Arjuna’s Gandiv Dhanush: Symbol of Strength, Dharma, & Devotion

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Last Updated:March 11, 2025

Gandiv Dhanush: In Mahabharat and Ramayan, there are mentions of divine and powerful weapons great warriors use.

One of the many mysteries of the Mahabharata period is the mystery of Arjun’s Gandiva.

Whether you have watched the Mahabharata series or studied the Mahabharata epic, you must know about Gandiva Dhanush.

After Shri Ram’s bow, if any bow has been the most famous, it is Arjun’s Gandiva. In the Mahabharata period, Gandiva was considered to be such a bow that even the gods could not stand before it.

According to the Mahabharata story, it is said about Arjuna’s Gandiva bow that Arjuna’s Gandiva Dhanush was so powerful that not only humans but even gods could not face it.

Arjuna’s Gandiva was so divine that it was capable of piercing many targets simultaneously.

In this blog, we explore the divine powers of Arjuna’s Gandiv Dhanush. Let us know where Arjuna got Gandiva from and what its powers were.

What is Arjuna’s Gandiv Dhanush?

Gandiv Dhanush is mentioned in the epic Mahabharat. This was Arjuna’s divine bow. The Gandiv Dhanush was made by Vishwakarma, the architect of the gods.

This bow first passed through the hands of Lord Shiva, then Devraj Indra, and then came to Agnidev.

When Agnidev requests Arjuna to burn the Khandav forest, he also gives him the Gandiva bow and a divine chariot.

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Arjuna won numerous wars with this bow. This bow was extremely powerful and strong.

In the great war of Mahabharata, Arjuna defeated the huge army of Kauravas with the Gandiva bow and achieved victory. Because of this bow, everyone considered Arjuna a great archer in those days.

Who can handle the Gandiva Dhanush?

Brahmadev asked Devashilpi (the architect of gods) Vishwakarma to make a divine, unbreakable bow for himself.

There are many stories associated with the making of Gandiva, which is considered to be the most powerful bow in the world.

According to a legend, the Gandhiv Dhanush was made from the bones of the great sage Dadhichi.

The Gandiv Dhanush consisted of 108 strings and was not breakable. Brahmadev retained that bow with him for 1000 years and handed it over to Daksha Prajapati. Daksha Prajapati retained it for 503 years and then handed it over to Indra Dev.

Indra Dev retained it for 85 years and then passed it on to Chandradev. Chandradev retained the divine bow with him for 500 years and handed it over to Varunadev.

It was in the hands of Varuna Dev for 100 years until he donated the bow, along with two endless quivers, to Arjuna to assist him in enabling Agni to destroy the Khandav forest. In the Matsya war, Arjuna had already possessed it for 65 years.

Arjuna maintained this heavenly Gandiv Dhanush with himself throughout his lifetime and gave it to Varuna Dev before embarking on the Himalayas with Draupadi and his brothers.

The Mythological Story of Arjun Getting Gandiv Dhanush

According to the story of Mahabharata, when there was a dispute between Kauravas and Pandavas to get the throne of Hastinapur, Shakuni gave the Pandavas a forest named Khandavprastha to live in to calm them down for some time.

When Pandavas and Draupadi reached this forest to meet Shri Krishna, they saw only ruins at this place. Krishna called Vishwakarma to establish a city in the Khandav forest.

Vishwakarma appeared and told Shri Krishna that Khandavprastha was settled by Mayasura, so Mayasura had complete information about this place. Please call him. At the request of Vishwakarma, Krishna called Mayasura.

Mayasura told the secret of Gandiva

Mayasura gave Krishna the details of Khandavprastha and took him to King Som’s chariot kept in a ruin there.

King Som’s chariot had Gandiva and Akshay Quiver, along with a mace. Mayasura gave Gandiva to Arjuna and told him that it was a divine bow that Daityaraj Vrishparva had obtained from Lord Shiva by doing rigorous penance.

Along with giving Gandiva, Mayasura gave Akshay Quiver to Arjuna and said that it was Agnidev’s quiver, which was also obtained by Daityaraj Vrishparva.

Mayasura told Arjuna that this quiver never runs out of arrows. In this way, Arjuna obtained Gandiva and Akshay Quiver from the Khandav Forest.

How was the world’s most powerful bow, Gandiv, made?

There are many stories associated with the making of Gandiva, which is considered to be the most powerful bow in the world.

According to a legend, Gandiva was made from the bones of a sage. The terror of a demon named Vattasur was increasing on Earth.

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It had become very important to stop the cruelty of this demon. Seeing this dire situation, the great sage Dadhichi donated his bones so that weapons could be made to kill Vattasur.

Arjun’s Gandiva had the power of sage Dadhichi’s penance

In fact, due to the penance of Rishi Dadhichi, a divine power had come into the bones of his body, using which Vattasur could be killed.

Three bows were made from the bones of Rishi Dadhichi. One Pinak, second Sarang and third Gandiva. Indra’s Vajra was made from the bones of his chest.

Vattasur was killed with all these divine weapons. In this way, passing from one person to another, Arjuna received Gandiva.

The Second Story related to Arjuna’s Gandiv Dhanush

According to mythology, there is a bow (Gandiv Dhanush), arrow, and quiver (Akshay Tarkash) that can never be destroyed.

After shooting the arrow, it returns to the person, and the quiver never runs out of arrows. King Bali was the first one to have such an arrow.

The Bhrigu dynasty made King Bali perform a yagya for Vishwajit. Agnidev appeared from that yagya and gave King Bali a divine chariot made of gold, horses, a divine bow, and two inexhaustible arrows.

Prahlad gave a divine garland that never fades, and Shukracharya gave a divine conch. Thus, equipped with divine weapons, King Bali defeated Indra.

King Bali started ruling the three worlds due to these divine bows (Gandiv Dhanush) and arrows.

Who gave the Gandiv Dhanush to Arjuna, and why?

According to legend, after drinking ghee continuously for 12 years in a yajna, Agnidev got indigestion. He went to Lord Brahma for a solution.

Lord Brahma said that if he burns the Khandava forest, then his problem will end when the various animals living there are satisfied.

Agnidev tried many times, but Indra Dev did not let him burn the Khandava forest to protect Takshak Naag and the animals. Agnidev again went to Brahma ji.

Then Brahma ji said that Arjuna and Krishna were sitting near the Khandava forest. He should ask for help from them.

Agnidev requested both of them for Khandava forest in the form of food. Even after Arjuna said that he did not have any bow arrow and a fast chariot, Agnidev took Gandiv Dhanush, an inexhaustible quiver (Akshay Tarkash), a chariot drawn by divine horses from Varundev and gave it to Arjuna.

Agnidev was satisfied after burning the Khandav forest with the help of Arjuna and Shri Krishna, and his disease was also cured.

All the gods, including Indra, came to save the Khandav forest, but this time they were facing Krishna and Arjuna.

Only Takshak Naag, Ashwasen, Mayasura, and four birds named Shangark survived that burning.

What are the powers of Gandiv Dhanush and Tarkash?

The specialty of Arjuna’s Gandiva Dhanush was that no other weapon could destroy it. This single bow was equal to 1 lakh bow.

Whoever held the Gandiva Dhanush, energy would flow in his body, and this is the reason why no one could defeat him in battle.

It is said that the Gandiva bow was supernatural. This bow was with Varuna. Varuna gave it to Agnidev, and Arjuna received it from Agnidev.

This bow was worshipped by gods, demons, and Gandharvas for infinite years. It could not be destroyed by any weapon and could withstand a lakh of other bows.

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Whoever held it would be filled with power. Arjuna’s inexhaustible quiver (Akshay Tarkash) never ran out of arrows.

The chariot that Arjuna got had divine horses harnessed to give it speed, and Hanumanji was seated on the top of the chariot, and a monkey flag fluttered on the top.

Along with this, there were other animals present in the chariot that roared terrifyingly.

What was Gandiv Dhanush made of?

There are numerous legends about the origin of Gandiv Dhanush. One states that it was constructed from the horn of the demon Mura and weighed 55000 metric tons. It possessed 108 strings that could fire numerous arrows at a time.

Another legend states that Sage Dadhichi had given his bones to have three bows prepared.

The bows were Gandiva, Pinaka and Saranga. Indra’s Vajra, too, was prepared from the chest bones of the sage.

The Gandiv Dhanush was gifted to Arjun by the gods, by whose aid the Mahabharata war was won. The Pinak bow, belonging to Lord Shiva, was captured by Ravana.

Thereafter, it was in the possession of Lord Parashuram, and Lord Ram shattered the same bow and gained Sita Swayamvara.

The Sarang bow was with Lord Vishnu. After that, it is believed that this bow was taken by Shri Ram, and then it came to Shri Krishna.

Not only this, Indra had also given his Vajra to Karna during the Mahabharata war, because of whom Bhima’s son Ghatotkach died.

Maharishi Dadhichi had uttered that his bones must be used only for defending religion.

Another Story

The third tale is also identical. The third tale says that the bow was created from the severe penance of Kanva Muni.

He took Samadhi while performing penance, and his body became earth because of termites. A lovely bamboo tree sprouted in the earth.

Brahma ji liked the penance and created Kanva Muni from gold. He also bestowed some blessings upon him.

But as he was exiting the world, he noticed that the bamboo that had grown on his body was now valuable.

There was none other like it. Then, the same bamboo he gave to Vishwakarma and Pinak. Sarang and Gandiv Dhanush were made from it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Arjuna’s Gandiv Dhanush is much more powerful than our imagination.

It is said that Gandiv Dhanush can fire countless arrows at one time. Arjuna got this powerful and divine Gandiv Dhanush from Agnidev.

The power of Arjuna’s Gandiv Dhanush can be estimated from the fact that the entire battlefield reverberates with the sound of Arjuna’s bow. Arjuna could hit his target from a very far distance.

At the same time, Arjuna’s inexhaustible quiver (Akshay Tarkash) never ran out of arrows.

Some arrows kept in the inexhaustible quiver were so divine that after hitting the target, they used to return to Arjuna’s quiver. No weapon could stand in front of Gandiv Dhanush.

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