The Social and Military Position of the Ruling Caste in Ancient India, as Represented by the Sanskrit Epic c2.s5.87

c2.s5.87

samprahāram (pracakrire, vi. 99. 21; pradharṣaṇa and abhipradharṣaṇa, iii. 243. 3, are personal attacks). ‘To withdraw to camp’ is regularly avahāraṃ kurute, with sāinyānām sometimes added (vi. 49. 53; 96. 79; 107. 5, etc.). The subject is the commander-in-chief (vi. 74. 37-39). In this case there was an orderly retreat, although both sides were ‘badly broken up’ (te sene bhṛṣasaṃvigne [sic] svaniveçanam, tataḥ svaçibiraṃ gatvā nyaviçan; niveçana is the camp, çibira here tent or camp, as in vi. 86. 46 ff.; vii. 17. 1). According to rule, each general protects its own troops in a retreat (vi. 79. 64; 80. 2). The sentinels are set after sunset through the camp (gulmāḥ paritrastāḥ sūrye cā ’stamite sati, ix. 29. 64). A distinction is to be observed between the technical paritrāya or trāyasva yoddhān ‘come to the rescue’ (vii. 158. 5, ib. 2), and parivārya ‘defend’ or ‘attack by surrounding,’ ‘surround’ being the literal meaning of the last (vi. 79. 23; 94. 37; vii. 135. 35).