FReeper Canteen ~ Part XIII of War in Ancient India ~ October 5, 2004

ANCIENT WARFARE

Part XIII: War in Ancient India

The foregoing survey may convince an impartial student of history that the ancient Hindus had evolved precepts on fair fighting which formed a chivalrous code of military honor.

On the whole, however, it would seem that wars in ancient India were characterized by less violence and savagery than wars elsewhere. There is no recorded instance of such wanton and cold-blooded atrocity as Athens perpetrated against Melos, Corcyra and Mytilene, or the wearers of the Cross against the defenders of the Crescent in 1099 A.D. Such incidents of war as the indiscriminate slaughter of all men of military age or the enslavement of women and children of the conquered state were hardly known. On the whole, the chiefs were considerate of each other's rights.

This was also the Kautilyan ideal of dharmavijayan, and the typical Hindu method of creating unity out of diversity in the political sphere. It was a well-established maxim of statecraft that a victor should acquiesce in the continuance of the laws, beliefs and customs of the vanquished peoples, and that instead of seeking to extermination of the defeated dynasties, he should be content with submission and tribute. It is also the reason why some of the princely families in India can boast of an ancestry unequalled by any royal house in Europe.

It is of paramount importance to remember that in India the social, economic and religious life of the people pursued their course irrespective of the activities of the state. As early as as the 4th century B.C. Megasthenes noticed a peculiar trait of Indian warfare.

"Whereas among other nations it is usual in the contests of war to ravage the soil, and thus to reduce it to an uncultivated waste, among the Indians, on the contrary, by whom husbandmen, the tillers of the soil, even if battle is raging in the neighborhood, are undisturbed by any sense of danger, for the combatants on either side, in waging the conflict, make carnage of each other but allow those engaged in husbandry to remain quite unmolested. Besides they never ravage an enemy's land with fire nor cut down its trees." The modern "scorched earth" policy was then unknown.

Professor H. H. Wilson says: "The Hindu laws of war are very chivalrous and humane, and prohibit the slaying of the unarmed, of women, of the old, and of the conquered."

At the very time when a battle was going on, be says, the neighboring cultivators might be seen quietly pursuing their work, - " perhaps ploughing, gathering for crops, pruning the trees, or reaping the harvest." Chinese pilgrim to Nalanda University, Hiuen Tsiang affirms that although there were enough of rivalries and wars in the 7th century A.D. the country at large was little injured by them.

Colonel James Tod, author of Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan: or the Central and Western Rajput States of India South Asia Books; ; 2 edition (April 1998) ISBN 8120803809 wrote: "To spare a prostrate foe is the creed of the Hindu cavalier, and he carried all such maxims to excess."

What were the causes which led to the downfall of the Hindus? Why did the Indian states fall prey to the Muhammadan Turks in the 11th and 12th century?

King Asoka wanted to convert his empire into an open-air Buddhist monastery, at the expense of Hindu taxpayers whose interests in turn were marginalized. Buddhist principles derided martial prowess and criminally neglected the intrepidity and valor which fought for national independence. The excessive propaganda for unrestricted ahimsa which King Asoka carried on by his use of political authority throughout his empire, cut at the very root of the Indian empire.

For a few generations following Ashoka's demise, 'non-violent' Buddhists ate into the vitals of India's external defence, leaving the country vulnerable to a second wave of Greek attacks.

According to Priyadarshi Dutta:

"The Greeks, who had concluded a treaty with Chandra-gupta Maurya, moved in to Ayodha before the Kalinga King Kharvela repulsed them. Later Pushyamita Sunga assassinated the last Maurya King and salvaged India. Buddhism vanished from India as a result of Muslim onslaught because none of them had the liver of the likes of say, Guru Govind Singh. While Hindus and Sikhs resisted Muslim onslaught, Buddhist submitted en mass to Islam."

The Hindu defenders of the country although fully equal to their assailants in courage and contempt of death were nevertheless, divided among themselves. This division and disunion also enabled the crafty Turk invaders from the north to exploit the differences within the country. Hindus were more civilized and prosperous than the Turks. Moreover, the Turks had rude rigor of a semi-civilized barbarians who combined the fierce religious zeal of neo-converts. To spread their faith by conquest doubled their natural zest for battle and endowed them with the devoted valor of martyrs. In addition, the concept of ahimsa tended to create in certain sections of Hindus a deep abhorrence to all forms of violence.

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

Non-violence in thought, word and deed is the ideal of the yogi, as the Gita points out. Violence is never an ideal in a civilized society, but it cannot be avoided. Rulers of society have to employ it for their preservation. Even this terrible action can be performed as selfless service when lawless societies (eg. Muhammadan Turks or Europeans who came to India as invaders) prey upon others out of greed.

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....

- Bhagavad Gita 2.31-33

Books used for this chapter

War in Ancient India - By V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar
'Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History' - By Veer Vinayak Damador Savarkar
German Indologists: Biographies of Scholars in Indian Studies writing in German - By Valentine Stache-Rosen.
Sword of Truth: Indian Marine Archaeology and its Historical Context - By Dr. Vijay Bedekar
The Art of War in Ancient India - By P. C. Chakravarti
Re-inventing a political Buddha - By Priyadarshi Dutta
Hindu America: revealing the story of the romance of the Surya Vanshi Hindus and depicting the imprints of Hindu culture on the two Americas - By Chaman Lal with foreword by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. 3d ed. (LC History-America-E) 1966).

Next Tuesday, Part XIV of War in Ancient India

Spc. Ammon Benedict, 25, of Portland, Ore., a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, plays with children during a mission in Kirkuk, Iraq on Saturday.

In Iraq Pugil Sticks are in short supply so little children are often used as a substitute for training purposes.

Afghan women receive voting instructions during a training session sponsored by Afghanistan sites)'s joint electoral management body in Faizabad, 320 km northeast of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004. Seventeen women learned about the voting process from U.N. education officers.

A group of Afghan women wearing burqas head towards the center of Faizabad, 320 km (200 miles) northeast of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004.

Some of TomKow's campaign workers are seen preparing for the upcoming election.

A soldier looks through binoculars in front of the main mosque in Samarra, Iraq, on Sunday, the third day of a major U.S. military incursion into the city.

Dang Sarge, it is like pea soup out there. Is this fog ever going to burn off?

A sculpture made from 30,000 bananas outside the National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square, October 5, 2004. London-based artist Doug Fishbone's sculpture went on display on Tuesday and is due to be dismantled later in the day when members of the public are invited to take away the bananas for free.

Go ahead take a banana but do not try the old banana in the tailpipe trick!

An Iraqi woman waves as she passes U.S. soldiers on patrol in Samarra, Iraq on Sunday.

The consensus among baseball fans in Iraq is that the Red Sox will take it in 5 games.

Smoke rises after a car bomb exploded at an entrance to the Green Zone in Baghdad on Monday. The bomb, which targeted a nearby recruiting center for Iraqi security forces, killed at least 15 people and wounded 81.

How do I spell relief? R.O.L.A.I.D.S.!

U.S. soldiers work to defuse a roadside bomb on a street in Kandahar, Afghanistan on Sunday.

OK there Private, I want you to remember the new policy and defuse this bomb in the most sensitive way that you can.

Palestinian would-be suicide bomber Suhad Fawzi Nimer listens during an interview while in detention in the Israeli city of Petah Tikva October 5, 2004. Fawzi Nimer, 35, who was arrested in Nablus on September 19, said she had planned to carry a bomb into Israel hidden under bandages that followed surgery in an Israeli hospital for burns she received as a child.

Miss Suicide Bomber 2005 was recently crowned by the PLO leadership.

A Marine Corps V-22 Osprey assigned to Marine Tilt-rotor Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Two (VMX-22) hovers near Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., on Thursday. VMX-22 currently is assessing the Osprey’s performance in austere environments, as well as conducting pilot and aircrew proficiency training for their Operation Evaluation, which begins in January.

Some military observers believe that the new crop dusting specialty in the Marines is a bit outside of the overall mission of the Corps.

MIAMI, Fla., Oct. 4--Two small boats from the Charleston, S.C. - based Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin work to recover approximately 4,000 pounds of cocaine dumped by a fleeing smuggling go-fast after it was intercepted by the cutter and its embarked MH-68 Sting Ray helicopter from the Jacksonville, Fla. based Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron. Four suspected smugglers are also in Coast Guard custody. USCG photo by PA2 Donnie Brzuska

COAST GUARD STARTS NEW YEAR WITH A BANG

4,000 lbs of cocaine seized in the Caribbean

**PHOTOS AVAILABLE**

MIAMI - Crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin and Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron made a 4,000-pound cocaine bust Saturday afternoon, in the Colombian basin and detained four suspect smugglers from a go-fast vessel.

This bust is the first one of the new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1 and follows a record shattering year in FY 2004 with more than 240,000 pounds of cocaine seized in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean.

The 40-foot drug-smuggling go-fast was spotted by Gallatin’s embarked MH-68 Sting Ray helicopter crew in international waters Saturday at about 4:45 p.m. As soon as the crew aboard the go-fast knew they had been spotted, they began throwing bales overboard and a chase ensued.

The helicopter’s crew gave the go-fast multiple visual and verbal warnings to stop, but they were ignored. At about 5:30, the Sting Ray was given permission to fire warning shots and disabling fire and safely disabled all three outboard engines on the go-fast.

A boarding team from Gallatin was deployed in its over-the-horizon pursuit boat. Once on scene with the go-fast, they attempted to establish the nationality of the vessel, but the suspected smugglers would not provide one. As a result, the vessel was determined to be stateless and subject to U.S. jurisdiction. A boarding commenced and the four men were eventually taken into Coast Guard custody.

The crew of the Gallatin recovered 68 of the bales dumped by the smugglers, each weighing between 50 and 75 pounds, which tested positive for cocaine.

The rest of the story and more pictures

Many thanks to Tonkin for posting the photo in number 315 for me. I was unable to do it. Tonk is a really fantastic guy and a great team player when it comes to freep logistics. Love ya, guy!

The heartwarming photo shows none other than Wanda, our freeper cruise travel agent, welcoming home her Navy son, Jon, from Iraq.

The setting is Twenty Nine Palms, California.....the port on the day he and his Marine unit arrived home.

Jon is U.S. Navy, but he is a Hospital Corpsman stationed with the Marines. The Marines do not have their own medical personnel. They use Navy medics.

Jon was initially stationed on the base at Al Asan (just southwest of Baghdad). He was assigned to the Marines February 7. He and his unit were deployed in and out of their base, including being sent to Fallujah.

He's been in the Navy for a little over two years and has about three years left. Now stateside, he's returning to his regular duty station at the Marine Logistics base at Barstow until February. Then he will be with MAG39 at Camp Pendleton.

Wandsa is our very special freeper cruise mermaid. She works closely every year with me (Bahama Mama) on all the trips. We always have so much fun and smooth-sailing on these cruises, much of it attributable to this wonderful lady.

We join with Wanda in welcoming home her brave (and good-lookin') son. They are part of our freeper extended family. We salute them both for their service and sacrifices for our country, each in his and her special way.

WELCOME HOME FROM IRAQ, JON

Leni

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.