The Mahabharata is known for its epic battles and valiant warriors, with the Chakravyuha being one of the most formidable military formations described in the ancient Indian epic. This article will explore the Chakravyuha, its history, formation, and defensive strategies used in the Mahabharata war.
History of Chakravyuha
The Chakravyuha, also known as the Padmavyuha, was a multi-tiered defensive formation that looked like a blooming lotus when viewed from above. The warriors at each interleaving position would be in an increasingly tough position to fight against. The formation was used in the battle of Kurukshetra by Dronacharya, who became commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army after the fall of Bhishma Pitamaha.
The various vyuhans (military formations) were studied by the Kauravas and Pandavas alike. Most of them can be beaten using a counter-measure targeted specifically against that formation. In the form of battle described in the Mahabharata, it was important to place powerful fighters in positions where they could inflict maximum damage to the opposing force, or defend their own side. As per this military strategy, a specific stationary object or a moving object or person could be captured, surrounded and fully secured during battle.
The Chakravyuha was a very deadly defensive formation and also an offensive one in which the whole arrangement of soldiers moves continuously across the battlefield, simultaneously attacking the invading warriors. It was like a spinning death machine that consumed everything that came on its path. It rotated along its axis with each layer rotating in alternate directions at different speeds to make it a great defensive formation.
Formation of Chakravyuha
The Chakravyuha formation begins with two soldiers standing back-to-back, with other such set of soldiers standing at a distance of three hands, drawing up seven circles and culminating in the end which is the place where the captured person or object is to be kept. In order to form the Chakravyuha, the commander has to identify soldiers who will form this formation. The number of soldiers to be deployed and the size of the Chakravyuha is calculated as per the resistance estimated.
Once drawn, the foremost soldiers come on either side of the opponent to be captured, engage briefly and then advance. Their place is taken up by the next soldiers on either side, who again engage the opponent briefly and then advance. In this fashion, a number of soldiers pass the enemy and proceed in a circular pattern. By the time the rear of the formation arrives, the oblivious enemy is surrounded on all sides by seven tiers of soldiers. The last soldiers of the formation give the signal of having completed the Chakravyuha.
On the signal, every soldier who so far has been facing outwards turns inwards to face the opponent. It is only then that the captured enemy realizes his captivity. The army can continue to maintain the circular formation while leading the captive away.
Defensive Strategies in Chakravyuha
The Chakravyuha was not only a defensive formation but also an offensive one. It was a complex and lethal formation that required a great deal of planning and execution. The soldiers were placed strategically, with weaker soldiers in the outer layers and stronger soldiers in the inner layers. Infantry formed the outer layers of Chakravyuha and the inner layers were formed by armored chariots and elephant cavalry. At the center of Chakravyuha were the best of warriors awaiting to kill the invading warrior.
Each layer had openings that were closely protected by one of the highly skilled warriors and his personal troops. The role of soldiers in the outer layers was to only prevent entry of warrior into the layer. If the layer is broken, the aim of outer layer soldiers is to prevent further entries and not to attack the warriors who already breached the layer.
Infantry were tightly massed so as not to allow the incoming chariot to breach the layer easily. Skilled archers in armored chariots, cavalry, and elephants on the inner layer would easily fire arrows over the heads of infantry on outer layer to kill the infantry of enemy warriors. This formation ensured the safety of the infantry from enemy warriors who are trying to breach the Chakravyuh.
This defensive formation would be very difficult to breach as any attack by enemy warriors in outer layer would draw the concentrated attention and attack of all centered archers. To break this formation, a well-planned strategy needs to be formulated to keep the archers engaged so that they are busy in defending themselves instead of attacking the enemy.
Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuh
The Chakravyuh was a very special formation (vyuha), and knowledge of how to penetrate it was limited to only a handful of warriors on the Pandavas’ side, namely: Abhimanyu, Arjuna, Krishna, and Pradyumna, of whom only Abhimanyu was present when the Kauravas used it on the battlefield.
Abhimanyu’s story of penetrating the Chakravyuha is one of the most famous in the Mahabharata. After Abhimanyu had penetrated the sixth tier of the formation, all the Kauravas’ commanders attacked him simultaneously, which was against the righteous rules of warfare (Dharmayuddha), and gradually exhausted and killed him.
Fighting inside the deadly spiral formation was very damaging mentally, and the psychological impact of Chakravyuha on the body and mind was very huge. Hence, thousands of soldiers were killed in a relatively short span of time due to the psychological impact of the rotating formation. Such deadly was the trap of Chakravyuh that only talented warriors knew the way to come out of it.
Layer of Chakravyuha formation
Usually, there were seven layers, level 7 being the innermost layer consisting of strongest soldiers. Soldiers of the inner level were technically and physically stronger than the soldiers of the immediate outer level. Weak and strong warriors were strategically placed in each of the layers, either to inflict the maximum damage to the opposing warriors or to defend the attacks from skilled warriors of the enemy.
Each layer had openings that were closely protected by one of the highly skilled warriors and his personal troops. Role of soldiers in the outer layers was to only prevent entry of warrior into the layer. If the layer is broken, aim of outer layer soldiers is to prevent further entries and not to attack the warriors who already breached the layer.
Role of Infantry, cavalry, and archers in Chakravyuha
Infantry formed the outer layers of Chakravyuha and the inner layers were formed by armored chariots and elephant cavalry. At the center of Chakravyuha were the best of warriors awaiting to kill the invading warrior. Infantry were tightly massed so as not to allow the incoming chariot to breach the layer easily.
Skilled archers in armored chariots, cavalry, and elephants on the inner layer would easily fire arrows over the heads of infantry on outer layer to kill the infantry of enemy warriors. This formation ensured the safety of the infantry from enemy warriors who are trying to breach the Chakravyuh. This defensive formation would be very difficult to breach as any attack by enemy warriors in outer layer would draw the concentrated attention and attack of all centered archers.
Breaking the Chakravyuha
Breaking the Chakravyuha was a difficult task, and only a handful of warriors knew the techniques to breach it successfully. The soldiers were placed strategically, with weaker soldiers in the outer layers and stronger soldiers in the inner layers. Infantry formed the outer layers of Chakravyuha and the inner layers were formed by armored chariots and elephant cavalry.
To break this formation, a well-planned strategy needs to be formulated to keep the archers engaged so that they are busy in defending themselves instead of attacking the enemy. Killing the drummer would be one way to break the formation into chaos as stopping the drumbeats would break the rhythm of soldiers. However, killing the drummers would be against the ethics of war and no ethical warrior would take the move of killing an unarmed drummer.
How Warriors Got Trapped in Chakravyuha
The Chakravyuh was a complex maze that could easily trap warriors. Warriors who entered the Chakravyuha would get trapped and keep running in a circular motion while the formation kept changing continuously. If somehow he is successful in penetrating one layer, he would end up fighting the stronger soldiers in the innermost layer.
If somehow the warrior is successful in killing many soldiers of a particular layer, then he is forced to go inside another layer to get attacked by more ferocious and seasoned warriors. As a result, as he enters deep and deep inside the Chakravyuh, he keeps getting tired both physically and mentally and finally, gets pounded by the enemy.
Conclusion
The Chakravyuha was a formidable military formation in the Mahabharata that required a great deal of planning and execution. The soldiers were placed strategically, with weaker soldiers in the outer layers and stronger soldiers in the inner layers. Infantry formed the outer layers of Chakravyuha and the inner layers were formed by armored chariots and elephant cavalry. The Chakravyuh was a complex maze that could easily trap warriors.
Breaking the Chakravyuha was a difficult task, and only a handful of warriors knew the techniques to breach it successfully. The Chakravyuha was not only a defensive formation but also an offensive one. It was a complex and lethal formation that required a great deal of planning and execution. The soldiers were placed strategically, with weaker soldiers in the outer layers and stronger soldiers in the inner layers.
The Chakravyuha was a deadly formation that had a great psychological impact on the body and mind of the soldiers. Thousands of soldiers were killed in a relatively short span of time due to the psychological impact of the rotating formation. Despite its effectiveness, the Chakravyuha was not used frequently as it caused a lot of damage to the soldiers within the view.