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Last night I was telling the bedside story to the younger love of my life, when she asked –
“How do you identify the leader of the troop in a war – particularly in a warzone where a lot
of people are fighting against each other”?
While I explained to her how the modern warfare works and how the generals lead the army
today, I also imagined the warcraft of yesterday and started to describe the vivid
imagination fueled by the magnanimity of the movies like Bahubali, Bajirao Mastani and
Padmaavat. The job was simple as we both had watched the movies together. And she
understood all that I told her. Yet a question from her made me fumble – Do all the warriors
have a flag on their chariot, and what do they mean?
In my research for the answer, I stumbled upon the information that I would like to share
with you too.
In the Viraat Parva of Mahabharata, Arjuna under the disguise of Brihannala plays the role
of the charioteer for Prince Uttara of Virata kingdom. Under the conditions for exile, the
Pandavas were supposed to live in forest for 12 years and then 1 year in hiding. If they
were found or their true identity is identified by the Kauravas, their exile term shall get
reinitialized. The news of Kichaka’s death (Virata’s general) signals Kauravas of the
presence of Pandavas. The Kauravas devise a plan to distract the Virata army and the king
for a small border issue, while they attack from the different direction to take out the
Pandavas. Arjuna or Brihannala accompanies Prince Uttara into the battle and then tells
him about his true identity. In this war, Arjuna educates Uttara of all the different leaders in
the Kaurava army and defines their identifications. These remain true for the Mahabharata
war as well. The list below is an attempt to summarize the information found in different
sections of Mahabharata –