The Mahabharata is the primary source book of Indian Military thought and tradition. It is truly an index of civilisational development and constitutes the Indian ???????Weltanschuung???????. Over two millenniums ago it outlined an attrition oriented Indian paradigm of war that was primarily centered on a pure ???????force on force??????? regime. The Indian armies of that period had evolved from two basic arms of the Early Vedic period (Infantry and Chariots) to a highly sophisticated four arms structure comprising Chariots, Elephants, Cavalry and Infantry. The Mahabharata mentions Vyuhas or battle arrays and battle drills that co-ordinated the actions of these four variable speed manoeuver masses on the battlefield. Alexanders invasion led to a clash of the Indian and Greek civilisations. In response to the Mobility Paradigm of the Greeks, Kautilya transformed the Indian Art of War into a more mobile form based on the massed employment of War Elephants. This Paradigm remains the archetypal Indian Form of War.

About the Author