Weapons and War in Kāvyas

Among the pañcamahākāvyas, the Raghuvaṃśa, Kirātārjunīya and Śiśupālavadha present many vivid descriptions of war expeditions and provide details on warfare.

(i) Raghuvaṃśa

The Raghuvaṃśa which gives the history of the lineage of Raghu, provides a glimpse of the life and times of these great monarchs–cakravartis. Raghu’s battles (canto IV), Aja’s victory over the princes gathered in the swayamvara ceremony (canto VIII), Rama’s fight with Paraśurāma (canto XI) and his battle with Rāvaṇa (canto XII) are the occasions when war is described.

Among the many expeditions that are described, Raghu’s jubiliant victory over other kings in all the four directions described in cantos IV and V are noteworthy. He possessed six kinds of armies^[1] (R.V. IV. 26). There is a mention of four divisions of army–infantry, cavalry, elephant and chariot being employed in the battle (R.V. IV. 30). His unparallaled final victory was a righteous one as he seizes the wealth but not the territory of the vanquished kings (R.V. IV. 43). The poet was also aware of kūṭayuddha where deceitful means are used to win a war. He says that Atithi knew these methods but abstained from practicing it and adopted only righteous means in war (R.V. XVII. 69)^[2]. Forts were built to protect the country against enemy attacks. In the words of the poet, Atithi’s forts were unassailable (R.V. IV. 52).

The strategy and mode of operation of warfare seem to have evolved well by the time of this kāvya. Above all, it highlights the importance of maintaining secrecy during political deliberations, employing spies with caution, actual battles, warfare and pacification of annexed provinces.

(ii) Kirātārjunīya

Kirātārjunīya, reveals the sophisticated deliberations of the poet on statecraft of which warfare forms an aspect. The need to rise against an unrighteous usurper of power is stressed in the first canto itself by Bhīma and Draupadī. We learn about the cohesiveness and strength of Duryodhana’s army and the loyalty of his forces, which he nurtured, from the words of the spy sent by Yuddhiṣṭhira to his kingdom in the same canto. It indicates that a sound system of espionage was prevalent then. In another instance (X. 37)^[3], the danger that can ensue due to in-fighting within the forces is expressed by the poet. The four upāyas are also mentioned by the emissary of Yuddhiṣṭhira in the first canto. It goes on to state the way of holding confidential political and military deliberations. The need to gain superiority of arms and army to ensure victory is brought out through the words of sage Vyāsa (III. 17)^[4] and this forms the crux of the plot–acquiring pāśupatāstra from Śiva.

(iii) Śiśupālavadha

Śiśupālavadha appears like a treatise on principles of governance in the form of discussions of Kṛṣṇa with Uddhava and Balarāma. The political views expressed here seem to be soaked in traditional ideals. In the course of the discussions several points are highlighted–the need to avoid overlooking an upcoming enemy (II. 10)^[5]; the practical applicability of Ṣāḍguṇya (II. 26-7) and the importance of the triśaktis–counsel, enterprise and resources of the king is brought out by Uddhava (II. 76)^[6]. The value of intelligent deliberations (II. 77) are also highlighted.

(iv) Rājataraṅgiṇī

Rājataraṅgiṇī refers to the happenings of the kings and queens of Kāśmīr to substantiate principles of nīti. Upon dethronement of the child-king Suśarman, a meeting of the brāhmaṇas was convened to elect the new ruler. The meeting was delayed due to divided opinions and finally Yaśaskara was elected (V. 476-77). A similar situation regarding the legal heir surfaces for queen Sugandha who had to choose a person who was acceptable to the royal family as well as the people (V. 250-52) These two instances talk about elective kingship which was only an exception. Under normal circumstances, the king ascended to power only by hereditary.

The existence of grievance redressal mechanism is proved by the fact that bells were set up in four directions of king Harṣa’s palace. Upon ringing the bell, the petitioner voiced his concern and the king immediately addressed that (VII. 879-80).The significance of the role of durga is brought out by citing the case of king Lothan to have resorted to the castle of Sirahśīla in order to secure the throne of Kāśmīr. Conversely, it is equally true that since the fort protected people in it, it was also the main target for wars. King Jayasiṃha ordered his commanders to capture the fort for success in the war (VII. 2558).

The foreign policy emphasized here include the adoption of appropriate measures according to time and clime and prohibition of indiscriminate adventurous campaigns in other states (VII. 270)

(v) Harṣacarita

This historical work presents a neat record of the merits of the king, code of conduct of the royal servants, warfare, kinds of elephant corps, qualities of a competent army-general and on vassal kings.

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