Kurukshetra Battle Preparations

Before the war began, the armies of both sides gathered at Kurukshetra. This account follows the Bhīshma Parva of the Mahābhārata through the last preparations. It tells of the great gathering, the rules of war the two sides agreed, the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava formations, Yudhishṭhira’s despair, and the Durgā Stotra that Arjuna offered at Kṛshṇa’s word before the first battle.

The armies at Kurukshetra

The armies of both sides had assembled at Kurukshetra, in numbers too great to count easily. There were hundreds of thousands of warriors, indeed an arbuda (a vast number), from every part of the known world. Not a young man was left anywhere who had not come to fight. Only women, children and the very old were left in the cities. The whole bhūmaṇḍala (the circle of the earth) had emptied itself into Kurukshetra. As the sun shines on Jambūdvīpa, so the armies of both sides spread across the land in every direction, along the river banks, in the forests and across the open plain.

Yudhishṭhira had provided well for all his soldiers. They had good food, beds to sleep in, and special marks and ornaments for each warrior so that friends could be known. When Duryodhana’s formation came into view, the Pāñcāla forces blew their conches for joy. Kṛshṇa and Arjuna answered with the Pāñcajanya and the Devadatta. Their sound made the earth shake, and the enemy lost control of their bodies in fear.

Yuddha Niyamas: the rules of war

Before the first clash, the Kauravas, the Pāṇḍavas and the Somakas met together and formally set the rules of war. These were the Yuddha Niyamas. They were as follows.

Fighting stops each evening, and the two sides are friendly with each other through the night.
A challenge in words is answered only in words.
Fighting is matched: elephant against elephant, foot soldier against foot soldier.
A warrior must announce his challenge before he attacks.
No one may strike the terrified, the fleeing, those already fighting another, those without weapons, those who have given up, or those who do not fight, such as musicians, supply workers and charioteers.

The Kaurava formation

Duryodhana set ten commanders, each in charge of one akshauhiṇī (a full army division).

Śakuni with the mountain warriors of Gāndhāra
Śalya (Mādrī-rāja)
Jayadratha, the Saindhava, king of Sindhu
Vinda and Anuvinda, the Kekaya brothers
Sudakshiṇa
Śrutāyudha
Jayatsena
Bṛhadbala
Kṛtavarmā, with the warriors of Saurāshṭra and the Vṛshṇis
Forces under various commanders, including Bhūriśravas and Purumitra

Bhīshma Pitāmaha was made Sarva-Senāpati, supreme commander of the whole Kaurava force. He stood at the front of the army. He wore a white turban and carried a white umbrella, a white bow and a white sword. His horses were white and his banner was white. He looked like a silver mountain. Behind him stood Droṇācārya in his golden chariot drawn by red horses. On his left was Kṛpācārya with warriors of the Śakas, Kirātas, Yavanas and Pallavas. On his right was Kṛtavarmā with the forces of Saurāshṭra.

Duryodhana himself sat on his finest elephant, with his white umbrella shining. Śakuni and the Gāndhāra forces were around him, and the bards sang his praise. The Kauravas faced west. The formation roared like the ocean.

Bhīshma’s vyūha (battle formation). Bhīshma’s formation was so firm that even Yudhishṭhira, on seeing it, was filled with despair. He said to Arjuna: “How can we fight Bhīshma, the best of warriors, who has made a formation that cannot be broken or attacked?” Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāshṭra that Bhīshma made a new formation every day. He used the human (mānusha), divine (daiva), gandharva and asura patterns. He always stood at the head of the army.

Bhīshma’s guards. Duryodhana ordered Duḥśāsana to protect Bhīshma at all costs. These warriors were named to guard Bhīshma: the sons of Duḥśāsana, the Abhīshāha warriors, the Śūrasena forces, the Śibi warriors, and many others placed around him so that no one could easily reach him.

The Saṃśaptakas. Ten thousand Saṃśaptaka charioteers from Trigarta had sworn, “We will slay Arjuna or die.” They moved straight toward Arjuna at the front of the battle.

The Pāṇḍava formation: Vajra Vyūha

The Pāṇḍavas drew themselves up in the Vajra Vyūha (the diamond, or thunderbolt, formation), facing east. Bhīmasena led the front, carrying his terrible mace. His very presence broke the courage of the enemy. Dhṛshṭadyumna stood at the front under Bhīma’s protection. Nakula and Sahadeva were Bhīma’s cakra-rakshakas (guards of the wheel). Arjuna guarded Śikhaṇḍī in the centre. Sātyaki guarded the right flank. Yudhishṭhira moved in his chariot, like Indra’s, in the heart of the formation, ringed by the elephant corps. The banner of the Vajra Vyūha shone with the golden bow Gāṇḍīva, flashing like lightning.

When Sañjaya had described both formations to Dhṛtarāshṭra, he gave his judgement: “Though your army is greater in number and more fearsome to look at, O king, I hold the Pāṇḍava army to be the truly unconquerable one, for Śrī Kṛshṇa and Arjuna lead it.”

Yudhishṭhira’s despair

When the armies were fully drawn up, Yudhishṭhira was seized by despair at the sight of Bhīshma’s formation and the certainty of great destruction. He said to Arjuna: “We have fallen into mortal danger. How shall we be freed from this Bhīshma formation?”

Arjuna answered with the teaching of dharma that runs through the chapters before the battle. Brahmā had told the devas that victory goes to those who have truth, virtue, dharma and energy, and not to mere numbers. Nārada had said that wherever Bhagavān Kṛshṇa is, victory follows. Arjuna reminded Yudhishṭhira: “Kṛshṇa’s victory and Kṛshṇa’s humility are both his own sva-dharma. Wherever the eternal Purusha Govinda is, the arrow does not miss and the way is not blocked.” This restored Yudhishṭhira’s resolve.

The Durgā Stotra

Before the battle began, Kṛshṇa told Arjuna to worship Durgā Devī for victory. Arjuna came down from his chariot and offered the Arjuna Durgā Stotra, thirteen verses in praise of Durgā Devī. Durgā Devī appeared in the sky before Kṛshṇa and declared that Arjuna’s victory was certain. She named him as the nara-ṛshi, with Nārāyaṇa as his companion, and then vanished. Arjuna got back into his chariot. The two divine warriors sounded their conches, and the sound filled all of Kurukshetra.

Sañjaya’s account of the war

The Bhīshma Parva opens with Sañjaya coming to Hastināpura with the news of Bhīshma’s fall (Chapter 13). This comes before the telling of how the war began, and the account of the war up to Bhīshma’s fall is told from there.

The Bhūmi Parva (Chapters 4–12) is the account of the earth that Sañjaya recites when Dhṛtarāshṭra asks how far the world extends. Dhṛtarāshṭra asked this after the shock of Bhīshma’s fall and before the detailed account of the fighting.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 1–2 and 13–23: the gathering, the rules of war, the two formations, Yudhishṭhira’s despair, the Durgā Stotra, and Sañjaya’s account.
Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 4–12 (Bhūmi Parva): Sañjaya’s account of the world, mentioned only.