Beginning: "Aircraft in the Vedas".
Many ancient Indian texts speak of the use of aircraft for military purposes. Perhaps the most significant in this regard are the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavata Purana and Skanda Purana. Reading these ancient manuscripts, created in the III-II millennium BC. e. - X century. n. e., you involuntarily plunge into the world of fierce wars waged with each other by demigods, people and various mythical creatures (and here) - nagas, rakshasas, rudras, yakshas, daityas, danavas, gandharvas - in other words, non-humans. The most interesting thing is that they did not fight with swords and bows and arrows, but used some kind of terrible in destructive power and consequences weapons that shook the whole world, destroyed entire cities and made large territories uninhabitable for a long time. Descriptions of some of the scenes of these battles are similar to episodes from the Star Wars movies. And this makes us seriously think: where did such knowledge come from people who lived five thousand years before our time and did not have, from our point of view, the slightest idea about machines and mechanisms made of metal?
Perhaps this is an echo of real events that took place many millennia ago and are reflected in equally ancient legends. At least, such an assumption does not seem so incredible than if the legends of superweapons were attributed only to the savage fantasy of primitive authors.
Description of the superweapon in the "Mahabharata"
Especially many mentions of a terrible and destructive weapon are contained in the Mahabharata. And this is not surprising, because the volume of this epic is 18 books, telling about the battle of two clans - the Pandavas and the Kauravas - and their allies for world domination:
"Vimana approached the Earth with incredible speed and released many arrows, sparkling like gold, thousands of lightning … The roar they issued was like thunder from a thousand drums … This was followed by furious explosions and hundreds of fire whirlwinds …";
“Burned by the heat of the weapon, the world reeled as in a fever. The elephants burst into flames from the heat and ran wildly to and fro in search of protection from the terrible force. The water became hot, the beasts died, the enemy was mowed down, and the fury of fire brought down the trees in rows. … Thousands of chariots were destroyed, then deep silence descended on the sea. The winds began to blow and the Earth lit up. The corpses of the victims were mutilated by the terrible heat so that they no longer looked like people."
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The weapons described in the Mahabharata are remarkably similar to nuclear weapons. It is called "the head (stick) of Brahma" or "the flame of Indra": "a huge and spewing streams of flame", "rushing at a frantic speed, enveloped in lightning", "the explosion from it was as bright as 10 thousand suns at the zenith", "flame, devoid of smoke, spread in all directions."
“Designed to kill all the people”, it turned people to dust, while those who survived lost their nails and hair. Even the food was deteriorating. This weapon has struck entire countries and peoples for several generations:
“A lightning strike, like a giant messenger of death, burned people. Those who threw themselves into the river managed to survive, but lost their hair and nails … "; "… several years after that the Sun, stars and sky are hidden by clouds and bad weather"
They say that Professor J. Robert Oppenheimer (USA), during the tests of the atomic bomb he developed, recalled an excerpt from the Mahabharata about “thousands of suns”.
The superweapon in the Indian epic has many names, but all its varieties were characterized by truly unimaginable destructive power. A superweapon could paralyze or cause panic among entire armies, could “burn this entire transitory world”.
In addition to "bright missiles", the "Mahabharata" also describes another deadly weapon - "Indra's dart":
“By a mighty effort of will, he (Karna) controlled himself and caused the appearance of the 'weapon of Brahma'. Then Arjuna invoked the "weapon of Indra" with a spell.
Indra's dart was operated with a circular reflector. When turned on, it gave a beam of light, which was directed at any target, guided by sound, and when it was focused on it, it immediately “devoured it with its power”. With the help of such a superweapon, Krishna defeated the vimana of his enemy demon (danava) Shalva - "the air city of Saubha".
And many other types of terrible weapons are described in the Mahabharata quite realistically:
“Seeing this, Karna again showered the Conqueror of Wealth (arrows) with the magic of the“weapon of Brahma”… But having beaten off his weapon with his own, the Pandava again began to strike him. And here Kaunteya sent to Karna his favorite weapon, the “weapon of Jatavedas”, and it burst into flames!”;
“Then, at the death of Karne, Partha, the son of Pandu, hastily drew from the quiver the 'weapon of Anjalik', similar to Mahendra's vajra and the rod of Annala (the God of fire), truly - like the best of the rays of the Thousand-Beamed, striking the very centers of life … similar to the Sun and Vaishvanara [The God of fire Agni], separating people, horses and elephants from life, six-winged, three cubits long, formidable, inevitable, with its fiery power equal to the Ashani of the Thousand-Eyed, irresistible as a bloodthirsty demon, like Pinaka and Narayana's disk, inspiring fear, disastrous for everything alive ".
But perhaps the most powerful weapon was used against the Vrish and the Andhaks. Gurkha, flying in his fast vimaana, threw at their city, located behind the triple wall, “the only projectile charged with all the power of the universe. An incandescent column of smoke and fire, as bright as ten thousand suns, rose in all its splendor. It was an unknown weapon, the Iron Thunderbolt, the gigantic messenger of death who reduced the entire race of Vrishis and Andhaks to ashes."
The logical continuation of this event could be an episode from the "Mahabharata", which tells about the death of Karna from the "weapon of Anjalik":
“The firmament split, the Earth cried, fierce winds suddenly blew, the cardinal directions began to smoke and roared, many mountains with groves on them hesitated, the host of living beings suddenly experienced an unprecedented torment, … the whole sky was embraced by darkness, the Earth was shaking, flaming comets fell from the sky.
Many types of “heavenly weapons” described in the Mahabharata were capable of causing tremendous atmospheric and geological cataclysms: huge water walls, floods, hurricane winds, thunderstorms, tornadoes, earthquakes, immersion of the earth in darkness or, conversely, its dispersal. For example, “when the 'weapon of Narayana' was invoked, a strong wind began to blow and thunderclaps were heard, although the sky was cloudless. The Earth also shook and the ocean raged. The tops of the mountains began to split, the countries of the world were obscured by darkness, and the sun became dim."
When Arjuna used the “weapon of Jatavedas” and it flared up with a bright flame, “Karna, having tamed that flame with the“weapon of Varuna,”then with the help of (created by him) clouds enveloped all directions of the world in darkness, as if it was a rainy day! But the valiant son of Pandu was not embarrassed, he used the "weapon of Vayu" and in front of Radhei's eyes he scattered all those clouds!"
The Mahabharata repeatedly mentions such seemingly incredible types of weapons as the weapon of the air stream - Vayavyaastra, the fire weapon Shataghni ("one hundred killers") and Agniastra - a weapon that deliberately controls lightning strikes.
"Mahabharata" about the death of the flying city of Hiranyapura
Many episodes from the Mahabharata, which tell how the son of the god Indra Arjuna fought against demons - daityas and danavas, are amazing and almost fantastic even for the inhabitants of the XXI century.
In one of them, set forth in the third book of the Mahabharata - Aranyakaparve, Arjuna arrived in the city of the gods Amaravati to get the divine weapon from the "heavenly" inhabitants - the Adityas - and learn how to use it. There, the leader of the Adityas, Indra, asked Arjuna to destroy the army of demons - the Nivatakavacas, numbering three hundred million, who had taken refuge in the fortresses at the bottom of the ocean. Indra gave Arjuna a flying chariot driven by the Gandharva Matali (read here).
This chariot was capable of flying through the air, swimming and submerging under water. Arjuna flew on it to the city of Daityas and Danavas, located on the opposite side of the great ocean from Amaravati. He blew Devadatta's shell, presented to him by the "celestials". The sound from her "filled the entire firmament and generated an echo" - so strong that hundreds of thousands of dead fish floated to the surface of the ocean.
This was followed by the great battle of Arjuna with the nivatakavacas or "demons in invulnerable shells." Arjuna used the weapon of Brahma and with his help "quickly smashed the enemies by hundreds and thousands." Then he used Indra's favorite weapon - the brightly fiery Madhava, as a result of which "hundreds of demons 'in invulnerable shells' lay with their entrails torn apart."
Having suffered tangible losses, but not defeated, the demons, with the help of some kind of incomprehensible weapon for us, staged a flood: "the downpour enveloped both the sky and the earth, it gushed continuously." Then Arjuna resorted to the formidably flaming "weapon of Visoshan" and with its help dried up all the water.
In response, the nivatakavachi used a weapon that spewed out flames and plunged the Earth into darkness: "a powerful, terrifying avalanche poured a formidable weapon, expelling flames, wind and stones … suddenly a terrible deep darkness spread around."
Then Arjuna resorted to the "weapon of Gandiva" and dispelled the eerie, gloomy darkness.
During the battle "it became light, then again (the light) was swallowed up by darkness, the world became invisible, and then plunged into the water."
The demons set off an earthquake, and huge stones flew from the sky. Finally, Arjuna used the "weapon of the Vajra" and "demons in" invulnerable "shells" were finally defeated.
Another episode from the same book of the Mahabharata tells how Arjuna returned to heaven in his flying amphibious chariot and found the city flying in space:
“On the way back, I saw another huge and amazing city that could move anywhere. He shone like fire or sun."
Arjuna asked Matali about him. And this is what an experienced Gandharva told him:
“Brahma… created this wonderful… sparkling city for the sons of Kalaki… He is able to move in the sky… In this… floating in the air [city]… the Danavas live - Paulom and Kalakei. This great city is called Hiranyapura."
Brahma made the flying city invulnerable to the various powerful communities of the universe. However, he warned that he could be successfully attacked by a human. Arjuna was just such a demigod - half-man (his father was the god Indra, and his mother was an earthly woman).
Matali brought Arjuna in a celestial chariot to Hiranyapura. Seeing him, the Danavs began to fly out of there on their celestial chariots (isn't it - this plot is surprisingly reminiscent of episodes from Star Wars films!).
Then Arjuna “with a powerful avalanche of weapons … blocked this formidable stream. He made them in awe, plowing the battlefield with a chariot, and … the Danavs began to smite each other."
Subjected to a powerful attack from Arjuna, the Danavas (Daityas) lifted their flying city into the air. Then Arjuna “with a powerful shower of arrows … blocked the path of the Daityas and tried to delay their movement. Thanks to the gift received [from Brahma], the daityas directed where they wanted this heavenly, floating in the air, wonderfully sparkling city, moving at their desire: it either went underground, then rose again upward, then swiftly moved to the side, then plunged into water ".
A bloody battle took place between Arjuna and the Danavas (Daityas). This is what Arjuna himself says about him:
“With various weapons… I tried to take this… city moving at will. I covered it together with the Daityas with a net of arrows from heavenly weapons … And then, under the blows of my well-aimed iron arrows … the city of demons, turned into ruins, fell to the ground. Iron arrows, fast as a vajra, overtook the demons … Then Matali in a chariot, brilliant like the sun, quickly, as if falling, sank to the ground."
The surviving demons rushed into battle again in their flying chariots. In total there were about 60 thousand of them. And only then did Arjuna use a particularly powerful weapon, "which is called Raudra and brings death to any enemy."
With the help of divine weapons, Arjuna destroyed all the demons, for which he was named by his father Indra the Greatest Hero.
Description of the superweapon in the Ramayana
The Ramayana also contains many episodes with the use of terrible and destructive weapons. This is the battle of Lakshmana with the Rakshasa Indradajit and the battle of Rama with the leader of the Rakshasas Ravana. Here are some of them:
“And the gods are immortal, they are full of compassion for Rama, We watched a battle like the end of the universe
In its flying chariots, crowding in a semicircle
Over a field where two fought with terrible weapons.
In great anxiety, looking from the firmament, Both gods and demons were looking forward to the battle of the outcome …
Like a hard diamond or Indra's thunderous arrow, Ravana took the weapon, hope to kill Rama …
It spewed out fire, and frightened the sight, and the mind
A weapon with brilliance and hardness similar to a diamond
Any obstacle with three prongs crushed
And the hearing was shocked, fiercely rattling, deafening … ;
“The Red-Eyed [Ravana] threw the spear of sorcery in courage, And quivering lightning zigzags shone on it …
It flew into the skies, blazing with fire, Rattling bells swaying over the ground.
And countless arrows
Cut the weapon, not fearing its witchcraft power …
But the arrows, aiming like moths to the radiant bait, They burned down, having touched the spear of the sovereign of Lanka …
Threw, angry, God-equal with a mighty right hand
Spear of the Thunderer, presented to Indra by the driver.
Flying in a flame with a fierce, with a wonderful ring, It shattered with its full blown
Weapon of the ruler of Lanka in heavenly space”;
“Here Indra the driver said:“About military science
Forgetting, you deal with this enemy, Strong-armed!
You can defeat him with the weapon of the great Brahma.
O Rama, we will not find such an arrow in the three worlds!..
There was flame and burning sun at its tip …
And foot troops, and elephants, and horses livestock
Threatened, saturated with sacrificial fat and blood, Like a hard diamond or Indra's thunderous arrow, There was a fatal arrow created by Brahma, Whose path could not be blocked by an age-old rock!"
Description of the superweapon in the Bhagavata Purana
Perhaps an even more surprising description of the terrible weapon called "brahmaastra" is found in the Bhagavata Purana, translated from Sanskrit into English by Srila Prabhupada (A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada). Due to the special significance of this work for understanding the principle of the superweapon of the ancients, we will consider an excerpt from it along with some comments from Prabhupada himself. Here is how Arjuna punished Drona's son, Ashwattham, for killing Draupadi's five sons:
“Arjuna… donned armor and took up a fearsome weapon. Climbing on his [flying] chariot, he set off in pursuit of Ashvatthama …
… [Asvatthama] saw that … he had no choice but to use the most powerful weapon brahmaastra [nuclear weapons].
PURPORT A nuclear weapon called brahmastra is used only as a last resort.
Since his life was in danger, he touched the water to cleanse and, concentrating, began to recite hymns that set nuclear weapons into action, although he did not know how to stop them.
A blinding light instantly spread in all directions. He was so intolerable that Arjuna, feeling that his life was in danger, turned to the Lord …
The Lord … said: I will reveal to you that the son of Drona is to blame. He has read hymns that activate nuclear energy (brahmaastra), but he does not know how to return this dazzling radiation. He did it out of helplessness, gripped by the fear of imminent death.
COMMENTARY: Brahmastra is analogous to modern nuclear weapons based on the action of atomic energy. The difference is that the atomic bomb is a crude type of nuclear weapon, while a brahmastra is a subtle type of weapon, propelled by hymns. This is a different science, and earlier this knowledge was known in the land of Bharata-varsa. The subtle science of reciting hymns is also material, but it is still unknown to modern materialistic scientists.
… O Arjuna, only another brahmastra can counteract this weapon. You are well versed in the art of war, so extinguish the blinding radiance of this weapon with your strength.
PURPORT There is no weapon capable of neutralizing the effect of an atomic bomb, but the effect of a brahmastra can be neutralized with the help of subtle science, and in those days people who are versed in military affairs could do this. The son of Dronacarya did not possess the art of countering these weapons, so Arjuna was advised to oppose him with his own weapons.
… Hearing these words … Arjuna touched the water for purification … released his brahmastra to stop the action of the first.
When the radiations of both brahmasters joined, a huge ball of fire, like a solar disk, obscured the entire cosmos, the firmament and all the planets.
The inhabitants of all three worlds felt the intolerable heat that arose from the radiation of these two brahmasters. Everyone remembered the fire of samvartak [cosmic fire], which is destroying the universe."
Description of the superweapon in the "Skanda Purana"
The most diverse superweapons capable of destroying multimillion armies are described in the Skanda Purana in episodes of the battle between demons (daityas and danavas) led by Taraka and the united armed formations of the gods (adityas) and the rest of the inhabitants of the earth led by Indra and Vishnu. It includes the already familiar "brahmaastra", as well as many other types of weapons - both reminiscent of nuclear and laser, and incomprehensible to us.
To understand what this weapon was, let's look at a few excerpts from the Skanda Purana:
“Hastily he [Daitya Kalanemi] … shot an arrow endowed with a brahmastra … this brahmastra flashed in the sky …
When his weapon [Shambara] was repelled by [brahmaastra], Surya … filled all three worlds … with blinding rays … He blinded the eyes of the great Danavas. Elephant fat was spreading, chariots fell to the ground, horses and chariots, who were exhausted by the intolerable heat, were breathing heavily … the water was evaporated by an extremely fierce forest fire … ";
“The leader of the asuras [daityas] Grasana immediately released a brahmastra, who could turn away any other weapon. Because of him, Rudra's weapon, the terrifying three worlds, became suppressed.
When this weapon was repulsed, Vishnu … released Kaladandaastra … When this weapon was cocked and released, a stormy wind blew, the Earth goddess swayed, and the oceans broke to pieces …
To fight and repel the weapon of the danda [kaladand], Grasana used the weapon of Narayana, Nimi released the magnificent weapon of Tvashtra, Jambha used the weapon of Aishik.
During the great battle, millions of Danavas (Daityas), Adityas and their allies perished in a short time.
The Skanda Purana contains many descriptions of the most incredible weapons capable of causing tremendous atmospheric and geological cataclysms:
"Then Vishnu … took out the weapon of Raudra, under the influence of which everything becomes invisible";
“Jambha [the leader of the Daitya army] has fired an extremely terrible weapon called Maushala. From this, the entire universe was filled with terrible threshers. All the cities of the Gandharvas were defeated by them …
The armies of the gods were on fire along with elephants and chariots …
When his weapon was repelled, the great daitya … released Varuna's weapon that could suppress the flames. Following this, the sky was filled with clouds, shining zigzags of lightning, and the earth was covered with hailstones … The universe was filled with streams [of rain] … Seeing that Agnei's weapon was suppressed and repulsed, Indra launched the incomparable weapon Vayavya. After that, the clouds were dispersed. As soon as the accumulations of clouds were dispersed by the force of Vayavya's weapons, the sky became devoid of haze and became like a blue lotus petal.
It is on this light note in the gloomy description of the events that took place during the battles of the gods and demons, I want to put an end to the characteristics of the countless types of weapons mentioned in the Skanda Purana.
Description of superweapons in other ancient Indian texts
The terrible weapon is also mentioned in other ancient Indian texts. For example, the military treatise "Dhanur-Veda" ("Veda-Luka") describes the throwing of "asters", similar to arrows and set in motion by special sound vibrations - "mantras". The action of the "brahmaastra", apparently, was much more subtle and more effective than atomic bombs. These weapons were owned by soldiers specially trained under the guidance of experienced mentors. They could use it only as a last resort, moreover, they had to know how to terminate the "aster".
And here is another description of the consequences of the use of "brahmaastra", given in "Astra vidya sastrika" ("Science of heavenly weapons"):
“And I saw a wonderful city, with gardens and towers, flying through the air. I burned this city with all its inhabitants with the help of brahmaastra, "which" shines brighter than ten thousand suns and kills the embryos in the womb of mothers."
Tell me, how does this description differ from the characteristics of the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons?
English explorer D. Davenport devoted 12 years to studying the excavations of the ancient Indian city of Mohenjo-Daro in Pakistan. In 1996, he made the sensational statement that this center of the extraordinarily developed Harappan civilization was destroyed 2000 BC. e. as a result of a nuclear explosion! Its power is comparable to the power of the explosion of those bombs that razed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Studying the ruins of the city's buildings, D. Davenport determined the epicenter of the explosion, the diameter of which is about 50 meters. At this point, everything is crystallized and melted. At a distance of up to 60 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, bricks and stones are melted on one side, which indicates its direction.
Another confirmation of a nuclear explosion in the area is the find made by archaeologists in Mohenjo-Daro in 1927, - 27 completely preserved human skeletons: they are the most radioactive ever found.
But that is not all. According to some researchers, the mentioned ruins of Mohenjo-Daro belong to one of the seven cities of the Rishi - the ancient Kingdom of Rama, which existed on this territory much earlier than the Harappan civilization, probably 15 thousand years ago.
Ending: "Attack of the Gods. Spaceships and flights to other planets."
Author: A. V. Koltypin
