How Ramayana, Mahabharata Were Epic War Events And Strategic Lessons From It | GD Bakshi Explains

New Delhi: Highlighting that the warfare has been explained in a very detailed manner in the two most important epics of Hinduism, the retired Indian Army officer, Major General GD Bakshi, on Friday said that all significant wars are mentioned in the Vedas, however, colonial historiography has overlooked these important aspects.

At a launch event of the book ‘‘Indian Strategic Culture: Mahabharata & Kautilyan Ways of War’ authored by GD Bakshi himself, retired Indian Army officer said, “Vedas have mentioned major wars. Ramayana is about war, it mentioned the invasion of Sri Lanka by the kingdoms of the north by the locally assembled tribal forces. Mahabharata is about armageddon that ends an age. It’s kind of apocalypse.”

'All Major Wars Mentioned In Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata'

GD Bakshi said that a narrative has been established by Western historians portraying Aryans and Hinduism as foreign elements in their own homeland.

“Colonial historiography created beautiful fiction that Aryans were invaders who came from Central Asia and that Hinduism is a foreign plant on the Indian soil. They stated that Aryans fought with the Dravadians and how the whites pushed down blacks all the way to down south into the triangle of Dravida land which is the junction of 3 seas,” said GD Bakshi while adding that no such mention has been made in Tamil literature. 

“Actual fighting in the vedic period, was between Indo-Aryans and Indo-Iranians. Indo-Iranians were called Dasas. Basic fight was between aryan tribes over the ideological on how to worship the fire,” he added. 

Western scholars downplayed the size of India’s army in Mahabharata calling it imaginary and fiction, he said. 

GD Bakshi Sheds Light on Mahabharata, Kautilyan, Bhishma School of Warfare 

Explaining further, Bakshi also mentioned about Mahabharat, Kautaliyan, and Bhishma school of warfare. 

“Mahabharat approach was direct, It was Dharam Yuddha. Kautilyan approach is exactly opposite to the Mahabharat approach. It is Kootyuddha. Bhishma school of war focuses on meeting force with force,” he said. 

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present on the occasion.