Air strike in Ancient Vedic India

AIR STRIKE in the Veda AMAZING, BUT TRUE

Smiling? Please wait. Before smiling, please read this fully. It is important to know. There is a sukta in the first mandala of the Rig Veda. This sukta is attributed to Rishi Angirasa, and it is all about energy. Agni, as you know, means fire, fuel, energy, etc. In this sukta, every mantra ends with the phrase: “agne sakhye rișhāmā vayam tava, अग्ने सख्ये मा रिषामा वयं तव। O Energy, may we be friends with you so that we may be safe always.”

The first few mantras of this sukta glorify the numerous activities of Agni or energy in its diverse forms. They speak of how the two-legged and four-legged beings, as well as the birds in the air, move due to energy. Then, the rishi says:

वधैः दुःशंसां उप दूढ्य़ो जहि दूरे वा ये अन्ति वा के चिदत्रिणः

vadhaih duḥshamsam upa dūdhyo jahi dūre vā anti vā ke chidatriņaḥ

“Weapons which can eliminate uncontrollably wicked and evil-minded people, whether in far lands or near, are essential.” [हे अग्ने त्वं वधैं हनन-साधनैः आयुधैं दुःशंसान् दुर्धियः पापबुद्धीन् अप जहि, वधं प्रापय। ये के चित् ये केचन दूरे विप्रकृष्टदेशे वा अन्तिके समीपदेशे वर्तमानाः। Sāyanāchārya writes that hanana-sādhanaih –āyudhaih, ye dūra deshe, antike deshe va, vartamānāh, pāpa-buddhayah, antrinah, hantārāh, tān vadhasva.

That is, using āyudhas which can destroy, we must destroy wicked evil people, who are impossible to control (duhshamsa), whether far or near.]

The natural question comes. How to destroy terrorists far away?

यद्युक्ता अरुषा रोहिता रथे वातजूता वृषभस्येव ते रवः

yadayukthā arușhā rohitā rathe vātajūtā vŗșabhasyeva te ravaḥ

There are rohatā rathas, the flying machines. Use them! “When red-blazing weapons are fixed to the upward flying vehicles, they fly with the speed of wind. And when forests burn, you make a sound like the bull [gambhira rava – Sāyanāchārya].

Why do forests burn suddenly?

आदिन्वसि वनिनो धूमकेतुना अग्ने…

ādînvasi vaninaḥ dhūmaketunā

“You throw dhūmaketus [comets with fiery tails] from air. These dhūmaketus are rays. They spread instantly over the forest.” [वनिनः धूमकेतुना तादृशेन रश्मिना इन्वसि व्याप्नोषि। सायणाचार्यः vana sambaddhān vrikshān dhūmaketu iva rashminā invasi, vyāpnoși]

अध स्वनादुत बिभ्युः पतत्रिणो द्रप्सा यत्ते यवसादो व्यस्थिरन्

सुगं तत्ते तावकेभ्यो रथेभ्यो अग्ने ….

adha svanāduta bibhuyuḥ patatriņaḥ drapsā yatte yavasādo vyavashiran . sugam tatte tāvakebhyaḥ rathebhyaḥ agne sakhye mā rișāmā vayam tava

“Seeing your extraordinary power and listening to the deep sound, even flying objects [patatri] are terrified [bibhyuh].” [उत्पतनेन देशान्तरं गन्तुं समर्थाः पक्षिणो,पि यदा भयं प्राप्नुवन्ति, किमु वक्तव्यम् अन्येषां तत्रत्यानां भीतिर्जायते इति। सायणाचार्यः “Flying objects which cross countries are terrified, what to speak of local objects?” Sāyanāchārya]. Your flying machines fly back very easily [su-gam].[gam is the root verb of gacchati, gamana,]

So, when there are evil people near or far, who cannot be tamed, use air strike and destroy them. That will terrify all.

NOTE : Translations of the Vedas were done when there were no aeroplanes and no vehicles. So, the translators were confused always. How can a “ratha” fly? Because they always translated “ratha” as chariot. And the confused translators would say, “chariot drawn by donkeys, horses, bulls, …the powerful horses pulled the ratha to the sky…” etc. Actually, “ratha” means “vehicle” that which moves. It could be anything. But since there were no flying machines then, translators could not translate properly.

By Sunirmalanda Swamy ji