War in Ancient India c9.7

c9.7

We do not propose to go into the details of these wars, but shall proceed to an examination of the employment of strategy and tactics in them. Henderson says that strategy, according to the official text-book of the British Infantry, is the art of bringing the enemy to battle, while tactics are the methods by which a commander endeavours to over-reach the enemy when battle is joined.² He holds that the end of strategy is the pitched battle. In fact every battle that was fought in ancient India was a pitched battle in the sense that it was elaborately arranged for by both the contending parties. If an invader resolved on an invasion of a neighbouring state and made satisfactory arrangements to that effect, he dispatched an ambassador to the enemy king, giving due notice of his resolution and thus giving him time to make his own arrangements for defence. Rāma sent Angada to Rāvaṇa on this account. The arrangements on either side consisted of repairs of fortifications, if necessary, storing of foodstuffs and arms and their accessories, and securing that the food supplies should never fail.³ The function of spies and scouts in warfare was to gather correct information on the strength of the enemy, to win over his people and officials by bribes, and to bring about dissensions between him and his feudatories; and is discussed in a subsequent chapter. This is the use of artifice, stratagem, or finesse in carrying out any project. With these preliminaries and with particular care about his transport and the commissariat, the invader lay in wait for an opportunity to attack the enemy.⁴