In this series, we look at the Kurukshetra war in detail looking at each day of battle and the events that unfolded.
The Why, What, and Who of the war.
When we talk of the Great War, we refer to it as the war between the dharma. The Kurukshetra War was fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas with all the kingdoms of Bharatavarsha participating in the war on one side of the war. The war was crucial because it decided the destiny of the world.
Who won and who lost.
The Kurukshetra war was fought for 18 days and by the end, the Pandavas won. The war is without doubt one of the most brutal events that occurred in Bharatavarsha. The significance of the war lies in the fact that it marked the victory of dharma over adharma.
On the 1st day of the war, the two sides assembled in the Kurukshetra battlefield before dawn waiting for the sun to rise. The Kaurava side had a powerful formation with soldiers facing all sides. In response to this formation, the Pandavas used the Vajra (thunderbolt) formation with Bheema at the head.
On the second day of the war, the Pandavas were geared up to face up to Bheeshma’s might. Yudhishtira told Dhristadyumna that the sage Brihaspathi had advised Indra once to use the Krauncha or heron formation to achieve victory. He asked Dhristadyumna to use this formation.
On the third day of the war, Bheeshma arranged the Kaurava army in the Garuda or eagle formation. He stood at the mouth of the formation while Drona and Kritavarma were the eyes. Seeing this formation, Arjuna and Dhristadhyumna organized the Ardha Chandra or half-moon formation.
The next day, Bheeshma led his mighty army and attacked the Pandavas with great force. He had created a formation that resembled a great cloud. The Vyuha organized by the Pandavas was similar to the Ardha Chandra formation of the previous day, with 4,000 elephants stationed at each of the corners.
Bheeshma formed the Makara vyuha or crocodile formation on the fifth day of the war. Seeing this, the Pandavas created the Syena or hawk formation to counter the Kauravas. Bheema stood at the mouth of the formation with Arjuna at the neck, followed by the rest of the warriors.
The next day, Yudhishtira asked Dhrishtadyumna to use the Makara formation. Arjuna and Drupada were at the front, while Bheema was at the beak of the formation. Seeing this, Bheeshma organized his army in the Heron formation with Drona at the beak.
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Bheeshma arranged his side in the Mandala formation. It was a mighty formation, with thousands of soldiers armed and ready to take on the enemy. Seeing this, Yudhishtira arranged the Vajra vyuha to break through Bheeshma’s formation.
Bheeshma arranged his army like a mighty ocean with himself at the front. Yudhishtira then asked Dhrishtadyumna to form the Shringataka to penetrate the Kaurava formation. The formation has Bheema and Satyaki at the two horns while Yudhishtira was at the front.
Duryodhana asked his warriors to protect Bheeshma so he could slay the Pandavas. Bheeshma formed the Sarvatobhadra vyuha. The Pandavas prepared their army and launched themselves at the Kaurava formation.
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The Pandava army placed Shikhandi at the head, supported by Arjuna and Bheema. The Kauravas had Bheeshma at the forefront, with Drona and Bhagadatta behind him. Bheeshma used different vyuhas like the asura and rakshasa vyuhas for that day’s battle.
The next day morning, the two sides again approached Bheeshma with garlands and sandalwood. Bheeshma told them he was thirsty, and the kings ran to get water. He refused their offerings, saying he could not accept objects of pleasure.
The Samashapatakas created the half-moon battle formation and fought with Arjuna. Hundreds of arrows were launched against Arjuna, who successfully cut them down. The angry Arjuna started massacring the Samashapatakas and many of them fled the battlefield in panic.
The next day, Duryodhana criticized Drona for not being able to capture Yudhishtira. Drona then decided to use the Chakravyuha or wheel formation to capture the Pandava king. The Samashapatakas like on the previous day, lured Arjuna away from the battlefield.