THE LIVING ARCHIVE
About Parjanyastra
An astra is a weapon activated through specialised knowledge and invocation. In the episode involving Bhishma, Arjuna joins the Parjanya power to an arrow through mantras before shooting into the ground. The effect follows that deliberate invocation, rather than being attributed to any ordinary arrow.
More About Parjanyastra
A rain-associated Astra name; no universal battlefield rule is asserted here.
AT A GLANCE
Identity & Context
- Identity
- Astra
- Form
- Invoked divine weapon
- Tradition
- Epic / Puranic traditions
THE STORY
Origins & Stories
ROLE & ESSENCE
Attributes & Significance
The same expertise that makes Arjuna dangerous in war can answer a wounded elder’s request. This is a concrete instance of a divine weapon producing relief rather than striking an opponent. The action also changes the conversation: Bhishma turns the witnessed feat into an appeal that the surviving families should be reconciled.
Astra Class
Invoked celestial weapon
Associated Deity
Invocation & Withdrawal
Epic accounts describe instruction, invocation and withdrawal. This entry does not supply a reconstructed mantra.
Effects & Destructive Capability
A rain-associated Astra name; no universal battlefield rule is asserted here.
Tradition Notes
Names and accounts can vary by recension, region and commentary. This entry distinguishes attested details from identifications still requiring a passage-level source.
Archive Classification Notes
Original archive annotations are retained here. The current playable classification is shown in the side panel.
- Tradition Dependence
- High; distinguish individual epic accounts.
- Origin & Transmission
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
- Known Wielders
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
- Special Properties
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
- Restrictions
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
- Counters & Defenses
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
- Recorded Uses & Battles
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
- Affected Characters
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
- Editorial Power Tier
- Unassigned — no verified comparative scale
- Editorial Rarity
- Archive classification
TRADITION & MEANING
Traditions & Interpretations
The two episodes describe clouds in an exhibition and water released from the ground beside Bhishma. They establish those particular actions, without requiring a larger invented account of the weapon’s manufacture or a universal claim about controlling all weather.
Names and accounts can vary by recension, region and commentary. This entry distinguishes attested details from identifications still requiring a passage-level source.
From the Sacred Texts
Explore the sacred texts behind these stories in the Suvarnaveda library.
FOLLOW THE THREADS
Connected Cards
6 connected profiles. Every path leads to an original record.
Characters & Cosmic Entities3
Arjuna demonstrates Parjanya and later invokes it for Bhishma.
The water released by the arrow quenches Bhishma’s thirst.
The Sacred Library2
Weapons1
Arjuna takes up Gandiva when answering Bhishma’s request.