इदं दिव्यं महच्चापं हेमरत्नविभूषितम्।
वैष्णवं पुरुषव्याघ्र निर्मितं विश्वकर्मणा।
अमोघः सूर्यसङ्काशो ब्रह्मदत्तः शरोत्तमः॥
idaṁ divyaṁ mahac cāpaṁ hema-ratna-vibhūṣitam
vaiṣṇavaṁ puruṣa-vyāghra nirmitaṁ viśvakarmaṇā
amoghaḥ sūrya-saṅkāśo brahma-dattaḥ śarottamaḥ
idam = this; divyam = divine; mahat = and great; cāpam = bow; hema-ratna-vibhūṣitam = decorated with gold and jewels; vaiṣṇavam = of Lord Viṣṇu; puruṣa-vyāghra = O prince; nirmitam = was made; viśvakarmaṇā = by Viśvakarmā; amoghaḥ = this unfailing; sūrya-saṅkāśaḥ = shining like the sun; brahma-dattaḥ = was given by Lord Brahmā; śara-uttamaḥ = excellent arrow.
O prince, this divine and great bow of Lord Viṣṇu decorated with gold and jewels was made by Viśvakarmā. This unfailing excellent arrow shining like the sun was given by Lord Brahmā.
1 See the commentary to texts 32-33 for clarification regarding this.
2 Mahābhārata 13.206.18-26: umovāca; nīlakaṇṭha namas te ’stu sarva-loka-sukhāvaha; bahūnām āyudhānāṁ tvaṁ pinākaṁ dhartum icchasi; kim arthaṁ deva-deveśa tan me śaṁsitum arhasi. maheśvara uvāca; śastrāgamaṁ te vakṣyāmi śṛṇu dharmyaṁ śuci-smite; yugāntare mahā-devi kaṇvo nāma mahā-muniḥ. sa hi divyāṁ tapaścaryāṁ kartum evopacakrame; tathā tasya tapo ghoraṁ carataḥ kāla-paryayāt; valmīkaṁ punar udbhūtaṁ tasyaiva śirasi priye. veṇur valmīka-saṁyogān mūrdhni tasya babhūva ha; dharamāṇaś ca tat sarvaṁ tapaścaryām athākarot. tasmai brahmā varaṁ dātuṁ jagāma tapasārcitaḥ; dattvā tasmai varaṁ devo veṇuṁ dṛṣṭvā tv acintayat. loka-kāryaṁ samuddiśya veṇunānena bhāmini; cintayitvā tam ādāya kārmukārthe nyayojayat. viṣṇor mama ca sāmarthyaṁ jñātvā loka-pitāmahaḥ; dhanuṣī dve tadā prādād viṣṇave ca mamaiva ca. pinākaṁ nāma me cāpaṁ śārṅgaṁ nāma harer dhanuḥ; tṛtīyam avaśeṣeṇa gāṇḍīvam abhavad dhanuḥ. tac ca somāya nirdiśya brahmā lokaṁ gataḥ punaḥ; etat te sarvam ākhyātaṁ śastrāgamam anindite. (Kumbhakonam edition)
[In the past,] Rāma had taken [the bow of Lord Viṣṇu] from Paraśurāma and placed it in Varuṇa’s hands. Varuṇa had deposited that very [bow] in Agastya’s hands upon considering that Khara and others will soon be killed. This can be inferred because we are coming across the expression “[bow] of Lord Viṣṇu” once again [in the Rāmāyaṇa].
GLOSS. This great bow was Śārṅga, given by Indra.1 This is stated by Śrī Madhvācārya:
sampūjito dhanur anena gṛhītam indrāc
chārṅgaṁ tad ādi-puruṣo nijam ājahāra
“Upon being worshipped by Agastya, the original person Rāma took His bow Śārṅga that Agastya had received from Indra.” (Mahābhārata-tātparya-nirṇayaḥ 5.22)
The origin of this Śārṅga is stated in the Anuśāsanika-parva of Mahābhārata.2