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Vajra - The thunderbolt of Indra
By A.S. Nene
prof.ashok.nene@gmail.com
Prof. of Civil Engineering (Retd), VNIT Nagpur
Abstract- This article is English translation of Hindi article by late K.V. Vaze,
published in the journal of Shilpasansar 1955, pp 46-48. It describes ancient
Sanskrit references related to thunderbolt, the weapon of Indra (King of
Gods).
Introduction-The Sanskrit word Vajra means both a thunderbolt and a
diamond. It was a weapon of Indra and described in many ancient Indian
texts such as Vedas, Bramhanas and Puranas. The tool was sharp enough to
cut Rock Mountains. An attempt has been made to interpret few Sanskrit
verses.
Rig-Veda mentions
1. Thou hold iron thunderbolt with both hands- Rig-Veda 1-52-08
2. Mounted on horses warriors hold iron thunderbolt with both hands-
Rig-Veda 1-81-04
3. The artisan has made iron thunderbolt for me- Rig-Veda 10-48-03.
4. He (the warrior) skillfully threw an iron thunderbolt on the enemy-
Rig-Veda 10-113-05.
It is clear that;
a) the thunderbolt was made of iron,
b) It was heavy for single hand and
c) It also indicates the warrior must be strong enough to hold such
weapon.
The process of making this weapon is described in Taitariya Samhita as
below;
Such weapon was heated and then cooled with water by artisan (Trasta
Iron smith)- Ref.-Taitariya Samhita 2-4-12-2. It means heating and sudden
cooling is necessary for tempering of steel. Yajur-Veda Ch.30 mentions a
word Ayastapa one who heats iron for blacksmith.
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Heating of iron was also done with the help of electricity. Ancient Indian text
on Aeronautics Vaimanik Prakaran by sage Bharadwaja is worth studying.
It contains 500 verses. It describes five types of electricity;
1. Tadit- generated by friction between air and skin of animals,
2. Saudamini- generated by friction between air and silk cloth
3. Vidyut- generated by collusion of clouds
4. Ashani- generated by magnets
5. Shatakumbhi (stored in hundreds of pots) - generated by chemicals
and stored in pots. Such electricity was used to purify gold which
was termed as Shatkumbha gold
Most of the persons know only one word i.e. electricity but are unaware of
its different types. By the study of ancient Indian Shilpashastra (Science and
Technology of ancient India) reader gets conversant the meaningful Sanskrit
names. True interpretations of Sanskrit verses are very essential before
approving or disapproving the universal thoughts expressed in these verses.

Late K.V. Vaze (1869-1929) was a civil engineer
and Sanskrit scholar. He wrote many books and
articles on Science and technology of ancient
India. The present article is a part of
Compendium of his published and unpublished
work.

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