Nightfall, Margashirsha Krishna Saptami, 3162 BCE:
“What is the matter?” Bheem walked in. At seven feet, his bulky frame, illuminated by the light of the lamp, left the entrance to the tent in complete darkness.
“We are missing something. I can feel it in my bones,” Sahadev dropped to his knees to get a closer look at the terrain model of the battlefield with miniature models representing the troops and formations.
“Yes,” seconded Nakul. “It’s unlike Gurudev to mount an attack on two fronts with thin manpower. Unless they were up to something else. How long before the intelligence reports arrive?”
“But what could they be up to?” Prativindhya stood beside his father – Yudhishthir. “Something else was definitely unfolding. Bhagadatta easily fought past Bheem Kaka, Satyaki and Veer in the first and second prahar. I thought I was done for. But there was visible confusion at around noon, and suddenly they began pulling back.” The boy clenched his fists, and shuddered from the flashes of the attack earlier today. Yudhishthir and Dhananjay exchanged a look filled with regret and remorse. Dhananjay did not need to look at his nephew to know that a war was no place for a fourteen year old to be in. Before the guilt began to wash over him again, he felt a reassuring hand over his shoulder. Madhav, a dear maternal cousin of the brothers – and Dhananjay’s brother-in-law – steered Dhananjay’s chariot through the battlefield and his soul through turmoil. Men know how to wage wars, conquer kingdoms, and reign empires. The same men also fail to relinquish ego, to see the ill consequences of their actions, and often – despite cognizance – fail to do anything about it. In these moments of dilemma, Madhav stood beside him, helped him see where he would err, or picked him up after.
“I second that,” Dhananjay pitched in. “Samsaptakas are known for their efficiency and stubbornness. They would rather die than accept defeat. But they too were pulling their punches today. That’s why I was able to return around noon.” He glanced at Madhav. Samsaptakas, the special operations regiment of the military nation of Trigarta, was a force to be reckoned with. The best of Trigartan naval forces were inducted as Samsaptakas, trained in guerrilla warfare, and ready for combat on land and water. Samsaptakas heading into battle applied soot all over their face, and three light blue lines slashed diagonally across their face with their fingers dipped in woad – symbolizing the three rivers of Trigarta: Asikni, Iravati, and Vipasa. Believed to be blessed with three lives, the warriors of Trigarta had a reputation for burning down their shields and armour before the war as a sacrifice for Yama – the god of justice – to unleash death upon their enemies. Susharma, the king of Trigarta had mobilized the entire Samsaptakas regiment from their twin capitals – Jalandhara and Kangra. Having lost a war against King Virat’s army led by Dhananjay a year ago, Susharma had a personal vendetta against Dhananjay.
“I know what Guru Drona is up to!” a voice with child-like excitement boomed from the darkness in the tent, behind Bheem. “Veer!” Prativindhya cheered. At sixteen, Veer was a legend in the circles of the young. Extremely skilled with artillery and gathering military intelligence, he was immensely resourceful and had a flair for politics as well. But it was his utter disregard for rules that earned him his fame. But the same boy who got reprimanded thrice a day by his mother in the years before the war, was now in charge of cavalry and artillery, issuing and following orders and instructions to its last letter. While he looked rather skinny for his age, one could never mistake that for a lack of strength or fortitude. “It was all a set up, Baba!” He rushed to the Dhananjay’s side, and took a deep breath to gain composure.
“Bhagadatta’s role today was to drag me and Bheem Kaka away from Yudhishthir Kaka.” He was replaying the incidents in his head. “With you and Mama away fighting the Samsaptakas, Bhagadatta keeping me and Bheem Kaka occupied, Guru Drona was testing if he had the gap to mount the Chakravyuha to capture Yudhishthir Kaka.” Veer caught Dhananjay and Drishtadyumna – their commander-in-chief, flinching from the corner of his eyes. There were exactly four adults who knew how to break through the formation. Pitamaha Bhishma, Guru Drona, Dhananjay and Madhav. Dhananjay knew it would be an eventual possibility, but had not considered Guru Drona to resort to it this soon. “The attacks were distractions. Their judgement lapsed because they did not send enough men for each distraction, as they were reserving them for the Vyuha.” Veer moved some pawns on the terrain model to one side. “King Susharma had a disagreement about only holding off Baba, and as we speak, is preparing to march to King Virat’s territory. It is likely King Shakuni gave them that idea. If King Virat sets his army on the tail of Samsaptakas, we will be left with only half our men. Even if Baba goes after them, they will be too far from this battlefield to return on time. Our hands are tied.”
Dhananjay was perplexed at the predicament. He looked at Madhav, his eyes pleading for help. Madhav stepped forward. “King Virat gave us shelter for a year, when we most needed it. And we brought a war to his home. Susharma’s vendetta would not exist if not for Dhananjay. And above all, he is family. Dhananjay took care of the Trigartans before. We will do it again.”
Break of Dawn, Margashirsha Krishna Ashtami, 3162 BCE:
“Alright, gather around, everyone!” Drishtadyumna had set the briefing before daybreak to revisit their battle strategy for the day. Dhananjay and Veer were right by him. The father-son duo had been fighting on different fronts, and barely got to be a part of the same briefing. Drishtadyumna stepped back to let Veer go over the plan today.
“The facts are; Samsaptakas have left the battlefield to gain a headstart. It is good, because more men of the enemy camp away from the field works in our favour. Because only Baba and Mama will go after them. That leaves the rest of us here. The only problem is that none of us know how to dismantle the Chakravyuha. This whole scenario has been orchestrated with the sole intention of mounting it.”
He waited for Dhananjay’s approving nod, and continued. “Sources confirm they will start mounting the formation by third prahar, where their reserve forces are still energized, but our forces are tired. But there is hope here. Breaking up a mounted formation causes confusion, and losses in men and weapons. That would be a decisive victory for us. But until Baba comes back from the Samsaptakas, we need to allow them to make the Vyuha and then serve it on a platter to Baba. Any questions?” Veer waited as Prativindhya’s confused look made him raise his hand. “Yes, Vindhu?”
“Why do Kaka and Madhav Mama have to go together?” Prativindhya stepped forward. “If Samsaptakas target Dhananjay Kaka, Madhav Mama can be on someone’s chariot here and have them break the formation? They did split up once before when Shikhandi steered Kaka’s chariot.”
“That was my first thought too, Vindhu.” Veer gave him the encouraging elder brother look. “There’s only one problem. Breaking the formation is almost built into them as a reflex, and is too time critical to be relayed as instructions. Since Mama is not participating in the War with weapons, the delay could be lethal to him and his ride. The other play is that with either of them here, that formation will never be mounted. Our advantage lies in them mounting the Chakravyuha and then us destroying it. So we stick to this plan.” Prativindhya nodded in understanding and fell silent for the rest of the briefing.
Veer proceeded to point a stick onto the parchment rolled out on the table, in the center. A drawing of a spiral lay on the parchment. A tiny section of the spiral was extrapolated to show two stick figures – with their backs against each other. This formed the cell unit of the Vyuha. An exact replica was inscribed some distance apart, the space between marked with three dashes. On the spiral, at regular intervals, there were circular markings. The markings had more spikes as one traced the spiral to its Center. The formation worked to tire warriors out as they proceeded to the epicenter, much like its shape of a collapsing orbit. Every pair of soldiers had a fixed number of steps they took in a known pattern. Every man in this formation engaged with the target briefly, before moving on to their next position. As soon as the positions changed, the Vyuha rotated by a small angle, and the target at the mouth was ‘engulfed’ into the first layer without realizing. With each brief engagement, the targets reached deeper into the labyrinth even if they did not move. When the desired target reached the innermost spiral, the soldiers of the formation facing outwards then turned inwards, fully enclosing the trap. The switchback closed the entry and the target was left without an exit, making escape impossible, or new entries getting inside.
“Your first sign of the Vyuha will be two men with their backs against each other. At three arms distance to each such pair, you will find another pair. Do not engage. If at all you have no choice, do not engage in close combat.” The strength of the formation lay in the fact that soldiers of the formation engaged with a target briefly before moving on, sustaining their energy, while the target continuously lost energy as they duelled with progressively stronger and energized warriors of the Vyuha, marked by the circular markings with increasing spikes.
Dhananjay was amazed at how well Veer had analysed the strategy, at least for his age. It was no surprise he was a prodigy, but as a father, it still filled him with pride. Having stayed away from Veer, he never got the opportunity to teach him all he had learnt from Guru Drona. To learn all of this on his own was no less than a miracle.
“The only way to break the formation,” Dhananjay stepped forward. “is to penetrate and then create a gap from within.” Veer stepped back, letting his father take the reins.
“Bheem,” Dhananjay held his shoulder in a firm grip. “Make sure no one enters the formation. Keep Yudhishthir and the kids away from it. I will take care of the Trigartan army, and come back before Guru Drona can wreak havoc.”
“All we need to do is buy Baba time. And keep our men from getting into the formation.” Veer knew it was easier said than done. His spine tingled as he saw the parchment one last time before heading out to meet the first rays of the sun.