators including the King and Raghavas (except the sage Vishwamitra, who bring Ram with him to Mithila) and made them unconciouss.
#9. The Bow Was Thrown by Shiva to the Earth
There are is another story about the Pinaka Bow where it mentions that God Devendra made two bows and gave one to Shiva (Pinaka) and another to Vishnu (Sharanga).
And asked them to fight to test which is more powerful.
But following that request an Akashvani said not to fight using the bows as it will lead to destruction of the creation.
SIDE NOTE: An Akashvani is a voice (a celestial or heavenly voice) that comes from the sky (in ancient times) to announce something important. The word consists of two words; Akash and Vani. Akash means “Sky” and Vani means “Speach or Voice”.
Upon hearing the Akashvani Rudra (Lord Shiva) threw the bow and it accidentally fell on the earth. It was later found by King Devarath and decided to keep the bow with him.
#10. The Bow Was Lifted by Sita
Once Sita was playing with her sisters in her childhood and she accidentally lifted the table on which the Pinaka Bow was placed, which no one could do that at that time.
The incident was observed by her father “Janak” and he decided that the man who will be able to lift the Shiva Dhanush will be able to marry Sita.
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