The Fire God Obtains Divine Weapons from Varuna for Arjuna and Krishna
The fire god, tasked with consuming the Khandava forest, remembers Varuna, the lord of waters. He summons the god to request the divine weapons once held by King Soma: a bow, quivers, a chariot, and a discus, meant for a great task.
The fire god, addressed and ready to act, remembered Varuna. He was the lord of the waters, a son of Aditi, one of the four great lokapalas (guardians of the world). Knowing he had been summoned, Varuna appeared before the smoke-crested fire.
The fire paid homage to the great god and made his request. It was not a plea, but a statement of necessity. “Quickly give me the bow, the two quivers, and the chariot bearing the flag of a monkey that were obtained from King Soma. Partha will accomplish a great task with Gandiva, and Vasudeva with the chakra (discus). For that reason, let those be given to them.”
Varuna’s reply was simple: “I will give them.”
He presented the bow first. It was an extraordinary gem of a weapon, endowed with great valour. It was incapable of being hurt by any weapon but could destroy all weapons. It was the chief of all arms, a destroyer of enemy armies. Alone, it was equal to one hundred thousand bows. It extended kingdoms. It was radiant, smooth, unblemished, and adorned with many colours. For an eternity, it had been worshipped by gods, danavas (demons), and gandharvas (celestial musicians). This was Gandiva.
He also gave two inexhaustible quivers and a chariot yoked to divine horses from the land of the gandharvas. The horses were silvery, in golden harnesses, as swift as the wind or the mind, resembling white clouds. Every weapon was laden onto the chariot, making it incapable of being vanquished by gods or danavas. It was radiant, with a thunderous roar, enchanting to all beings.
The chariot’s origin was profound. Through his ascetic powers, it had been created by Prajapati Bhoumana, the lord of the worlds. Its form was like that of the sun and could not be gazed at. Lord Soma had ascended this very chariot when he vanquished the danavas. It was gigantic, like an elephant or a cloud.
On this supreme chariot was mounted a golden flagpole, resplendent like Shakra’s weapon. On the flagpole was a divine monkey marked with the signs of the lion and the tiger. It seemed to roar out from its adorned perch. Many other great beings were on that flag, and their roars could make enemy soldiers lose their senses.
The fire god now held the instruments of destiny, given freely by the lord of the ocean, for a task that would set the forest ablaze.