According to the Puranas and Epics, which divine weapon (Astra) holds the supreme power?

 

All the Asthras are not merely weapons they are Devatha Shakti Each Asthra has a uniqueness.

If we look into Bhramanda Purana the Intergalactic War between Sri Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari and Bhandasura is unparalleled.

Please see the list of Astharas which Bhandasura used and the counterpart Amma used that Nullified them :

Andhathamishra - Surya Aasthra

Mooka Ashtra - Gayatri Manthra

Sarva Roga Ashtra - Nama Thraya Asthra (Achutha Anantha Govinda)

Asura Asthra (All the Asuras were Born - Mahishasura, Rakthabeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha etc) - Amma Used Durga Asthra

Amma cleared the Entire Warrior Sena with one Asthra Maha Pashupatham and finally Amma killed Bhandasura and burned down his Sunyaka Nagaram by Kameshwara Asthra.

So ashtras are Manthra and Devatha Shakti that generate Power in various ways.

Even the Indra's Vajram, Yama Dandam, Vishnu Sudarshana, Shiva Trishulam etc etc all are Ashtras which have a Manthra and Devatha which can be worshiped by anyone.

Personally when read Mahabharatha - felt like Pashupatha Ashtra was very special and furious in Nature.

After getting the Pashupatha Asthra from Shiva, Indra invited Arjuna to Heaven (Swarga Lokam). After spending some time there Indra informed Arjuna that there is a Clan of Asuras named Nivatha Kavachas who are bothering him and his Kingdom. So asked Arjuna if he could fight them and get rid of them. Arjuna happily aggred to the offer and wore a Devine Armour given by Indra and on the Chariot with Green Horses and a charioteer named Mathali carrying his Bow Gandeevam Arjuna went to the war and won all the 30 Million Rakshasha single handedly.

While returning back to Amravati (Heaven's Capital) he saw a place and asked what is this place to Mathali. He said they are another set of Asuras or Rakshasha that occationally bother Indra and other Devathas. Hearing Arjuna said let's take care of them too. In headcount they are 60000 people called as Kalakeyas but 10 times more dangerous than Nivatha Kavachas.

So Arjuna invited them for a Mortal Combat. In which after a furious war. The Kalakeyas started to Attack Arjuna all at once. First Time then Arjuna used the Devine Weapon given by Shiva - The Pashupatha Asthra.

The moment he used it the weapon got divided into Million Arrows and from each arrow it created other weapons like Khadgam, Thomaram, Shulam, Chakram, Gadha etc etc and also from it emerged different wild Animals, Rakshasha, Asura, Bhootha, Preetha etc etc and killed all the 60000 Kalakeyas at once and disappeared back as if nothing happened.

The special part of Arjuna is that he did not use this Ashtra in the 18 days of Kurukshetra War.

From this glorious incident from Mahabharatham - Aranya Parvam we personally have a Favouritism for the Shiva's Pashupatha Asthra.

There other major Asthras too like Naraya Asthra, Bhrama Asthra, Varuna Asthra, Agneya Asthra, Vayuya Asthra, Naga Asthra, Garuda Asthra, Samohana Asthra, Anjalika Asthra etc etc.

Hope we have presented it properly

Hara Hara Maha Deva

Why are there three Gods (Brahma-Vishnu-Shiv) if there is only one God, as stated in the Vedas or Puranas?

 Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!

The answer is given in the Vishnu Purana.

ParaBrahman creates through Lord Brahma, maintains through Lord Vishnu, and destroys through Lord Shiva.

srishtisthithyanthakaraneem brahmavishnushivaathmikaam sa sajnaam yaathi bhagavaan eka eva janaardhanaha

Translation:

“In order to handle creation, sustenance, and destruction, the one and only Janaardhana takes the names of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara.” - Vishnu Purana 1.2.66

The term ‘Trimurti’ literally means ‘three forms’ and refers to them being the three guna-avataras (i.e., the three expansions that oversee the cycle of creation, maintenance, and destruction).

Hence, in this context, they are qualitatively nondifferent from one another.

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ahaṁ brahmā ca śarvaś ca jagataḥ kāraṇaṁ param ātmeśvara upadraṣṭā svayan-dṛg aviśeṣaṇaḥ

Translation:

“Lord Viṣṇu replied: Brahmā, Lord Śiva and I are the supreme cause of the material manifestation. I am the Supersoul, the self-sufficient witness. But impersonally there is no difference between Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Me.” - Srimad Bhagavatam 4.7.50

The reason the Trimurti exists is because it is believed that ParaBrahman never directly associates with the material realm to create, maintain, and destroy and acts indirectly through His expansions.

This is stated by Lord Brahma:

māyayāramamāṇasya na viyogas tayā saha

Translation:

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead never consorts with His illusory energy. Still, her connection is not entirely cut off from the Absolute Truth.” - Brahma Samhita 5.7

This is stated by Lord Vishnu:

ātma-māyāṁ samāviśya so ’haṁ guṇamayīṁ dvija sṛjan rakṣan haran viśvaṁ dadhre saṁjñāṁ kriyocitām

Translation:

“My dear Dakṣa Dvija, I am the original Personality of Godhead, but in order to create, maintain and annihilate this cosmic manifestation, I act through My material energy, and according to the different grades of activity, My representations are differently named.” - Srimad Bhagavatam 4.7.51

This is stated by Lord Shiva:

yam āhur asya sthiti-janma-saṁyamaṁ tribhir vihīnaṁ yam anantam ṛṣayaḥ

Translation:

“All the great sages accept the Lord as the source of creation, maintenance and destruction, although He actually has nothing to do with these activities. Therefore the Lord is called unlimited.” - Srimad Bhagavatam 5.17.21

Hare Krishna

According to all Puranas who is more powerful? Asuras or Rakshasa?

 Asuras are easily more powerful due to their divine origin. They are naturally more powerful without plot armour like boons from gods .

Let's take demon vritra for example. He was so powerful that he was devouring the RTA cosmic waters of the universe . After killing vritrasur Indra restored the universe

• yad indrāhan prathamajām ahīnām
• ān māyinām aminā protā māyāḥ |
• āt sūryaṃ janayan dyām uṣāsaṃ
• tad īt nuṃ śatruṃ na kilā vivitse || 1.32.4 ||
• Literal
• “When, O Indra, you slew the firstborn of the serpents,
• you destroyed the magic/powers of the magicians.
• Then, generating Sun, Heaven and Dawn,
• you found no enemy indeed to withstand you.”

दि॒वो न तुभ्य॒मन्वि॑न्द्र स॒त्रासु॒र्यं॑ दे॒वेभि॑र्धायि॒ विश्व॑म् ।

अहि॒ं यद् वृ॒त्रम॒पो व॑व्रि॒वां॒सं हन्नृ॑जीषि॒न् विष्णु॑ना सचा॒नः ॥

It took the combined might of universe striding Vishnu and king of gods Indra to defeat him as explained in Rigveda

• uta mātā mahiṣam anv avenad amī tvā jahati putra devāḥ |
• athābravīd vṛtram indro haniṣyan sakhe viṣṇo vitaraṃ vi kramasva ||
• “And the mother looked upon the mighty one:
• ‘These gods are abandoning you, O son.’
• Then Indra, about to slay Vṛtra, said:
• ‘O friend Viṣṇu, stride out farther/wider.’”

विष्णुना सचानः

viṣṇunā sacānaḥ

“accompanied by Viṣṇu” — RV 6.20.2.

Similar example would be Madhu and kaitabha from ithihasas whose flesh was used to forge the planet Earth and mountains

• They were Madhu and Kaitabha and their bones covered everything and constituted mountains. The earth was formed from their fat

Rakshasas were human hybrids of ghandravas and humans . They are cannibals but nowhere possessed the power on the same cosmic scale as Asuras . Except Ravana and Kumbhakarna, who were descendants of saptarishis