No problem.
Folks, The silapadikaram refs need to be studied in detail as they are historical. I really wish more people were familiar with ancient Tamil. Is there are translation in English available? I recall reading it in Illustrated weekly as serial with verse and text.
Now to H^2 description of shatagni
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->shataghni appears to be <b>one of the oldest of the more involved hindu weapons</b>. It finds mention in the veda itself in the taittirIya AraNyaka 1.5.1. <b>It is mentioned as agni-jihva or with the tongue of fire</b>. However, <b>explanatory commentary mentions that it was packed with loha kaNTa or iron spikes.</b> In the <b>bhArgava section of the purANas </b>(deployed by kArtavIya against rAmo bhArgava) and the <b>mahabhArata droNaparvan it appears it was used as a ballista</b>. This suggests that it was an incendiary device that fired on being hurled and also spewed iron spikes.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
One it or a version of it existed for a long time in Hindu epic lore.
Second - It is hurled from a catapult device. Ballista is an arrow type of hurling machine.
Third- it has fire as a constituent
fourth- Its kill mechanism is the iron spikes - loha kanta that are spewed or disbursed.
See all these facts to me Shatagni looks like an ancient version of shrapnel shell that was invented in modern times ~1800s by Henry Shrapnel. Shatagni looks like a ball packed with iron spikes that has a fuse to burst it and the whole thing is hurled from a catapult. I wonder if a smaller version was thrown manually like grenade?
Now a question for the history buffs. Was Henry Shrapnel stationed in India during Sir Willam Jones translation of Hindu scriptures period? Might be independent innovation but I have to ask the question.
Folks, The silapadikaram refs need to be studied in detail as they are historical. I really wish more people were familiar with ancient Tamil. Is there are translation in English available? I recall reading it in Illustrated weekly as serial with verse and text.
Now to H^2 description of shatagni
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->shataghni appears to be <b>one of the oldest of the more involved hindu weapons</b>. It finds mention in the veda itself in the taittirIya AraNyaka 1.5.1. <b>It is mentioned as agni-jihva or with the tongue of fire</b>. However, <b>explanatory commentary mentions that it was packed with loha kaNTa or iron spikes.</b> In the <b>bhArgava section of the purANas </b>(deployed by kArtavIya against rAmo bhArgava) and the <b>mahabhArata droNaparvan it appears it was used as a ballista</b>. This suggests that it was an incendiary device that fired on being hurled and also spewed iron spikes.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
One it or a version of it existed for a long time in Hindu epic lore.
Second - It is hurled from a catapult device. Ballista is an arrow type of hurling machine.
Third- it has fire as a constituent
fourth- Its kill mechanism is the iron spikes - loha kanta that are spewed or disbursed.
See all these facts to me Shatagni looks like an ancient version of shrapnel shell that was invented in modern times ~1800s by Henry Shrapnel. Shatagni looks like a ball packed with iron spikes that has a fuse to burst it and the whole thing is hurled from a catapult. I wonder if a smaller version was thrown manually like grenade?
Now a question for the history buffs. Was Henry Shrapnel stationed in India during Sir Willam Jones translation of Hindu scriptures period? Might be independent innovation but I have to ask the question.