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In this section of the Mahabharata, Nakula says:

The bow, O grandsire, is regarded as the foremost of weapons in this world.

My question is, what reason does the Mahabharata give for the bow being the foremost of the weapons.

For example, Nakula and Bhishma actually think that the sword is the foremost of weapons. Nakula says:

My mind, however, inclines towards the sword, since when the bow, O king, is cut off or broken, when steeds are dead or weakened, a good warrior, well trained in the sword, can protect himself by means of his sword. A hero armed with the sword can, single handed, withstand many bowmen, and many antagonists armed with maces and darts.

And Bhishma agrees:

Of all weapons, O son of Madravati, the sword is the foremost. The Puranas truly declare that it was first wielded by Mahadeva. As regards the bow, again, O chastiser of foes, it was Prithu who first created it.

But why is the bow the foremost according to Hindu scriptures?

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  • not sure about the scripts, but as history suggests, the bow when invented was definitely a game-changer in wars, It was humanity's first hand-held long-range weapon, which was both efficient and feasible. And whoever used it with effectively had a wining edge.
    – V.Aggarwal
    Commented Dec 19, 2019 at 4:27
  • @V.Aggarwal I understand secular history says that, but I'm looking for why Hindu scripture says it, and that's because it's prohibited to use archery against infantry men.
    – Ikshvaku
    Commented Dec 24, 2019 at 2:45
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    i heard/read somewhere dhanus was born out of a yagna. also, it is more refined for a warrior to attack from distance. next comes spear - thrown for smaller distance. then sword. then mace. finally dvandva or hand-to-hand. maybe during mahabharata upanyasam of velukkudi/karunakarachar/krishnapremi swamin.
    – ram
    Commented Dec 24, 2019 at 3:04
  • @ram Do you know why Narayana is a proper noun?
    – Ikshvaku
    Commented Dec 31, 2019 at 18:25

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