FReeper Canteen ~ Part I: War in Ancient India ~ July 13, 2004

A Tribute to Hinduism.com ^ | July 13, 2004 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

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Part I: War in Ancient India

The history of ancient India is largely a history of Hindu culture and progress. Hindu culture  has a distinct claim to a higher antiquity than Assyrian schools would claim for Sargon I and as much or even higher antiquity than Egyptian scholars would claim for the commencement of the first dynasty of Kings. One aspect of this culture consists in India's political institutions which were almost modern. Modern warfare has developed on mechanical lines, giving less scope for the qualities of courage and individual leadership. The value and importance of the army were realized very early in the history of India, and this led to the maintenance of a permanent militia to put down dissent within and arrest aggression from without. This gave rise to the Ksatriya warrior caste, and the ksatram dharmam came to mean the primary duty of war. To serve the country by participating in war became the svadharma of this  warrior community. 

Hindu military science recognizes two kinds of warfare - the dharmayuddha and the kutayuddha. Dharmayuddha is war carried on the principles of dharma, meaning here the Ksatradharma or the law of Kings and Warriors. In other words, it was a just and righteous war which had the approval of society. On the other hand, kuttayuddha was unrighteous war. It was a crafty fight carried on in secret. The Hindu science of warfare values both niti and saurya i.e. ethical principles and valor. It was therefore realized that the waging of war without regard to moral standards degraded the institution into mere animal ferocity. A monarch desirous of dharma vijaya should conform to the code of ethics enjoined upon warriors. The principles regulating the two kinds of warfare are elaborately described in the Dharmasutras and Dharmasastras, the epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata), the Arthasastra treatises of Kautalya, Kamandaka, and Sukra. Hindu India possessed the classical fourfold force of chariots, elephants, horsemen, and infantry, collectively known as the Caturangabala. Students also know that the old game of chess also goes by the name of Caturanga. From the references to this game in the Rg Veda and the Atharva Veda and in the Buddhists and Jaina books, it must have been very popular in ancient India. The Persian term Chatrang and the Arabic Shatrang are forms of the Sanskrit Caturanga. 

According to Sir A. M. Eliot and Heinrich Brunnhofer (a German Indologist) and Gustav Oppert, all of whom have stated that ancient Hindus knew the use of gunpowder. Eliot tells us that the Arabs learnt the manufacture of gunpowder from India, and that before their Indian connection they had used arrows of naptha. It is also argued that though Persia possessed saltpetre in abundance, the original home of gunpowder was India. In the light of the above remarks we can trace the evolution of fire-arms in the ancient India. (source: German Indologists: Biograhpies of Scholars n Indian Studies writing in German - By Valentine Stache-Rosen. p.92). Terence Duke, author of The Boddhisattva Warriors: The Origin, Inner Philosophy, History and Symbolism of the Buddhist Martial Art Within India and China, martial arts went from India to China. Fighting without weapons was a specialty of the ancient Ksatreya warriors of India.

Introduction

The value and importance of the army were realized very early in the history of India, and this led in course of time to the maintenance of a permanent militia to put down dissensions. War or no war, the army was to be maintained, to meet any unexpected contingency. This gave rise to the Ksatriya or warrior caste, and the ksatram dharman came to mean the primary duty of war. To serve the country by participating in war became the svadharma or this warrior community. 

The necessary education, drill, and discipline to cultivate militarism were confined to the members of one community, the Ksatriyas. This prevented the militant attitude from spreading to other communities and kept the whole social structure unaffected by actual wars and war institutions. Says the Arthva Veda: "May we revel, living a hundred winters, rich in heroes." The whole country looked upon the members of the ksatriya community as defenders of their country and consequently did not grudge the high influence and power wielded by the Ksatriyas, who were assigned a social rank next in importance to the intellectual and spiritual needs of the society. The ancient Hindus were a sensitive people, and their heroes were instructed that they were defending the noble cause of God, Crown and Country. Viewed in this light, war departments were 'defense' departments and military expenditure were included in the cost of defense. In this, as in many cases, ancient India was ahead of modern ideas.

Chivalry, individual heroism, qualities of mercy and nobility of outlook even in the grimmest of struggles were not unknown to the soldiers of ancient India. Thus among the laws of war, we find that (1) a warrior (Khsatriya) in armor must not fight with one not so clad (2) one should fight only one enemy and cease fighting if the opponent is disabled, (3) aged men, women and children, the retreating, or one who held a straw in his lips as a sign of unconditional surrender should not be killed. It is of topical interest to note that one of the laws enjoins the army to leave the fruit and flower gardens, temples and other places of public worship unmolested.  

Next Tuesday, Part II of War in Ancient India

[kjfine]

He he he.

And the Democraps complain about unemployment...

[kjfine]

Mornin' How is everything today? Are your voices calm?

[tomkow6]

NEVER!

[kjfine]

I didn't think so, but then you just never know. What are they saying today?

[Soaring Feather]

Wouldn't you just love to Bust her Bubble?

[kjfine]

Yeah, the bubble that she lives in...

[Soaring Feather]

MINE!!!!

[Soaring Feather]

MINE!!!!

[Soaring Feather]

MINE!!!!

[Soaring Feather]

mine

[kjfine]

Proof that pigs do fly!

[minor49er]

Good Morning troops!! Good Morning everyone! Here is today's humor attempt!

"Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked one of his employees.

"Yes, Sir." the new recruit replied.

"Well, then, that makes everything just fine," the boss went on. "After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother's funeral, she stopped in to see you."

[Soaring Feather]

LoL!!!!!!!

[USVet6792Retired]

Not to mention the fact tha TaRaaaayZa prbably can't even get enough of a security clearance to even LIVE in the White House due to the groups she suppots.

[kjfine]

You know, I hadn't even thought about that. You may be right, but then, strings would be pulled.

[kjfine]

LOL!!!

[StarCMC]

Hey - was I right about the cure for jellyfish stings??

[Calpernia]

Morning Giggles:

Well, it seems these two rednecks, Bubba and Cooter,
decided they should go to college so they could get ahead.
Bubba went in first, and the professor advises him
to take Math, History, and Logic.

"What's Logic?" Bubba asked.

"Well, let me give you an example," said the
professor.
"Do you own a weed-eater?"

"Sure do," the redneck responded.

"Okay. Then I assume, using logic, that you have a yard," the professor went on.

"That's real good," said the redneck, in awe.

"Logic also tells me that since you have a yard, you
also have a house. Is that right?"

"GAWL-LEE!" the redneck shouted.

"And since you own a house and a house is tough to
take care of by yourself, logic dictates that you have a wife. Right?"

"Betty Mae! This is incredible!" Bubba is catching
on now.

"Finally, since you have a wife, logically I can
assume you are heterosexual rather th! an homosexual. Is that right?"

"You are absolutely right! Why that's the most
fascinatin' thang I ever heerd of. I can't wait to take this here logic class!"

Bubba, proud of the new world opening up to him,
walks back into the hallway where Cooter is still waiting. "So what classes are ya takin"? Cooter asks.

"Math, History, and Logic," replied Bubba.

"What in tarnation is logic?" asks Cooter.

"Let me give you an example," Bubba says. "Do you
own a weed-eater?"

"No." says Cooter.

"You're Queer, aintcha!?"

[tomkow6]

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on July 13:
1396 Philip the Good Duke of Burgundy
1527 John Dee London, alchemist/astrologer/mathematician
1608 Ferdinand III, King of Hungary/Bohemia/German Emperor (1637-57)
1793 John Clare Northamptonshire peasant poet (Shepard's Calendar)
1815 James Alexander Seddon, Secy War (Confederacy), died in 1880
1821 Nathan Bedford Forrest Tennessee, brilliant cavalry leader, Lt Gen
1863 Emma Mary Wooley educator (Mary Anna Wells)
1901 Mickey "Toy Bulldog" Walker welterweight boxing champ (1922-26)
1913 Dave Garroway Schnectady NY, TV host (Today Show)
1928 Bob Crane Waterbury Ct, actor (Hogan's Heroes)
1934 Alexei S Yeliseyev cosmonaut (Soyuz 5, 8, 10)
1935 Jack Kemp (Rep-R-NY)/QB Buffalo Bills/US Secretary of Housing (1989- )
1940 Patrick Stewart actor (Capt Picard-Star Trek Next Generation)
1940 Paul Prudhomme cajun chef
1942 Harrison Ford actor (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner)
1942 Roger McGuinn rocker (Byrds-Turn Turn Turn, Mr Tambourine Man)
1946 Richard "Cheech" Marin comedian (Cheech & Chong-Up in Smoke)
1950 George D "Pinky" Nelson Iowa, PhD/astro (STS 41C, STS 61-C, STS-26)
1954 Louise Mandrell Corpus Christi Tx, country singer (Mandrell Sisters)
1975 Danielle Boatwright, Kansas, Miss USA (Kansas-2nd-1996)

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Deaths which occurred on July 13:
0574 John III, Italian Pope (561-74), dies
0939 Leo VII, Italian Pope (936-39), dies
1024 Henry II, the Monk, German King (1002-24), dies
1105 Rashi, [Rabbi Shlomo Yitzaki], Jewish intellectual, dies
1762 James Bradley 3rd Astronomer Royal, dies
1785 Stephen Hopkins, US judge/signer (Decl of Independence), dies at 78
1793 Jean Paul Marat French revolutionary, murdered by Charlotte Corday
1890 John C Fremont declared Republic of California, dies at 76
1946 Alfred Stieglitz, US photographer/art dealer (Camera Work), dies at 82
1988 Samuel L Mendel, oldest US war veteran, dies at 104
1989 Abdul Rahman Qassemlu, Iran Kurds leader, murdered
1993 Davey Allisson, race car drive, dies in a plane crash at 32

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1963 SAM TRINH A---VIETNAM
[COMMANDO RELEASED 03/27/83 ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1965 GALLANT HENRY J.---TAMPA FL.
[AIR GND SEARCH NEG]
1965 TAYLOR FRED---CASTLEWOOD VA.
[ARVN AIR GND SEARCH NEG]
1968 HURST JOHN CLARK---LUFKIN TX.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
0432 -BC- Origin of Metonic Cycle
0574 John III ends his reign as Catholic Pope


1568 Dean of St Paul's Cathedral perfects a way to bottle beer


1643 Battle at Roundway Down: Royalists beat parliamentary armies
1787 Congress establishes Northwest Territory (excludes slavery)
1793 Pierre Dupont de Nemours is ordered arrested in Paris on charges of plotting with rebels against the French Revolutionary National Assembly
1794 Robespierre boycotts the Committee of Public Safety and the National Convention after being denounced as a dictator
1832 Source of Mississippi River discovered (Henry R Schoolcraft)
1836 US patent #1 (after 9,957 unnumbered patents), for locomotive wheels
1854 US forces shell & burn San Juan del Norte, Nicaragua
1861 Battle of Corrick's Ford, VA (Carrick's Ford) - Union army takes total control of western Virginia CS20 US53
1862 Battle of Murfreesboro, TN (Forrest's Raid)
1863 Anti-draft mobs lynch blacks in NYC; about 1,000 die
1865 Horace Greeley advises his readers to "Go west young man"
1865 PT Barnum's museum burns down
1868 Oscar J Dunn, former slave, installed as lt governor of Louisiana
1878 The Treaty of Berlin amended the terms of the Treaty of San Stefano, which had ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78.
1898 Guglielmo Marconi patents the radio
1917 Vision of Virgin Mary appeared to children of Fatima, Portugal
1919 Chic White Sox pitcher Carl Mays walks off mound blaming teammates for lack of support afield
1919 Race riots in Longview & Gregg counties Texas
1930 Sarnoff reports in NY Times "TV would be a theater in every home"
1934 Babe Ruth hits HR #700 against Detroit
1936 112ø F (44ø C), Mio, Michigan (state record)
1936 114ø F (46ø C), Wisconsin Dells, Wisc. (state record)
1942 5,000 Jews of Rovno Polish Ukraine, executed by nazis
1942 German occupiers imprison 800 prominent Dutch as hostages
1942 SS shoots 1,500 Jews in Josefov Poland

1943 Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia's defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 were lost by Germany

1949 Pope Pius XII excommunicates communist catholics
1960 Democratic Natl convention nominates Sen John F Kennedy for president
1966 Richard Speck, murders 8 nurses in Chicago
1967 Race riots break out in Newark, 27 die
1972 LA Rams (Irsay) & Baltimore Colts (Rosenbloom) swap owners
1975 8.5" (21.6 cm) of rainfall, Dover, Delaware (state record)
1978 Alexander Ginzburg sentenced by Soviet court to 8 years
1985 Yankees retire Roger Maris (#9) & Elston Howard (#32) uniforms
1987 Federal judge throws out Bette Midler's $10 million suit against Ford Motor Co, who used a sound alike voice for their TV commercials
2000 Fiji's coup leaders released their remaining 18 captives, ending a 2-month-old parliamentary hostage crisis.

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

France : La Retraite aux Flambeaux/Night Watch day
Japan : Bon Festival or Feast of Lanterns starts
Rhodesia : Founder's Day/Rhode's Day
International Puzzle Day
National Peach Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Festival of Our Lady of Fatima
RC : Commemoration of St Anacletus I, pope (c 76-c 88), martyr
RC : Feast of St Eugenius, bishop of Carthage, confessor
RC : Memorial of St Henry II (the Pious), emperor (opt)

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Religious History
1105 Death of Rashi (b.1040), medieval Jewish Bible scholar. His name is a Hebrewacrostic for Rabbi Shelomoh ben Isaac. Rashi was the leading rabbinic commentator in hisday on the Old Testament and Talmud.
1769 Birth of Thomas Kelly, Irish Episcopal clergyman and author of 765 hymns,including 'Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him.'
1778 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'It is perhapsthe highest triumph we can obtain over bigotry when we are able to bear with bigotsthemselves.'
1815 President John Adams wrote in a letter: 'The Hebrews have done more to civilizemen than any other nation. If I were an atheist,... I should still believe fate had ordainedthe Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations.'
1886 Birth of Father Edward Flanagan, American Catholic parish priest. Believing therewas 'no such thing as a bad boy,' in 1922 he organized Boys Town near Omaha, Nebraska.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"Learning music by reading about it, Is like making love by mail."

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Things To Do If You Ever Became An Evil Overlord...
No matter how well it would perform, NEVER construct any sort of machinery which is completely indestructible except for one small and virtually inaccessible vulnerable spot.

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PUNishment of the the day...
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion

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Dumb Laws...
Guelph Ontario Canada...
The city is classified as a no-pee zone.

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Fifty Ways To Annoy Osama bin Laden If You're Invited To A Dinner Party At His Secret Afghan Lair...
1. Point out the lice in his beard to make him feel self-conscious.