War in Ancient India c9.s4.39

c9.s4.39

In the Kūṭayuddha, on the other hand, different tactics come into play. The idea that underlies this method of war is not Dharma. But still that form of war, to repeat what we have said, is warranted by the Śāstraic texts but only as a last resort. When Duryodhana was sinking, Aśvatthāma with Kṛpa and Kṛtavarman entered the Pāṇḍava camps undetected at night, and murdered Dhṛṣṭadyumna and the Pāñcāla warriors, set fire to their tents and returned.⁹⁷ The tactics adopted by Indrajit in the war with Rāma by the murdering of Māyā Sītā so as to dishearten the monkey hosts, who witnessed the horrid scene and spread the news of Sītā's death, came upon Rāma as a great surprise.⁹⁸ But for the timely disclosure of the facts by Vibhīṣaṇa, Rāma might have desisted from further fighting.