Gandiva

Gandiva (IAST: Gāṇḍīva; Sanskrit: गाण्डीव) is a divine bow of Arjuna, one of the Pandavas from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

[1][2] According to the Mahabharata, the legendary Gandiva bow was fashioned by Brahma, the creator of the universe, for the noble purpose of safeguarding Dharma.

This sacred weapon was then passed on to Lord Shiva, who held it for a millennium before it was entrusted to Brahma for a period of 503 years.

Arjuna temporarily could not string the bow, or remember the spells necessary in order to summon his celestial weapons when Dwaraka was drowning.

[9] Metaphysically, Gandiva is the “bow of self-control.” With it Arjuna was equipped for victory over “the sense soldiers of the blind king Mind.” “Charioteered by God, he must rally the army of emperor Discrimination with its forces of virtue and its allies of spiritual perception.” (Paramahansa Yogananda-ji’s commentary on XVIII:78)