सन्दधेऽस्त्रं स्वधनुषि कामः पञ्चमुखं तदा ।
मधुर्मनो रजस्तोक इन्द्रभृत्या व्यकम्पयन् ॥

sandadhe’straṁ sva-dhanuṣi kāmaḥ pañca-mukhaṁ tadā |
madhur mano rajas-toka indra-bhṛtyā vyakampayan ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.8.25)

“Then, Kāma fixed a five-headed weapon [i.e., arrow] on his bow, and Spring, Greed [lit., ‘the son of Rajas’], and [other] servants of Indra tried to agitate the mind [of Mārkaṇḍeya].”

Commentary

Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda comments that the five heads of Kāma’s weapon, that is, arrow, are desiccation (śoṣaṇa), excitement (dīpana), infatuation (sammohana), burning (tāpana), and intoxication (unmādana). Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda lists them as desiccation (śoṣaṇa), infatuation (mohana), excitement (sandīpana), burning (tāpana), and intoxication (mādana). Kāmadeva is also well-known by the name Pañcabāṇa, “The Five-arrowed one,” and numerous verses offering various lists of his five arrows can be found in various texts:

drāvaṇa-kṣobhaṇākarṣa-vaśīkṛt-srāvaṇās tathā |
śoṣaṇo mohanaḥ sandīpanas tāpana-mādanau ||
(Unknown source; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.151)

“Melting (drāvaṇa), agitating (kṣobhaṇa), attracting (ākarṣa), subduing (vaśīkṛt), and causing to flow (srāvaṇa) [are the five arrows of Kāma]. Also, desiccation (śoṣaṇa), infatuation (mohana), excitement (sandīpana), burning (tāpana), and intoxication (mādana).”

sammohanaḥ kṣobhanaś ca dahanaḥ śoṣaṇas tathā |
uccāṭanaś ca kāmasya bāṇāḥ pañca prakīrtitāḥ ||
(Unknown source; cited in Śrī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī’s commentary on Gītā-govinda: 7.41)

“Infatuation (sammohana), agitation (kṣobhana), burning (dahana), desiccation (śoṣaṇa) and ruination (uccāṭanaḥ) are said to be the five arrows of Kāma.”

aravindam aśokaṁ ca cūtaṁ ca nava-mallikā |
nīlotpalaṁ ca pañcaite pañca-bāṇasya sāyakāḥ ||
unmādanas tāpanaś ca śoṣaṇaḥ stambhanas tathā |
sammohanaś ca kāmasya pañcabāṇāḥ prakīrtitāḥ ||
(Amara-kośa: 1.1.57–60)

“The lotus, the aśoka, mango, Arabian jasmine, and the blue water lily—these are the five arrows of Pañcabāṇa [lit., ‘the Five-arrowed one,’ i.e., Kāma]. Intoxication (unmādana), burning (tāpana), dessication (śoṣaṇaḥ), paralysis (stambhana) and infatuation (sammohana) are said to be the five arrows of Kāma.”

kausumāni tathāstrāṇi pañcādāya manobhavaḥ |
pracchanna-rūpī tatraiva cintayāmāsa niścayam ||
harṣaṇaṁ rocanākhyaṁ ca mohanaṁ śoṣaṇaṁ tathā |
māraṇaṁ ceti proktāni muner mohakarāṇy api ||
(Śiva Purāṇa 2.2.3.12)

“Taking up his five flower weapons [i.e., arrows] which are deluding even to a sage and known as excitement (harṣaṇa), appeal (rocana), infatuation (mohana), desiccation (śoṣaṇa), and death (maraṇa), Manobhava [i.e., ‘he who is born in the mind,’ i.e., Kāma], present right there in a fully concealed form [i.e., being invisible], thought of a plan.”

dravaṇaṁ śoṣaṇaṁ bāṇaṁ tāpanaṁ mohanābhidham |
unmādanaṁ ca kāmasya bānāḥ pañca prakīrtitāḥ ||
(Attributed to Vātsyānana)

“Melting (dravaṇa), desiccation (śoṣaṇa), burning (tāpana), infatuation (mohana), and intoxication (unmādana) are said to be the names of the five arrows of Kāma.”

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