The Social and Military Position of the Ruling Caste in Ancient India, as Represented by the Sanskrit Epic c2.s5.89

c2.s5.89

Kurus (found again later in the fifteenth book), once with a wheel- (cakra) addition; the krauñca (garuḍa ? rhomboid) is used by Pāṇdus and Kurus, once as a reserve; the maṇḍala (circle) is not only the Kurus’ choice, but oddly enough (considering the relative numbers) the Pāṇdus’, though it may be only a ‘crescent’ here. The difference in forces makes no difference in choice, apparently, except at the outset. It is to be remembered that the Pāṇdus have only seven ‘whole armies’ (akṣauhiṇīs); the Kurus, eleven.