war in ancient india

The history of ancient India is largely to be a history of Hindu culture and progress. Hindu culture has a very distinct claim to a higher antiquity than Assyrian schools would claim for Sargon I and as much higher antiquity than Egyptian scholars would claim for the commencement of the earlier dynasty of Kings. Modern warfare has developed on mechanical lines, giving less scope for the qualities of courage/braveness and individual leadership(more like a one man army). The value and importance of the army were realized very early in the history of India , which led to the maintenance of a permanent militia to put down dissent within and arrest aggression from without. This gave rise to a type of warrior castr called the Ksatriya , and the ksatram dharmam came to mean the primary duty of war. To serve,to be truthful for the country by participating in war became the svadharma of this warrior community.


Hindu military science tells about two kinds of warfare - the dharmayuddha and the kutayuddha. Dharmayuddha is a type war carried on the principles of dharma, means Ksatradharma ( law of Kings and Warriors). In other words, it was a just and righteous war which had the approval of society. On the other hand, kuttayuddha was an unrighteous war, a crafty fight carried on in secret. The Hindu science of warfare values both niti and saurya ( ethical principles and valor). A monarch desirous of dharma vijaya should conform the codes of ethics enjoined upon the warriors. The principles regulating the two kinds of warfare are extensively described in the Dharmasutras and Dharmasastras, the epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata), the Arthasastra treatises of Kautalya, Kamandaka, and Sukra. Hindu India possessed the classical,most famous fourfold force of chariots, elephants, horsemen, and infantry, collectively known as the Caturangabala. Students even know that the old game of chess also goes by the name of Caturanga. From the references to this game in the Rig and the Atharva Vedas and in the Buddhists and Jain books, it must have been very popular in ancient India. The Persian and the Arabic terms chatrang and Shatrang are forms of the Sanskrit Caturanga.

According to Sir A. M. Eliot and Heinrich Brunnhofer (a German Indologist) and Gustav Oppert, all of whom have stated that ancient Hindus knew how to use gunpowder. Eliot tells that the Arabs learnt the manufacture of gunpowder from India . It is also argued that though Persia possessed saltpetre in abundance, originally gunpowder's was evolved from India. In the light of the above remarks we can trace the evolution of fire-arms in the ancient India. Terence Duke, author of The Boddhisattva Warriors tells that : The Origin, Inner Philosophy, History and Symbolism of the Buddhist Martial Art Within India and China, says that martial arts went from India to China and fighting without weapons was a specialty of the ancient Ksatreya warriors of India.

THE LAWS OF WAR

When society became organized and a warrior caste (Kshatriya) came into being, it was felt that the members of the caste follow certain humane laws, the observance of which, it was believed, would take them to heaven, while their non-observance would lead them into hell. In the post Vedic epoch, and especially before the epics were reduced to writing, lawless war had been supplanted, and a code had begun to govern the waging of wars. The ancient law-givers, the reputed authors of the Dharmasutras and the Dharmasastras, codified the then existing customs and usages for the betterment of mankind. Thus the ancient law books and epics contained special sections on royal duties and the duties of common warriors.

THE DIPLOMACY OF WAR

Not withstanding the elaborate rules of war which are laid down in the epics and the law-books, the main fact that to wage war was the duty and privilege of every true Ksatriya, in several cases the horrors of war made others think of the consequences and to avoid outbreak of hostilities by a well calculated policy which we now term diplomacy. Negotiation, persuasion and conciliation were cardinal points of the ancient Indian diplomacy, and were effective instruments in averting many a war, which others must had realized in much bloodshed and economic distress.



THE ARMY AND ARMY DIVISIONS

ANCIENT Hindu India possessed the classical fourfold force of chariots, elephants, horsemen, and infantry, collectively called as the Caturangabala. we all very know that the old game of chess also goes by the name of Caturanga. Chess is a game of war, and in each game there are a king,a queen, two rook's(elephant's), two horses, two chariots, and eight foot-soldiers. References to this game in the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda and in the Buddhists and Jain books, which is very very popular in ancient India. The Persian term Chatrang and the Arabic Shatrang are forms of the Sanskrit Chaturanga

On the whole the board is made of 8 X 8 squares. According to Taylor, the game of chess was the invention of some Hindu who devised a game of war with a board called astapada ( field of battle). From the reference to the game, it must have been very popular in ancient south India. It is to be noted that the relative values of the chess pieces were analogous/ identical with the relative values of different arms as laid down by Kautalya, Sukra, and Vaisampayana. The organization of the Indian army which came to be known as Caturanga, both in epic Sanskrit and Pali literature, was based on this ancient game..

CONCLUSION

the Bhagavad Gita's great message: that violence is sometimes necessary, if it flows from Dharma

For a warrior, nothing is higher than a war
against evil.
The warrior confronted with such a war should be pleased, Arjuna, for it comes as an open gate to heaven.
But if you do not participate in this battle against evil, you will incur sin, violating your dharma and your honor....