War in Ancient India c7.s1.13

c7.s1.13

Vāsudeva, Arjuna, and Mātali are some of the great charioteers mentioned in the two epics. Judging by the tests laid down by Vālmīki,²⁰ they appear to have been ideal charioteers, for they possessed all the qualifications required, and sometimes more. We read, for example, that Vāsudeva’s great skill as a charioteer consisted in leading the horses in his charge in such circles as to avoid the shafts of the enemies from any quarter. A propos of the skill of charioteers, we may mention that there is a reference in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa²¹ to the death of a warrior who was versed in the eight modes of fighting from a car.