Page:Sushruta Samhita Vol 1.djvu/352

248 pre-eminently serves the purpose of killing and is the most irresistible of all metals. Since any amount of sharpness can be imparted to the point of an article made of iron and since it can be easily discharged from a distance, iron is the metal exclusively chosen in the construction of darts or arrows.

Classification of Shafts:—Arrows (Shara) may be divided into two classes according as they are feathered or unfeathered; and their barbs are usually constructed in the shape of trees, leaves, flowers, or fruits, or are made to resemble the mouths of birds and wild and ferocious animals.

Flights of arrows:—The flights or directions of an arrow (Shalyam) may be divided into five different kinds, such as the upward, the downward, the backward (coming from the back), the oblique and the straight. Either through its diminished momentum, or through any external resistance, an arrow may drop down and penetrate into the skin, arteries, or any internal channel of the body, or into any bone or its cavity, causing a wound or an ulcer (Vrana) at the spot of its penetration.

Symptoms:—Now hear me describe the symptoms which are exhibited in connection with an arrow-wound (Shalya* -Vrana). These symptoms may be