Dictionary of all Scriptures & Myths

ARROWS, DIVINE

Symbolic of spiritual force which rises from within and dissipates desire, and also causes transmutation of lower qualities into higher on the buddhic plane.

“The Adhvarya priest then hands him (the Kshatriya king) three arrows. That first one by which he pierces on shooting, that is this earth, that one is called dribâ. And the one by which (the enemy Vritra) being pierced lies either living or dead, that is the second, that is this air, that is called ruga. And this one with which he misses (his aim), that is the third, that is yonder sky, that is called kshuma.” — Sata. Brah., V. 3, 5, 29.

Through the individuality (priest), the personality (king) receives the means for conquering the desires and rising victorious. The first means is the lower nature (earth) by which the soul rises stage by stage. The second is the mental nature (air) by which knowledge is gained and the desire nature (Vritra) is controlled or rendered ineffective. The third is the higher emotion nature (sky) which is above the personality, and so is uncontrolled by it.

“The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.” — Hab. iii. 11.

The individuality (sun) and the personality (moon) were sometime latent in the causal-body; then at the outpouring of the Spirit within, they went forth to manifest, having in them the enlightenment of the Divine Ray which dispels illusion. “I (Lakshmi) reside in an arrow.” — Inst. of Vishnu, 99, 15.

The buddhic principle is spiritual force symbolised by an arrow. “Let a man take the five arrows (the five virtues), put them on the bow of his brain and kill Death” (Guru Nanak). — Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion, Vol. I, p. 368.

Let the mind act in accord with the highest ideals of virtue, and immortality will be reached by the consciousness.

See Also

ADVARYA
ARREST
BHISMA
FUNERAL
NINEDAYS
PESTILENCE
SLAUGHTER
SOUND
SPEAR
VRITRA