Welcome Readers !
I am Sheerapthi Ramiya, 2nd Year MBA from Amrita School of Business, coming back with this week's read ! Hope my readers are doing well and I hope you enjoy :)
The Kurukshetra War - The Mother of all Battles! Perhaps the most devastating and grand battle in ancient Indian Epics. The Kurukshetra war was between two the families - The Kauravas and The Pandavas who fought from a dynastic succession (A rule in which the family's generation rules forever and there can be no change) for the throne of Hastinapura. 'One Billion, 660 Million and 20000 men have fallen in this battle. Of the heroes that have escaped, the number is 2,40,165' is the answer that Yudishthira gave according to the sacred texts of Mahabharata. (Check link: Stri-parva (MBH 11.26)).
While the losses are staggering, it is important to know how many participated in the war and the resources used in the war. According to the sacred texts of Mahabharata, a total of 18 Akshauhini Sena fought in the Kurukshetra war. The Pandavas used 7 Akshauhini Sena and the Kauravas used a total of 11 Akshauhini Sena to fight against each other.
1 Akshauhini Sena consists of:
21,870 Chariots
21,870 Elephants
65,610 Horses
109,350 Infantry
Ratio of Chariots, Elephants, Horses and Infantry for each Akshauhini Sena is 1:1:3:5
So 18 Akshauhini Sena equals
21,870 Chariots x 18 = 3,93,660 Chariots with its Raider
21,870 Elephants x 18 = 3,93,660 Elephants with its Raider
65,610 Horses x 18 = 1,180,980 Horses with its Raider
109,350 Infantry x 18 = 1,968,300 Infantry
This gives us a total of 3,936,600 men in arms. The men in the front line also have to take bath, do daily rituals and mainly eat to gain energy. Additional to this a few more services like cooks, barbers, cleaners, stable hands, medics, repairmen, etc. are also be assumed to have served this battle.
This blog is about supply chain and logistics and I want you to ponder upon how such an event was organised !
There are numerous aspects, factors and requirements when it comes to arranging a battle. Ponder upon the arrangements made to source approximately 4 lakh chariots, 4 lakh Elephants, 12 lakh Horses and 20 Lakh Infantry. The map given below gives an indication of the kings and kingdoms that fought in the Kurukshetra war along with their troops.
From this we can see that the major Logistical Requirement for armies of both Pandavas and Kauravas was the production and transportation of food for the whole crowd as tremendous energy is needed to fight in an army. According the the sacred texts of the Mahabharata, this issue was resolved by the Udupi King who chose to remain neutral in the battle and also aid for the food requirements of both the armies. He spoke to Lord Krishna and said, 'Those who fight battles have to eat. I will be the caterer for this battle'. The battle lasted 18 days, and every day, thousands of soldiers were dying. If you were the Udupi King, how would you know how much to cook for the next day? Its not viable to cook the same amount for almost 4 Lakh men for the period of 18 days. If you cook more, the food will go to waste and if you cook less, the soldiers will starve.
The Udupi King actually managed the demand pretty well as enough food was made for all the soldiers and no food went to waste. You may ask how. Even I was amazed as to how he could manage the exact required food. Who knew how many people would die each day during the battle for Hastinupura ? He was questioned by a person on how he managed the food demand. The Udupi King replied, 'Every night I go to Krishna's tent. Krishna likes to eat boiled groundnuts at night so I peel them and keep them in a bowl. He eats just a few peanuts and after he is done I count how many he has eaten. If it's 10 peanuts, I know tomorrow 10,000 people will be dead. So they next day when i cook lunch, I cook for 10,000 people less. Everyday I count these peanuts and cook accordingly, and it turns out right'.
Fun Fact: A lot of people in Udupi are caterers even today ! Coincidence ??
It is evident that the Lord Krishna has been directly or indirectly the Logistics Manager during the whole Kurukshetra War. He has the power to forecast the demand precisely and accurately for the Kurukshetra War as he knows the events that are going to occur. He has also provided his assistance to serve the Pandavas and his army to the Kauravas when he asked the Pandavas and Kauravas to choose between him or his army. The ancient scripts of Mahabharata also sites that kingdoms from all over ancient India supplied troops or provided logistic support on the Pandava side. These are some instances in the epic.
I hope you have understood the challenges involved in organizing and conducting the greatest battles in epic history of India. We must consider the fact that this battle is over 5000 years ago, in the age were there are no roads, no trains, no flights, no ERP systems, no MPS systems, no MRP systems, no communication systems, and no digital technology to aid the battle. The challenge is unimaginable. Even in today's world wars are won or lost not due to military superiority or might but because of proper planning and scheduling of their logistical ability in transporting soldiers, military equipment and gear to the frontline or the required place at the required time. The defeat of British in the American War of Independence and the Axis in the African theater of World War II are all attributed towards logistical failure. It is truly a wonder to reflect upon the immense management skills being displayed by war leaders like Lord Krishna. Yet the Kurukshetra War was made possible by assembling the required men, equipment, gear and services needed to win the war ! Today's modern military also follows the basic principles implemented by the war managers of the great Kurukshetra War. Mahabharata is truly a book that has so much to teach us !
What are your thoughts about this ? Give your comments below :)
If you haven't check out my last read, which is about the Reliance - Future Retail Deal , click the link below !
https://logisticsmatters.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-markets-view-on-future-group.html
- Sheerapthi Ramiya
ASB, Coimbatore
It's fascinating how those days without much technological advancements they were able to implement best strategies. (Assuming the fact that these tales are true)
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