FReeper Canteen ~ Part XII of War in Ancient India ~ September 28, 2004

A Tribute to Hinduism ^ | September 28, 2004 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

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ANCIENT WARFARE





Part XII: War in Ancient India

Diplomacy and War

Not withstanding the elaborate rule of war laid down in the epics and the law-books, insisting in the main that to wage war was the duty and privilege of every true Ksatriya, in several cases the horrors of war made the belligerent think of the consequences and avoid outbreak of hostilities by a well calculated policy which we now term diplomacy. 

King seeking counsel

Negotiation, persuasion and conciliation were cardinal points of the ancient Indian diplomatic system, and were effective instruments in averting many a war, which would otherwise have realized in much bloodshed and economic distress. 

The political term for diplomacy is naya, and the opinion of Kautalya, the eminent politician of the 4th century B.C., a king who understands the true implications of diplomacy conquers the whole earth.

The history of diplomacy in ancient India commences with the Rig Veda Samhita, and the date of its composition may be taken as far back as the Chalcolithic period. In the battles the help of Agni is invoked to overcome enemies. He is to be the deceiver of foes. In pursuing his mission to a successful end, the use of spies is mentioned. This bears eloquent testimony to the system of espionage prevalent so early as the time of the Rig Veda Samhita. In the battle of the Ten Kings described in the seventh mandala, we find diplomacy of rulers getting supplemented by its association with priestly diplomacy, which exercised a healthy influence on the constitutional evolution.

International Relations - The picture presented in the epics and the Arthasastra literature seems to be confined to the four corners of Bharatkhanda. The intercourse as envisaged in the literature, shows relations to be more commerical than political in character. 

Strabo quotes Megasthenes and says that Indians were not engaged in wars with foreigners outside India nor was their country invaded by foreign power except by Hercules and Dionsysius and lately by the Macedonians. There were friendly relations of Chandragupta with Seleukos Nikator, of Bindusara with Antiochus, of Asoka and Samadragupta with Lanka, of Pulaskesi with Persians, of Harsha with Nepal and China, of the Cholas with Sri Vijaya. 

"It was always regarded as a legitimate object of the ambition of every king to aim at the position of Cakravartin or Sarvabhuuma (paramount sovereign or of supreme monarch)." This ambition was legitimate and had no narrow outlook about it. It was a fruit to be sought after by every one of the monarchs comprising the mandala. If the king is not actuated by this idea, he falls short of an ideal king according to the Hindu Rajadharma. 

Diplomatic agents - ambassadors

Bhisma mentions seven qualifications as essential in an ambassador: he should come from a noble line, belong to a high family, be skilful, eloquent of speech, true in delivering the mission, and of excellent memory.

Espionage in War - Spies filled an important role in both the civil and military affairs of ancient India. The institution of spies had a greater utility, as the king could take action on the report of the spies. Spies were engaged to look after the home officials, including those of the royal household as well as to report on the doings in the enemy kingdoms. The Rig Veda Samhita, often speaks of spies (spasah) of Varuna. Only men of wisdom and purity were sent on this errand, thus suggesting that they should be persons above corruption and temptation of any sort. In the epics and post-epic literature in general, spies have been described as the 'eyes of the king'. In the Udyoga-parva (33, 34) of Mahabharata, it is stated that "cows see by smell, priests by knowledge, kings by spies, and others through eyes." Spies roamed about in foreign states under various disguises to collect reliable information. In the Ramayana, a king mentions the wise adage that "the enemy, whose secrets have been known through espionage, can be conquered without much effort." The Arthashastra, which predates Christ by centuries, dwells at length on the importance of espionage and the creation of an effective spy network.

Such details may indicate the high development of the science of diplomacy in ancient India. It was the famous Indian strategist of the fourth-century B.C, Kautilya in the Arthasastra, who gave the world the dictum:

 "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"The same style of Indian thought" says Heinrich Zimmer in his book, Philosophies of India, p. 139, admiringly of Kautilya, "that invented the game of chess grasped with profound insight the rules of this larger game of power."

Attitude to war - The Sangam age of the Tamils was the heroic age of the Tamil Indians. If the men of the Tamil land were heroes, then their women were heroines. A certain mother was asked where her son was, and she replied, that she was sure that the tiger that had lain in her womb would be found in the field of battle. War was the pabulum on which our ancient warriors were great in name and fame. A certain lady who gave birth to only one son and who sent hime to the field of battle when there was the country's call for it. Okkurmasattiyar, a poetess, praises a certain lady dresses the hair of her only son and gives him the armor to get ready for action in the field of battle. This may be contrasted with another where a heroic mother heard the disquieting news that her son lost his courage in action and had fled in fear. If it were true, she expressed that she would cut off her breasts that had fed him with milk. With this determination she entered the battle-field with sword in her hand and went on searching for her fallen son. When she saw her son's body cut in twain, she felt much more happy than when she gave birth to him. (source: Puram 277 and 279 - in Tamil ).

Flags - The origin and use of flags can be traced to the earliest Indian literature, the Rig Veda Samhita. The term deaja occurs twice in the Veda. Besides, dhvaja, we meet with a good number of expressions for a banner in Vedic literature. These are Akra, Krtadhvaja, Ketu, Brhatketu, Sahasraketu. It appears that the Vedic host aimed their arrows at the banners of the enemy. The idea was that once the banner was captured, or struck, a claim was made for success in the battle over the enemy. Ketu was a small flag as contrasted with Brhatketu or the big flag. Sahasraketu may be a thousand flag, or as the knight who brought under control a thousand flags of enemies. We are told that banners and drums were counted among the insignia of ancient Vedic kings. In the Mahabharata war, every leader had his own insignia to distinguish one division from the other. Arjuna had the Kapidhvaja or the flag with the figure of Hanuman, Bhisma, Taladhvaja, cognizance of a palmyra tree etc..

Next Tuesday, Part XIII of War in Ancient India

[tomkow6]

MINE!

[tomkow6]

MINE!

[Spotsy]

Great caption and great picture of Dubya! Look at those smiles!

Have you seen the MSNBC Headliners and Legends about Bush?
It includes a clip of Bush walking out of his 2000 convention and he stops for just a moment to dance to the music - "shaking it like a polaroid picture" as his daughters' said at this year's convention. Bush can move!

[Spotsy]

Oh Tomkow! Looks like the Cubbies are going to win the Wild Card spot!!!

Are you going to take a bath?

[tomkow6]

Are they IN the Wold Series yet????

[IPWGOP]

Kerry's Foreign Fantasy...

 

John Kerry has made big time arguments for expanding the "international support" in the War On Terror and particularly in Iraq. But according to reports, the French and the Germans are having none of it...

So, what's the plan, Kerry??? Your pseudo-allies aren’t backing you up!

 

This is an email-able, copyright-ready cartoon you can use in emails, on blogs, in flyers, on posters... anything that's noncommercial.

[Soaring Feather]

WOO HOO!!
My little dog has been found!
Auntie Fawnn, where did you find this rascal?

[Fawnn]

tomkow6!!! #200!!!

[Soaring Feather]

Afternoon Ma!!

[Fawnn]

My little dog has been found!
Auntie Fawnn, where did you find this rascal?

Star posted him earlier for tomkow. (Is your dog a him? And, if so, does that mean he's dressed in drag? Or is that how male dogs usually dress at the castle? Inquring minds want to know! ... Now I'm wondering if he changed into that costume after he left your manse and then Star found him in a gay biker bar or something. LOL)

Too bad his little legs aren't longer. If they were, we could have him dance to In the Navy. ;)

[Soaring Feather]

Too bad his little legs aren't longer. If they were, we could have him dance to In the Navy. ;)
ROTFLOL!!!!
It's Star's fault! This happened after he left the manse!!LOL

[Soaring Feather]

Fawnn, is it clammy in Ohio??
It's terrible here, I need to get out my fur coat.

[tomkow6]

Thank you, Fawnn!

Hi, Fawnn's SIS!

 

Hi, Fawnn's MOM!

[austingirl]

Prayers for Alan.

[Fawnn]

I haven't been outside today, but weather.com says it's 66F and that we'll have showers later and a low of 46F.

We don't have much "clammy" chowder weather here on the west coast of Ohio. It's more like "chicken and dumplings" or "cabbage soup" or something. ;)

[Soaring Feather]

It's lousy here. The house is damp, but it's warm outside.

Need heat to dry out the air.

[Fawnn]

I'm still running the air conditioner. But it's beginning to look like that may change soon. ;)

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Iosco

Sassacus class "double-ender" steam gunboat

Displacement 1173 t.
Lenght. 240'
Beam. 35'
Displacement. 11' 6"
Speed. 9 k.
Complement. 173
Armament. 2 100-pdr. Pr. 4 9" D. sb. 2 24-pdr. how., 1 heavy 12-pdr., 1 12-pdr.

USS IOSCO, a wooden double-ended, side-wheel gunboat, was launched by Larrabee & Allen, Bath, Maine, 20 March 1863; and commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard 26 April 1864, Comdr. A. J. Drake in command.

She was at New London, Conn., 9 June when ordered to New York to complete her crew.

IOSCO sailed for the Gulf of St. Lawrence 28 August to protect American fishing vessels in that vicinity. Off Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, she assisted several ships endangered by fierce storms. She towed GENERAL BURNSIDE off a reef 15 September and aided battered COLONEL ELLSWORTH and the English Bark EMPRESS 2 days later.

Ordered to Hampton Roads 2 October to join the 1st Division of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, IOSCO was stationed off Wilmington, where she captured British schooner SYBIL attempting to escape to sea with 307 bales of cotton 21 November.

On Christmas Eve 1864, IOSCO participated in the first amphibious attack on Fort Fisher, N.C. which protected Wilmington, one of the South's most active centers of blockade running and her last port of entry for European aid. Her guns engaged the batteries at Mound Fort and succeeded in shooting down the Confederate flag which flew above the works. During the firing a Confederate shot carried away the head of IOSCO's foremast. The next day, she led nine other ships in an attack on the fortress, closing the shore as near as her draft would permit. Meanwhile her boats dragged the channel for torpedoes. Throughout the operation she protected the right flank of the Union troops ashore until they reembarked under orders from the Army commander, Major General B. F. Butler 27 December 1864.

A fortnight later IOSCO was again in the thick of the fighting during the second attack on Fort Fisher. She assisted the landing of troops and covered the right flank of the Army as it fought on shore 13 January 1865. Forty-four of her own men fought beside the soldiers on the beaches while her cannon fired at the mound until the Confederates surrendered 15 January.

The remainder of IOSCO's wartime service was in the North Carolina Sounds carrying out operations as Confederate resistance ceased. She sailed north 15 July and decommissioned 28 July 1865. Her engines were removed and her hull turned over to the Bureau of Construction and Repair for service as a coal hulk at the New York Navy Yard in February 1868.

[Soaring Feather]

Afternoon Spotsy!!!

[Fawnn]

I thought you all might like to see this stuff I just added to the Home page at Fawnn.com:

28 September 2004
If not rested, on 27 September 2004, that presidential candidate who by the way served in Vietnam appeared tanned and ready to face the debates as is shown in this picture. An "orange alert" in today's Best of the Web Today was more accurate than thought. When I added the face from this picture to the suggested Oompa Loompa photo, I only had to reduce the face to get it to fit into the picture. I made no changes whatsoever to the skin tones: