Wars of Hindu Mythology
Encyclopedia
The Wars of Hindu history depict great heroes and demons in battles filled with the force of celestial weapons and beings, religious mysticism, magic, and the supernatural. Overriding the battles is a deeper depiction of religion and fate.

War in religion and lore

While no Hindu Epic or scripture fails to describe the horrors of war and its fallout, major wars are fought with a purpose of upholding the Dharma[righteousness that brings prosperity to humanity] over Adharma[wickedness that makes the humanity suffer]: often to eliminate demonic beings or lords and rulers who pursue war wantonly for ambition[wicked wishes] and domination[for worldly pleasures].

The most destructive wars in Hindu Lore are driven with the mission of good triumphing over evil.

Hindu teachings prescribe war as the final option, to be employed only after all peaceful methods are exhausted. But when this time comes, war is taught to be a matter of great personal and social importance, where every man must do his duty (if he belongs to the warrior caste) and exemplify courage, honor, and fearsome prowess even against all the odds and even at high cost of life.

The Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...

 places duty above all gain and loss, triumph and destruction, no matter how terrible or personal it becomes. In fact, war without attachment may help the warrior to transcend the limited personal identity.

Vedas

  • Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

     and Vrtra- The central battle in the Vedas is between Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

     and Vrtra, and the defeat of the serpent demon Vrtra leads to the liberation of rivers, cattle and Ushas
    Ushas
    Ushas , Sanskrit for "dawn", is a Vedic deity, and consequently a Hindu deity as well.Sanskrit is an s-stem, i.e. the genitive case is . It is from PIE , cognate to Greek Eos and Latin Aurora....

     (dawn/light)
  • Battle of the Ten Kings
    Battle of the Ten Kings
    Battle of the Ten Kings is a battle alluded to in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda , the ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is a battle between Aryans...

    - An internecine battle alluded to in the Rig Veda, in which the Trtsu clan led by King Sudas
    Sudas
    Sudās was a king in the Rig Veda. His name means "worshipping well", an s-stem, either from a root dās, or with the extra s added to avoid an archaic root noun in ā, Sudā-, which would easily be mistaken for a feminine name....

     defeat the Puru
    Puru
    The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...

     confederation of ten Indo Aryan clans

The avatars of Vishnu

Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

, the Inconceivable Supreme, periodically takes birth, an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....

 upon earth to destroy evil and deliver the pious. He is also the refuge of the Devas in their battles against Asuras.

The most martial Avatars include Matsya
Matsya
Matsya was the first Avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. The great flood finds mention in Hindu mythology texts like the Satapatha Brahmana, where in the Matsya Avatar takes place to save the pious and the first man, Manu and advices him to build a giant boat.-The Legend:According to the Matsya...

, Kurma
Kurma
In Hinduism, Kurma was the second Avatar of Vishnu. Like the Matsya Avatar also belongs to the Satya yuga.-Samudra manthan :...

, Varaha
Varaha
Varaha is the third Avatar of the Hindu Godhead Vishnu, in the form of a Boar. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to...

, Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...

, Vamana
Vamana
Vamana is described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the Fifth Avatar of Vishnu, and the first incarnation of the Second Age, or the Treta yuga. Also he is the first Avatar of Vishnu which appears with a completely human form, though it was that of a dwarf brahmin. He is also sometimes known as...

, Parshuram, Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

, Balarama
Balarama
Balarama , also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha, is the elder brother of the divine being, Krishna in Hinduism. Within Vaishnavism Hindu traditions Balarama is worshipped as an Avatar of Vishnu, and he is also listed as such in the Bhagavata Purana...

, Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

, Kalki
Kalki
In Hinduism, Kalki is the tenth and final Maha Avatar of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time...

.
  • Narayanastra
    Narayanastra
    The Narayanastra was the personal missile of lord Vishnu in his Narayana form. This astra in turn fires a powerful tirade of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously. The intensity of the shower increases with increase in resistance...

    (Naraina-astra): The personal missile weapon of Vishnu in his Narayana
    Narayana
    Narayana or Narayan or Naraina is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...

    (Naraina) form, this astra lets loose a powerful tirade of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously. The intensity of the shower increases with resistance. The only solution is total submission before the missile, given which it will stop. The Narayanastra was first used by Lord Rama in the 'Ramayana'. Then, thousands of years later, this astra was again used by Ashwatthama in the Mahabharata war against the Pandava army.
  • Vaishnavastra: The personal missile weapon of Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

    , once fired it cannot be thwarted by any means, save by the will of Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

     Himself. This astra was used by King Bhagadatta, son of Narakasura and King of Prajyogsta (modern day Burma) in the Mahabharata war against Arjuna. This Vaisnhavastra was stopped by Shri Krishna
    Krishna
    Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

     himself as Arjun couldn't stop it even with his most powerful weapons.
  • Kaumodaki: The divine mace weapon of Vishnu; invincible and without parallel.
  • Sudarshana Chakra
    Sudarshana Chakra
    The Sudarshana Chakra is a spinning, disk-like super weapon with 108 serrated edges used by Lord Vishnu. The Sudarshana Chakra is portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds a Shankha in his left rear hand, a Gada in his right fore hand, and a Padma in his left...

    : The magical chakra, a spinning disc with sharp outer spears. The Sudarshan flies at the command of Vishnu, spinning away to tear off the heads of His opponents, or to perform any function desired by Vishnu. It was most famously used by His Avatar Krishna
    Krishna
    Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

     in the Mahabharata
    Mahabharata
    The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

    .
  • Nandaki: The Sword of Lord Vishnu.
  • Saranga
    Saranga
    Sharanga is the bow of the Hindu God Vishnu. Other weapons of Vishnu include the Sudarshana Chakra, the Narayanastra, and the Kaumodaki....

    : The Celestial Bow of Lord Vishnu.

Shiva

Mahadeva literally means "Highest of all god". Shiva is also known as Maheshvar, the great Lord, Mahadeva, the great God, Shambhu, Hara, Pinakadhrik, bearer of the axe and Mrityunjaya, conqueror of death. He is the spouse of Shakti, the goddess. He also is represented by Mahakala and Bhairava, the terrible, as well as many other forms including Rudra. Shiva is often pictured holding the damaru (sound file .wav format: 190K), an hour-glass shape drum, shown below with his trishula. His usual mantra is Om Namah Shivaya.
The Lord Destroyer, Sarvaripati Shiva is the most fearsome manifestation of the Supreme God. Assigned with destroying all of the universe at the end of time, Shiva is the most fearsome warrior, unconquerable by any and all.
  • Trishula
    Trishula
    A trishula is a type of Indian trident but also found in Southeast Asia. It is commonly used as a Hindu-Buddhist religious symbol. The word means "three spear" in Sanskrit and Pali....

    : The terrifying trident-staff of Shiva
  • Pinakin: The bow of Shiva
  • Tandava
    Tandava
    ' or ', the divine art form, is a dance performed by the god Shiva, who is revered by Hindus. According to Hindu mythology, Shiva’s Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution...

    : Is the dance of the Destroyer, which He performs over the body of a demon, and simultaneously destroys all creation, all beings, material and illusion alike: the ultimate martial art.


Shiva employs his power to kill the Asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...

 Tripura, destroying the flying three cities of Tripura. He is restrained and not involved in the wars of the worlds prior to dissolution.

The Kshatriya order

War Sacrifices
  • Ashwamedha: The famous horse-sacrifice was conducted by allowing a horse to roam freely for a slated period of time, with the king performing the sacrifice laying claim to all the lands it touched. The king whose authority is contested must prove himself in battle or accept the imperial supremacy of the challenging king. When the horse returns safely after the period of time, the main sacrifice is performed, and the king, if successful in obtaining dominance over other kings, is crowned Emperor of the World. The Ashwamedha allows the opportunity to maintain peace if the kings do not choose to contest the sacrificial horse
  • Rajasuya
    Rajasuya
    Rajasuya was a sacrifice, described in detail in the Mahabharata, performed by the ancient kings of India who considered themselves powerful enough to be an emperor...

    : Considered the ultimate sacrifice, the king performing the sacrifice must openly challenge every king in the world to accept his supremacy or defeat him in battle. If and when the king returns successfully, having beaten all other known rulers, the performance of the sacrifice will send him to the highest abode of Lord Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

    . It was performed by the Pandava hero Yudhisthira
    Yudhisthira
    In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...

     in the Mahabharata
    Mahabharata
    The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

    epic.
  • Vajpeya: Akin to the conduct of the Rajasuya, save only that the entire sacrifice is to please Lord Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

    , who is the Supreme God.

Levels of Warrior Excellence
  • Mahamaharathi: A warrior capable of fighting 24 Atimaharathi warriors simultaneously. No warrior has attained this status, not least because there have never been 24 Atimaharathi warriors at the same time.
  • Atimaharathi: A warrior capable of fighting 12 Maharathi warriors simultaneously. Rama, Hanuman and Indrajit are Atimaharathi's.
  • Maharathi: A warrior capable of fighting 60,000 warriors simultaneously; circumspect in his mastery of all forms of weapons and combat skills.
  • Atirathi: A warrior capable of contending with 10,000 warriors simultaneously.


Strategic Formations: The Vyuha
  • Krauncha Vyuha: The crane-shaped formation of an army; forces are distributed to form spanning wing-sides, with a formidable, penetrating centre depicting the crane's head and beak.
  • Padma Vyuha
    Padmavyuha
    The Padmavyuha or Chakravyuha refers to a Military formation narrated in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.-Background:The Chakravyuh or Padmavyuh, is a multi-tier defensive formation that looks like a blooming lotus or disc when viewed from above...

     or the Chakra Vyuha: A winding, ever-rotating circular formation; considered impenetrable during the Mahabharata age by all warriors except Arjuna
    Arjuna
    Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

    , Bhisma, Drona
    Drona
    In the epic Mahābhārata, Drona or Dronacharya was the royal guru to Kauravas and Pandavas. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Arjuna was his favorite student. Dronas love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama...

    , Krishna
    Krishna
    Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

    , Pradyumna
    Pradyumna
    Pradyumna is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is one in 24 Keshava Namas , praised in all pujas. It is also the only name in Sanskrit with all the 3 letters joint...

     and Abhimanyu
    Abhimanyu
    Abhimanyu is a tragic hero in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata. He is the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, who is the half-sister of Lord Krishna...

    . Abhimanyu
    Abhimanyu
    Abhimanyu is a tragic hero in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata. He is the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, who is the half-sister of Lord Krishna...

    , had learnt how to break into the formation (in the womb of Subhadra
    Subhadra
    Image:Jagannath, Baladev and Subadra in Radhadesh.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=|Subhadra, flanked by her brothers Balarama and Jagannatha . Deities of the Radhadesh temple in Belgium...

    ) but not how to break out of it and is trapped inside during the Mahabharata war.
  • Sarpa Vyuha: Winding Snake Formation.
  • Makara Vyuha: Crocodile Formation
  • Sakata Vyuha: Cart Formation
  • Shukar Vyuha: Pig Formation

Shakti and her avatars

Once you speak about war, When all gods become incapable to do any war then shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...

 is the last option for gods. Shakti is considered as mother. But Shakti is actual source of all works whether creation, preservation and destruction. Scientifically it is true that energy is base of all existence. So to maintain cosmic balance, shakti typically be the last option to fight for righteousness. Shakti usually took many incarnations to fight with demons she can be angry on anyone who tried to disturb balance whether god or demnon as She is mother of universe and all creation. But if we talk about war, Shakti took many forms from the warth of Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...

, the complete Avatar of Shakti herself, as per Devi Gita and Durga Saptashati, the main scriptures for Shakti worshipers. She is Wife of Shiva. Goddess Parvati is considered as most powerful of all deities including Lord Shiva, because she is shakti herself.

When trimurti
Trimurti
The Trimurti is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahmā the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer," These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or...

 became helpless to fight with demons then gods at last worshiped Goddess Parvati, then she come before them in different avatars and forms.
  • Durga
    Durga
    For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...

    , the one who killed demon Durgamasur, She is rides on lion.
  • Kali
    Kali
    ' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...

    , the most ferocious Form of the Goddess, who can not be pacified by any one after war. No one can stop her because she is the only deity who is limit less or infinite, means she is free from all rules and regulations.
  • Chandi
    Chandi
    Chandi or Chandika is the supreme Goddess of Devi Mahatmya also known as Chandi or Durga Sapthashati. Chandi is described as the Supreme reality who is a combination of Mahakali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati...

    , the gentle and manifestation of Goddess Durga or Kali, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati
    Saraswati
    In Hinduism Saraswati , is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti....

    , who killed Demon Mahishasura in battle of Alkapuri.
  • Kanyakumari
    Kanyakumari
    Kanyakumari is a town in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is also sometimes referred to as Cape Comorin. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is the geographical end of the Indian mainland. The district in Tamil Nadu where the town is located is called Kanyakumari...

    , the one who killed Banasura
  • Chamunda
    Chamunda
    Chamunda , also known as Chamundi, Chamundeshwari and Charchika, is a fearsome aspect of Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother and one of the seven Matrikas . She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or eighty-one Tantric goddesses, who are attendants of the warrior goddess Durga...

    , Who killed Chand mund and Rakta vijya
  • Goddess Kaushiki
    Kaushiki
    Kaushiki is a Hindu Goddess. She is an affiliation of Shakti. Her beauty had attracted many asuras who met her as messengers in her glittering beautiful palace. She was a great woman warrior, raised on her fierce lion or tiger. This form of her fierce fire was the essence of her beauty. There are...

    , who killed Shumbha and Nishumbha
  • Goddess Meenakshi
    Meenakshi
    Minakshi is an Avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and consort of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the far famed Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu...

    , who defeated all the demigods and destroyed the arrogance of all demi-gods.


Apart from Goddess Parvati, there are some demons who were killed by Goddess Laksmi's incarnation. One example is Demon Muru, who was killed by the Goddess and she saved her consort Lord Vishnu.

Weapons of Shakti

Shakti usually have weapons of all gods and even Trimurti. She has trident of Shiva, Chakra of Vishnu, Vajra of Lord Indra, Gada of Yamaraaj,. that means she is one who is above any kind of power or we can say all powers of this universe or beyond are in Shakti. Answer is simple i.e. Shakti is one who is in everyone.
  • Pashupata
    Pashupata
    The Pashupatastra , in Hindu mythology, is the irresistible and most destructive personal weapon of Shiva, discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or a bow. Never to be used against lesser enemies or by lesser warriors, the Pashupatastra is capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all beings...

    : Discharged by the mind, eyes, words or a bow, the Pashupata is the irresistible and most destructive personal weapon of Goddess Kali. Never to be used against lesser enemies and by lesser warriors, the Pashupata is capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all beings.

Devastras

An Astra
Astra (weapon)
In Hindu mythology, an ' was a supernatural weapon, presided over by a specific deity. To summon or use an astra required knowledge of a specific incantation/invocation, when armed. The deity invoked would then endow the weapon, making it impossible to counter through regular means. Specific...

 is a missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...

-type weapon which is to be hurled at an enemy. Examples include arrows from bows. A Shastra
Shastra
' is a Sanskrit term used to denote rules in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice; e.g., Bhautika Shastra , Rasayana Shastra , Jeeva Shastra , Vastu Shastra , Shilpa Shastra , Artha Shastra ' is a...

 is a personal weapon, like swords and maces, that must be constantly operated by the warrior.
  • Brahmadanda : This is the most powerful weapon in the universe. It contained the spiritual power of the 7 greatest sages of Hinduism - Bhrigu, Agastya
    Agastya
    Agastya was a Tamil/Vedic Siddhar or sage. Agastya and his clan are also generally credited with uncovering many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Brahman...

    , Jamadagni
    Jamadagni
    Jamadagni is one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara. He was a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the God of Creation...

    , Vasistha
    Vasistha
    Vashist in the seventh, i.e the present Manvantara, and the Rajpurohit / Rajguru of the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty. He was the mānasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners...

    , Bharadwaja
    Bharadwaja
    Bharadwaja was one of the greatest Hindu Arya sages descendant of rishi Angirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. He was one of the Saptarshis in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa.Bhardwaj Rishi was father of...

    , Gautama
    Gautama Maharishi
    Gautama Maharishi is one of the Saptarishis Gautama Maharishi is one of the Saptarishis Gautama Maharishi is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi of the current Manvantara (seventh). He was one of the Maharishis of Vedic times, known to have been the discoverer of Mantras --...

     and Kashyapa.

No other weapon in the universe be it the Brahmastra, Pashupatastra, Brahmasira,
Amoghashakti, Vajra,
Narayanaastra, Vaishnavastra or even the Sudharshana Chakra can hold cradle to it. This astra is the most powerful weapon of Lord Brahma.
  • Pashupatastra: It is believed in Hindu mythology that Pashupatastra is one of the most devastating weapon as it is the weapon of the consort of Godhead Mahadeva, i.e. Mahakali. Mahadeva literally means "Highest of all god" and Mahakali means Goddess who is beyond time. The weapon granted to Arjuna by Lord Shiva is one of the most destructive & forbidden weapon in The Mahabharata. It is said to have the power to change the course of Creation and Destruction. This irresistible Pashupatastra was used twice by Arjuna in the entire Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra to kill Jayadratha, the monarch of SINDHU empire(modern day Pakistan)and by killing the entire host of kalakeyas,enemies of indra
  • Narayanastra
    Narayanastra
    The Narayanastra was the personal missile of lord Vishnu in his Narayana form. This astra in turn fires a powerful tirade of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously. The intensity of the shower increases with increase in resistance...

    : Invincible painful astra only way to conquer is submission to this most powerful astra.
  • Brahmashir Astra: A weapon capable of greater destruction than the Brahmastra. It is said to be evolution of brahmastra. It can burn all creation to ashes once discharged.
  • Brahmastra
    Brahmastra
    In ancient Sanskrit writings, the Brahmastra was a weapon created by Brahma.-Features:It is sometimes known as the Brahma Astra . As described in a number of the Puranas, it was considered the deadliest weapon...

    : Imbibed with the mystical force of Creator Brahma
    Brahma
    Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

    , this is considered the most fearsome weapon in mythological works. The releaser of millions of missiles, great fires and a destructive potential capable of extinguishing all creation, if not used by and aimed only at a celestial fighter. Modern speculation has equated its destructive nature to be similar to that of a nuclear weapon
    Nuclear weapon
    A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...

    .
  • Nagastra: The snake weapon, used by Karna
    Karna
    Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

     against Arjuna
    Arjuna
    Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

     in Kurukshetra war
    Kurukshetra war
    According to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...

    . It is considered as an irresistible weapon equal to the Brahmastra
    Brahmastra
    In ancient Sanskrit writings, the Brahmastra was a weapon created by Brahma.-Features:It is sometimes known as the Brahma Astra . As described in a number of the Puranas, it was considered the deadliest weapon...

    . It has a fame that it never misses its target.
  • Vasavi Shakti: The magical dart weapon of Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

    , unfailing at executing its target. Indra granted it to Karna
    Karna
    Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

     during the Kurukshetra war. The Mahabharata
    Mahabharata
    The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

     also refers to it as the Amoghastra.
  • Vajra
    Vajra
    Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...

    : The thunderbolt weapon of Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

    , who is the God of Thunder and Lightning, akin to Zeus
    Zeus
    In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...

     and Jupiter
    Jupiter (mythology)
    In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....

     in Greek and Roman mythology.
  • Agneyastra: The fire weapon, incepted by God Agni
    Agni
    Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...

    , master of the flames.
  • Varunastra
    Varunastra
    The Varunastra is the water weapon , incepted by God Varuna, master of the oceans, rivers, and lakes. This weapon is believed to assume any weapon's shape, just like water. This weapon is said to have been obtained by great warriors such as Arjuna, Satyaki, Dhrishtadhuymna, Dronacharya, and many...

    : The water weapon, incepted by God Varuna
    Varuna
    In Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...

    , master of the oceans, rivers and lakes.
  • Vayavastra: The wind weapon, incepted by God Vayu
    Vayu
    Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...

    , master of wind.
  • Parjanya
    Parjanya
    Parjanya, according to the 1965 Sanskrit–English dictionary by Shri Vaman Shivram Apte gives the following meanings:* Rain-cloud, thunder cloud, a cloud in general* Rain...

     : This is a divine weapon by which a person can drink pure water of any river, lake,sea or ocean of the world according to his/her wish.


Although the power astras are said to be capable of destroying creation they did not harm Shakti or Vishnu or Shiva or Brahma. Because all of them are the impersonification of God. Shakti is Power of GOD, without Shakti weapons can not be created as said by Devi-Bhagavata Purana
Devi-Bhagavata Purana
Devi-Bhagavata Purana , also known as Shrimad Devi Bhagvatam or Devi Bhagavatam, is one of the most important work in Shaktism, the veneration in Hinduism of the divine feminine, next to Devi Mahatmya...

 .

The Devas and Asuras

The perennial battle between the Devas
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...

 and Asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...

s is undertaken over the dominion of the three worlds: Swarga, Bhumi
Bhumi
Bhumi can mean:* Bhūmi, Hindu goddess of the earth**also, earth as a classical element in Hindu tradition* Bhumi , the ten stages a Bodhisattva advances through in the path to become a Buddha...

 and Patala
Patala
Patala is a town and a nagar panchayat in Ghaziabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Demographics: India census, Patala had a population of 9730. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Patala has an average literacy rate of 61%, higher than the national average of...

, or Heaven, Earth and the Nether worlds. Both races are technically equal, possessor of great religious and martial powers, but the Devas are committed to the worship of the Supreme Lord and practice of virtue. The Asuras have atheistic and devious tendencies that grow over time. The divide is the greatest in the Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...

, the final age.
  • Sukracharya: is the Preceptor
    Preceptor
    A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...

     of the Asura
    Asura
    -In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...

    s, their chief priest and martial guru. Sukracharya is a great worshipper of the Supreme Lord, but remains supportive of the Asuras, who are often identified as atheistic and demonic in nature.
  • Brihaspati
    Brihaspati
    Bṛhaspati also known as Brahmanaspati and Deva-guru , is the name of a Vedic deity...

    : is the Guru Preceptor
    Preceptor
    A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...

     of the Devas. Possessing unparalleled knowledge of the Vedas
    Vedas
    The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....

    , scripture, religion and mysticism, Brihaspati's mastery of the military arts is akin to Sukracharya, his counterpart.
  • Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

    : the God of thunder and lightning, he is the King of Swarga, or Heaven, and the leader of all the Devas against the demon hordes. The greatest performer of sacrifices, Indra is the most famous and fearsome warrior in the three worlds, but faces opponents often equal or greater to him, and is sometimes unable to vanquish enemies like Indrajit
    Indrajit
    Indrajit or Meghanatha , a warrior mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana, was the son of the Lankan king Ravana. The word 'Indrajit' literally means the 'conqueror of Indra '....

    , who was able to humiliate Indra owing to his past sins. When facing opponents like Vritra
    Vritra
    In the early Vedic religion, Vritra , is an Asura and also a serpent or dragon, the personification of drought and enemy of Indra. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi...

    , Indra seeks the aid of Lord Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

    .
  • Skanda
    Skanda
    Skanda is the name of deities popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Skanda, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan and Subhramanya* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...

    : the Vedic God of War, more so the generalissimo.
  • Narakasura
    Narakasura
    In Hindu beliefs, Narakasura or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu in his Varaha Avatar . In other sources, he is the son of the asura Hiranyaksha. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha in Assam after overthrowing the last of the Danava king...

    : the great Asura opponent of Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

    .
  • Vritra
    Vritra
    In the early Vedic religion, Vritra , is an Asura and also a serpent or dragon, the personification of drought and enemy of Indra. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi...

    : the brahmin
    Brahmin
    Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

     Asura, who was performing a sacrifice to obtain sovereignty of the three worlds.

The Ramayana

  • Vishwamitra: is the preceptor of Rama and Lakshmana, a powerful tapasvin and Brahmarishi. He bestows the knowledge of all divine weaponry to Rama and Lakshmana, leads them to kill powerful demons and instructs them in advanced religion and military arts.
  • Rama
    Rama
    Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

    : is the Seventh Avatar
    Avatar
    In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....

     of Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

    , and the greatest warrior-tapasvin in the three worlds. His knowledge, powers and tapasya is above all. Rama single-handedly slays the 14,000 demon hordes of Khara
    Khara
    Khara can refer to* Khara, a character in the ancient Sanskrit epic the Ramayana* Khara-Khoto, the ruins of a medivial city in western Mongolia* Khara, Punjab - town in Punjab, India.* Khara, Nepal* Khara, Punjab - town in Punjab, Pakistan....

     (in 14 minutes, according to the Ramayana), the demons Maricha
    Maricha
    Maricha or Mareecha was a rakshasa who played a small but important part in the Indian Ramayana epic. He was thrown into a remote island by the arrow of Lord Rama when he tried to interrupt Sage Vishwamitra's yagna. After that he became very afraid of the very mention of the name Rama...

     and Subahu
    Subahu
    Subahu is a rakshasa character in the Ramayana. He and his mother, Tataka, took immense pleasure in harassing the munis of the jungle, especially Vishvamitra, by disrupting their yajnas with rains of flesh and blood....

    , Ravana's chief commander Prahasta
    Prahasta
    In the Hindu epic the Ramayana, Prahasta was a powerful rakshasa warrior, and chief commander of Ravana's army of Lanka.Prahasta leads Ravana's army in the wars against Yama, Kubera and the Devas, and the Asuras and Daityas, through which Ravana establishes his sovereignty over the three worlds...

     and is responsible for the ultimate killing of Ravana
    Ravana
    ' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...

     himself.
  • Lakshmana
    Lakshmana
    Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...

    : is as powerful and excellent a warrior as his brother, and slays extremely powerful demons, including Atikaya
    Atikaya
    Atikaya was the son of Ravana and his second wife Dhanyamalini in the Ramayana epic. Atikaya was the younger brother of Indrajit and was extremely powerful...

     and Indrajit
    Indrajit
    Indrajit or Meghanatha , a warrior mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana, was the son of the Lankan king Ravana. The word 'Indrajit' literally means the 'conqueror of Indra '....

     - which is considered to be the turning point of the war.
  • Hanuman
    Hanuman
    Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

    : the Vanara
    Vanara
    Vānara popularly refers to a group of ape-like humanoids in the Hindu epic Ramayana who were brave and inquisitive by nature. They possessed supernatural powers and could change their shapes...

     minister of Sugriva
    Sugriva
    In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sugriva , also spelled Sugreeva or Sugreev, was the younger brother of Bali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara or monkey kingdom Kishkindha. Ruma was his wife. He was the son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun...

     is the greatest devotee of Rama
    Rama
    Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

    , famous for his unerring service, absolute loyalty and great feats of courage. Hanuman is responsible for killing many demons, as well as burning the city of Lanka. His strength is given by his father Vayu
    Vayu
    Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...

    , and by virtue of the boons bestowed on him by various Gods, he could increase his size and strength beyond any limit he desired.
  • Prahasta
    Prahasta
    In the Hindu epic the Ramayana, Prahasta was a powerful rakshasa warrior, and chief commander of Ravana's army of Lanka.Prahasta leads Ravana's army in the wars against Yama, Kubera and the Devas, and the Asuras and Daityas, through which Ravana establishes his sovereignty over the three worlds...

    : the chief commander of Lanka's army, Prahasta defeated the host of the Gods, and subjugated many kings on Ravana's behalf.
  • Ravana
    Ravana
    ' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...

    : is blessed by his fearsome 10,000 year tapasya to be the most powerful being on earth, invulnerable to every God, demon and living being, save man. Although an expert on the Vedas
    Vedas
    The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....

     and a great king, and a numero uno devotee of Lord Shiva
    Shiva
    Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

    , he is the Emperor of evil by his patronage of demons, desecration of women, the murder of kings and humiliation of the Gods headed by Indra.
  • Indrajit
    Indrajit
    Indrajit or Meghanatha , a warrior mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana, was the son of the Lankan king Ravana. The word 'Indrajit' literally means the 'conqueror of Indra '....

    : as his name suggests, Ravana's first-born son defeated Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

    , king of Gods. Master of mystical warfare and celestial weapons, and blessed by boons from Gods, Indrajit was considered the most fearful warrior, virtually invincible.He was an AtiMaharathi greater warrior than any past or future warrior .
  • Kumbhakarna
    Kumbhakarna
    Kumbhakarna , is a rakshasa and brother of Ravana in the Indian Ramayana epic...

    : the gigantic brother of Ravana is a fearsome monster-demon who sleeps for six months at a stretch, rising for only day and then returning to his slumber. Kumbhakarna is a giant who can slay hundreds of warriors by the sweep of his hand or step of his foot. He is slain by Rama in the war.

The Mahabharata

  • Kuru Army: of 11 Akshauhini
    Akshauhini
    An Akshauhini , was an ancient battle formation that consisted of 21,870 chariots ; 21,870 elephants; 65,610 cavalry and 109,350 infantry, as per the Mahabharata . The ratio is 1 chariot : 1 elephant : 3 cavalry : 5 infantry soldiers...

    s
    is formed by the kingdom of Hastinapura
    Hastinapura
    Hastinapur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-History:Hastinapur was the capital of the kingdom of the Kauravas, belonging to the Kuru dynasty of kings. The throne of this city was the prize over which the Kurukshetra War of the epic...

     in alliance with races like the Samshaptakas, Trigartas, the Narayana army, the Sindhu army and Shalya
    Shalya
    In the epic Mahabharata, King Shalya was the brother of Madri , as well as the ruler of Madra-desa or the kingdom of Madra. Thus, he was the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva and was loved and revered by the Pandavas. When he was young, he entered a competition among princes and nobilities to...

     of Madra.
    • Commanders in Chief: Bhishma
      Bhishma
      Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...

      , Drona
      Drona
      In the epic Mahābhārata, Drona or Dronacharya was the royal guru to Kauravas and Pandavas. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Arjuna was his favorite student. Dronas love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama...

      , Karna
      Karna
      Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

      , Shalya
      Shalya
      In the epic Mahabharata, King Shalya was the brother of Madri , as well as the ruler of Madra-desa or the kingdom of Madra. Thus, he was the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva and was loved and revered by the Pandavas. When he was young, he entered a competition among princes and nobilities to...

      , Ashwathama
    • Atirathis: Shalya
      Shalya
      In the epic Mahabharata, King Shalya was the brother of Madri , as well as the ruler of Madra-desa or the kingdom of Madra. Thus, he was the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva and was loved and revered by the Pandavas. When he was young, he entered a competition among princes and nobilities to...

      , Somadatta, Bhurishravas
      Bhurishravas
      Bhurishravas was a prince of a minor kingdom in the kingdom of Bahlika and played a role in the Mahabharata epic.Bhurishravas' father, Somadatta, once clashed with another prince called Sini. When Devaki, the mother of Lord Krishna was still unwed, many princes competed for her hand in marriage...

      , Bhagadatta
      Bhagadatta
      Bhagadatta, was the son of Narakasura. He was a king of the city Pragjyotisha in the epic Mahabharata. In the Battle of Kurukshetra, Bhagadatta fought on the side of the Kauravas. He was very well known to attack his enemies with his elephant in the warfare. In the Mahabharata war, he was...

      , Jayadratha
      Jayadratha
      In the epic Mahābhārata, Jayadratha was the king of Sindhu Kingdom . He was married to Dushala, the only sister of the 100 Kaurava brothers. He was the son of the sinful king Vridhakshtra.- Abduction of Draupadi:...

      , Kritavarma
      Kritavarma
      Kritavarma was an important Yadava warrior and chieftain, and a contemporary of Krishna. He finds mention in several ancient Sanskrit texts including the Mahābhārata, the Vishnu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsa....

    • Maharathis: Bhishma
      Bhishma
      Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...

      , Drona
      Drona
      In the epic Mahābhārata, Drona or Dronacharya was the royal guru to Kauravas and Pandavas. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Arjuna was his favorite student. Dronas love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama...

      , Karna
      Karna
      Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

      , Ashwathama, Shrutyudha, Duryodhana
  • Pandava Army: is a coalition of 7 Akshauhini
    Akshauhini
    An Akshauhini , was an ancient battle formation that consisted of 21,870 chariots ; 21,870 elephants; 65,610 cavalry and 109,350 infantry, as per the Mahabharata . The ratio is 1 chariot : 1 elephant : 3 cavalry : 5 infantry soldiers...

    s
    , primarily the Panchala
    Panchala
    Panchala is an ancient region of northern India, which corresponds to the geographical area around the Ganges River and Yamuna River, the upper Gangetic plain in particular. This would encompass the modern-day states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. During the ancient times, it was home to a...

     and Matsya
    Matsya
    Matsya was the first Avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. The great flood finds mention in Hindu mythology texts like the Satapatha Brahmana, where in the Matsya Avatar takes place to save the pious and the first man, Manu and advices him to build a giant boat.-The Legend:According to the Matsya...

     forces, the Rakshasa
    Rakshasa
    A Rakshasa or alternatively rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion...

     forces of Bhima's son, and Vrishni-Yadava heroes.
    • Commanders in Chief: Dhristadyumna
      Dhristadyumna
      Dhrishtadyumna , also known as Draupada, was the son of Drupada and brother of Draupadi and Shikhandi in the epic Mahābhārata...

    • Atirathis: Ghatotkacha
      Ghatotkacha
      Ghatotkacha , is a character in the Mahabharata, the son of Bhima and the giantess Hidimbi . His maternal parentage made him half-rakshasa and gave him many magical powers that made him an important fighter in the Kurukshetra war, the climax of the epic...

      , Satyaki
      Satyaki
      Yuyudhana , better known as Satyaki , was a powerful warrior belonging to the Vrishni clan of the Yadavas, to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was grandson of Shini of the Vrishni clan, and son of Satyaka. Satyaki was devoted to Krishna and his best friend Arjuna, with...

      , Yuyutsu
      Yuyutsu
      Yuyutsu in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was the only son of Dhritarashtra who survived the Kurukshetra war.Fearing problems with Gandhari's pregnancy which had continued for over a year, Dhritrashtra married a woman from Vaisya Varna, from whom he bore a son, Yuyutsu...

    • Maharathis: Arjuna,Bhima,Abhimanyu, Nakul, Sahadev, Yudhistra, Dristadyumna, Dhrupad, Viraat
  • Bhishma
    Bhishma
    Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...

    : the most consummate warrior trained by Parashurama
    Parashurama
    Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...

    , Bhishma is indestructible by any warrior when he lifts his weapons. Having mastered his preceptor himself and all the kings of the earth, he is the Commander in Chief of the Kuru Army. He has the boon of wishful death.
  • Drona
    Drona
    In the epic Mahābhārata, Drona or Dronacharya was the royal guru to Kauravas and Pandavas. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Arjuna was his favorite student. Dronas love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama...

    : the preceptor of the kshatriyas and kings of the age, Drona is a great master of Vedic military arts, almost every celestial weapon, with great religious knowledge and wisdom. He becomes the second Kuru commander, and Arjuna
    Arjuna
    Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

     is his favorite student. Drona's rejection of Karna
    Karna
    Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

     as a student, owing to his unknown caste lays the foundation for the great Karna-Arjuna rivalry.
  • Arjuna
    Arjuna
    Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

    : known all over the three worlds as the foremost warrior alive that time, he is the son of Indra
    Indra
    ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

     and the most powerful maharathi. He was greatest Archer on Earth. He single handedly defeated entire kuru army with all its warriors including karna who had powers of all five Pandavas combined at battle of Viratnagar. He is responsible for vanquishing Bhishma, as well as exterminating an entire Akshauhini of warriors and Maharathas in one day, in addition to the armies of Samshaptakas, Trigartas and Narayanas - millions of soldiers and heroic warriors. He is also the protagonist of the most intense personal rivalry of the war, between the two reputed greatest warriors, with Karna, whom he slays. (Pandava's chief army general was Drushtadhymna and not Arjuna as it was mentioned in the earlier editions of this page)
  • Bhima
    Bhima
    In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...

    :He was one of the four supreme physical powers, others were Balrama, Shalya
    Shalya
    In the epic Mahabharata, King Shalya was the brother of Madri , as well as the ruler of Madra-desa or the kingdom of Madra. Thus, he was the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva and was loved and revered by the Pandavas. When he was young, he entered a competition among princes and nobilities to...

     & Kichaka. He was the second and most impetuous Pandava, Bhima's personal strength is phenomenal. He is an unsurpassed master of the mace weapon, and a consummate wrestler. He slays all but one of the one hundred Kuru brothers, and the chief antagonist of the saga, Duryodhana
    Duryodhana
    In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...

    .
  • Abhimanyu
    Abhimanyu
    Abhimanyu is a tragic hero in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata. He is the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, who is the half-sister of Lord Krishna...

    : the son of Arjuna, Abhimanyu is a consummate warrior almost equal to his father. When he enters the unbreakable Chakra vyuha, he holds the entire Kuru host, with Drona, Karna and hundreds of other heroic warriors, in addition to hundreds of thousands of foot soldiers at bay single-handedly. He is killed however, by deceit and a merciless and most unlawful slaying while he is unarmed and without a chariot, by all these powerful Kuru heroes.
  • Nakul: the fourth brother of the Pandavas. It is said that he was the most handsome man in the world. He was an expert in the art of sword warfare and astronomy. He was also greatly associated with horses. During the Kurukshetra war he was the one who killed all the offspring of all the Kauravas. he also killed the only son of Shakuni, Ulloka.
  • Karna
    Karna
    Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

    : the tragic hero of the epic, Karna is the first-born of Kunti, the mother of the five Pandavas, but abandoned as a child owing his mother's maidenhood and fear of destroying her honor. As a result, Karna is raised by charioteers and denied the recognition and benefits of belonging to the Kshatriya
    Kshatriya
    *For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

     order. Karna has to employ deceit to dodge the question of his caste, but obtains training from Parashurama
    Parashurama
    Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...

    . The entire rivalry is a question of who is truly superior. Karna's prowess meets par with Arjuna's, and Karna devises a fearsome plot to kill the Pandava prince. He uses snake arrow against Arjuna. His plot is thwarted by Krishna
    Krishna
    Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

    , who sinks Arjuna's chariot just so as the arrow passes Arjuna's head by an inch.

The end of the world

  • The end of the world, all creation and illusion is prophesied to happen at the end of the Kali Yuga
    Kali Yuga
    Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...

    .
  • Lord Shiva
    Shiva
    Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

     Nataraja
    Nataraja
    Nataraja or Nataraj , The Lord of Dance; Tamil: கூத்தன் ;Telugu:నటరాజ is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer Koothan who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation...

    , the Destroyer kills the paramount demon of the time and performs the Tandava Nritya (The Dance of Tandava) on his back.
  • The mystical dance is the penultimate martial art, destroying all forms of matter and energy, materials, beings and illusions, which are absorbed within the Supreme Brahman
    Brahman
    In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...

    .
  • Kalki
    Kalki
    In Hinduism, Kalki is the tenth and final Maha Avatar of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time...

    , the final Avatar of God Vishnu
    Vishnu
    Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

    is also prophesized to appear the end of the Kali yuga, to wage the final battle between good and evil. It is not clear how to reconcile this prophecy with Shiva's role as the Destroyer, but Kalki will appear upon a white horse, amassing an army of the few pious remaining, and incarnations of all of Hindu God-head, to destroy the demons and sin manifest in the world.
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