In the ancient science of warfare, the art of sword and shield was taught with great precision and reverence. Warriors were trained in a vast array of movements: the shaking and tossing of the body, the swift left and right turns, the sudden, unnoticed explosions of power, and the mighty blows likened to the force of an elephant’s trunk. They mastered fierce, terrifying descents upon their foes, and learned to execute footwork in full, half, and third measures, even shaping their steps like the petals of a lotus. The stances—whether stepping backward or forward, assuming the posture of a boar, or twisting the body—were all counted among the thirty-two essential techniques of battle with sword and shield. Beyond these, the warrior’s education included the art of the noose, with eleven distinct techniques: turning away and back, grasping and light movements, throwing upwards and downwards, holding and restraining, the hawk’s swift descent, the elephant’s method of drinking, and the crocodile’s deadly grip. When the noose was separated, five actions were described by the wise: the straight, the wide, the oblique, the spinning, and another, each crucial in the heat of combat. The arts of cutting, splitting, striking, whirling, lying down, slicing, carving, and the wheel technique were all to be practiced. The spear, too, demanded mastery of stamping, hissing, splitting, frightening, swinging, and the powerful blow. The bowman was taught to strike the eyes, the arms, and the sides of the enemy, to fell with a straight-feathered arrow, and to wield the javelin with skill. In mace combat, techniques included the struck, the cow-urine posture, the abundant, the lotus-seated, the raised body, the bent, and the left and right movements. Turning and counter-turning, the raised foot, leaping, the swan’s crushing, and pressing were all counted among the mace’s arts. The axe required knowledge of the fierce blow, the biting leap, the thrown hand, standing firm, and the empty stance. The mallet was wielded with striking, cutting, pulverizing, leaping, and striking again. The sling and club demanded actions such as the exhausted, the rested, the cow-release, and the very difficult. For the club and mace, the final, the middle, the reversed, and the one ending with an order were essential. The sword’s arts included seizing, cutting, killing, forceful lifting, extension, striking down, and smashing. The missile, too, was used for frightening, protecting, killing, lifting, and extending, as were mechanical devices. Wrestling and grappling arts were not neglected: abandonment, biting, the boar’s tossing, carrying and holding with one or both hands, binding with arms, raising at the waist, striking chest and forehead, twisting and reversing the limbs, embracing gently, and reversing the limbs again. Upward striking, killing, the cow’s urine posture, left and right maneuvers, the staff for crossing obstacles, and the Karavīra staff to confuse the enemy were all taught. There was binding sideways, the Apāmārga technique, terrible force, the Sudarshana, the leaps of lion, elephant, and ass. For the mace and wrestling, one learned to pull, twist, and attack the root of the arms, to turn the neck, break the back, reverse and counter-reverse, and even the slaughter of sheep and goats. Warriors practiced striking with the foot, smashing, raising at the waist, embracing the body, mounting the shoulder, and sweeping the ground. They struck the chest and forehead, tossed up and shook down their foes, and moved with transverse steps. They were trained to throw down from an elephant’s shoulder, to turn away, to follow the divine and downward paths, and to confuse the enemy’s sense of direction. Striking with a staff, throwing down, tearing up the earth, binding knees, arms, and limbs—all these were terrible techniques in battle. Warriors struck from behind, used water, shone in their armor, and bound the arms of their foes. In battle, these arts were performed by elephants and others, always with armor and weapons. On the elephant, the best goad was held by two, while one man stood at the neck, two at the shoulders, two archers, and two sword-bearers completed the company. On the chariot and in battle, three horsemen were stationed; three archers protected the horse. For the archer’s protection, a shield-bearer was appointed. Having worshipped the weapon with his own mantras, the warrior would employ the treatise that could bewilder the three worlds. At this point, Agni spoke, turning to the sacred law. “I shall explain the legal procedure, which distinguishes right from wrong. This system is said to have four feet, four bases, and four means. It is fourfold in benefit, fourfold in scope, and fourfold in action; it is described as having eight limbs, eighteen sections, and a hundred branches. “There are three origins, two types of litigation, two gates, and two courses—dharma, legal procedure, custom, and royal command. Of the four feet of legal procedure, the last confirms the first; in this, dharma stands in truth, and legal procedure rests upon witnesses. Custom is the collective conduct of people, and royal command is the king’s order. Because it is accomplished by four means, it is so called. “It is fourfold in benefit because it protects the four orders of life: the doer, the witnesses, the truthful, and the king himself. Because the agent extends to four domains, it is known as fourfold in scope: dharma, wealth, fame, and the world’s welfare. Because it is accomplished by four agents, it is called fourfold in action: the king, the person, the judges, the scripture, and the accountant and scribe.” Thus, the science of arms and the science of justice were both revealed, each with their own branches and disciplines, ensuring that warriors and rulers alike upheld righteousness and order in all their actions.