From Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocking Congress leader Renuka Chaudhary's laughter by equating her with Surpanakha from Ramayan, to Rahul Gandhi drawing parallels between the PM's conduct and Ravan's vanity, or BJP leaders believing Modi is the avatar of Ram, Krishna, Vishnu — India's politics has seen it all, with characters from Indian epics and mythology having been invoked time and again. So much so that Speaker Om Birla had to tell an MP in Parliament Friday that he should ask questions straightaway and "not narrate Mahabharat".
In the latest such reference, Rahul Gandhi, now the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, launched a sharp attack on the BJP last week, calling the government's policies a "chakravyuh" that aimed to trap the common man. Rahul Gandhi said that just as the Kauravs had trapped Abhimanyu in the Kurukshetra war of Mahabharat, the BJP had blocked all escape for the common man with its policies.
While the government's policies and taxation are topics open for debate, let's take a look at Abhimanyu's story and why Rahul Gandhi invoked him.
Who Was Abhimanyu In Mahabharat?
Abhimanyu was the son of Arjun, the third Pandav, and Subhadra, sister of Krishna and Balaram. He was one of the most important warriors in the great Kurukshetra war of Mahabharat. Barely 16 years old, he was already a master strategist and happened to be one of the greatest warriors who participated in the Kurukshetra battle.
In the epic, it was revealed very early that Abhimanyu would be a great warrior. He had been trained in warfare by his father, uncles, and his grand-uncle Krishna. Abhimanyu married Uttara, King Virat's daughter, and had a son named Parikshit. Abhimanyu was killed on the 13th day of the Kurukshetra war.
What Is A Chakravyuh And How Was it Formed?
The war of Kurukshetra had many complicated strategies and formations. One of them was the 'chakravyuh'. In simple terms, it is a multi-tiered, intricate military formation that was nearly impossible to penetrate. And if penetrated somehow, it would be near-impossible to exit it alive.
The Mahabharat texts debcribed 'chakravyuh' was a "wheel formation" of soldiers spirally arranged to trap and destroy any enemy who might try to penetrate it. It was an extremely complex defensive formation of around seven tiers. Any enemy would be shattered within a short time if he managed to break through the 'chakravyuh' with exceptional skill and knowledge. It was said that only Arjun knew how to successfully penetrate the 'chakravyuh', and come out alive.
How The Chakravyuh Worked
'Chakra' means wheel, and 'Vyuh' means maze. Thus, the formation was a moving wheel that created a maze of soldiers. The strongest warriors were positioned at the centre, and the number of the soldiers in a chakravyuh would depend on the strength of the Opposition, according to the epic.
In the chaos of the war, the target would be given an opening and attacked from all other sides. The warrior would mistake this to be a weak spot of the enemy and step into the entrance of the chakravyuh. Two of the first-tier soldiers would engage the target for a short time and move to the right or left, leaving the next soldiers in the formation to engage the target briefly. Since it was a spiral formation, the target would not realise that he was being drawn inside a trap.
This brief engagement and constant movement of soldiers would go on till the target reaches the innermost spiral. This is when a signal is given and the soldiers facing outwards would now change positions to face the trapped enemy.
In the Kurukshetra war, commander of the Kaurav army Dronacharya made the chakravyuh with each layer under the supervision of a Maharathi. One Maharathi was as skilled and equalled 144 units of soldiers. The six Maharathis were Karna, Kripacharya, Dronacharya, Ashwatthama, Dushasana, and Shalya.
When Abhimanyu Entered The Chakravyuh
Not only Arjuna but also Krishna, having fallen in the lure, strayed away to another field of battle. Now Yudhishthir, the eldest Pandav, was in dire need of a person who could breach this 'chakravyuh'.
The task was volunteered by 16-year-old Abhimanyu. He had learnt the technique to penetrate the 'chakravyuh' in an interesting way. It is said he was in his mother's womb when Arjuna was once narrating the strategy to Subhadra. However, she fell asleep before he could narrate the exit strategy. Thus, Abhimanyu learnt the art of entering the 'chakravyuh' but not exiting it.
In the battle, Abhimanyu charged into the chakravyuh, breaking the outer layers with remarkable skill and courage. Abhimanyu was pitted against the combined skills of the skilled Kaurav Maharathis within the chakravyuh. However, the outnumbered boy put up an exemplary display of martial prowess and bravery, killing many frontline warriors.
However, the Kauravs grew wary of him and destroyed his chariot and weapons. Despite this, Abhimanyu continued to fight and eventually succumbed to exhaustion and his injuries. The Kauravs broke the code of war to defeat the 16-year-old Abhimanyu.
What Rahul Gandhi Said About Abhimanyu And Chakravyuh In His Speech?
Rahul Gandhi said in his speech Abhimanyu was killed by six people inside the chakravyuh. He said that the chakravyuh formation is also known as 'padmavyuh' or lotus formation, evidently seeking to draw parallel with the BJP's election symbol — the lotus.
He went on to draw parallels between the Kurukshetra chakravyuh and a "modern-day chakravyuh formed by the BJP". "What was done with Abhimanyu, is being down with India — the youth, farmers, women, small and mediums businesses...Today too, there are six people in the centre of 'Chakravyuh'...Six people control today too - Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval, Ambani and Adani," Rahul Gandhi said.