The idea of a god wielding a weapon made from animal products can be unsettling

Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

Ram once raised his bow to shoot an arrow at the impertinent sea. When the sea apologised, Ram did not know what to do with the arrow fixed on his bow; it could not be returned to the quiver as per Kshatriya code. So he turned around and shot it and it fell on a barren land that turned into the Thar Desert.

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According to the Vishnu Purana, the bow of Vishnu, also used by Rama, is called the Sarang. In the text Dhanurveda, the Sarang bow is described as being made from the horns of a deer, with the bowstring crafted from the sinew or tendon of an animal. The idea of a god wielding a weapon made from animal products can be unsettling.

In a world where vegetarian........

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