Vyūha

To arrange troops in a battle formation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vyūha (Sanskrit: व्यूह) is a Sanskrit word that translates to 'military array', 'formation' or 'multitude'.[1][dead link] While the term originates in a military context to describe battle formations, it is also used in Indian philosophy, most prominently in the Pancharatra tradition, to refer to the strategic manifestation of Narayana or Vishnu into multiple functional forms. This theological application is a direct extension of the military vyūha through a metaphor: just as a single army remains one entity while being rearranged into specific "formations" to achieve a particular objective, the Supreme Being remains singular while rearranging into a multitude of emanations to perform different divine functions.[2] In Vaishnava theology, this is expressed through the Caturvyūha, where God emanates into four distinct forms to support the cyclical creation, sustenance, and destruction processes of the universe.[3]

Vyūha in Hinduism

Vyūha in the Mahabharata

Theological doctrine

The earliest concept of the vyūha doctrine, pre-dating the Pāñcarātra texts, is found in a section of the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, known as the Narayania.[4]

Battle formations

The Mahabharata and the Manu Samhita list by name and formation many vyūhas ('battle formations'), some were small in size and others, gigantic, such as:[5]

More information Day No, Remarks ...
Day No Vyūha of Pandava Vyūha of Kaurava Remarks
Day 1Vajra (Thunderbolt).Sarvato Mukhi (All Sided)-
Day 2Krauncha/Krauncharuna(Cranes)Garuda-
Day 3Ardha Chandra (Half Moon)Garuda-
Day 4Sringataka (Horn)Mandala-
Day 5Syena vyūha (Hawk)Makara-
Day 6MakaraKrauncha-
Day 7VajraMandala-
Day 8ThrishoolaKurma-
Day 9Nakshatra MandalaSarvatobhadra-
Day 10SuryaAsura-
Day 11KraunchaShakata-
Day 12Ardha ChandraGaruada-
Day 13No VyūhaChakra-
Day 14Khaddag SarpChakrashatak-
Day 15VajraPathma-
Day 16Ardha ChandraMakara-
Day 17MahishSoorya-
Day 18KraunchaSarvatobhadra-
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  1. Ardha-chandra-vyūha ('crescent moon formation'),
  2. Chakra-vyūha ('circular formation') a large formation was devised by the Kauravas in which Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, was trapped never to emerge alive.
  3. Garbha-vyūha ('womb-shaped formation'),
  4. Makara-vyuha ('crocodile formation'), adopted by Bhishma in the Kurukshetra War[6]
  5. Mandala vyuha ('galaxy formation'),
  6. Oormi vyuha ('ocean formation'),
  7. Shakata-vyūha ('cart-shaped formation'),
  8. Sarvatobhadra-vyūha ('grand formation'),
  9. Suchi-vyūha ('needle-shaped formation'),
  10. Shyena-vyuha (also called Garuda Vyuh) ('eagle formation'). At the commencement of the Kurukshetra War which lasted for eighteen days, the Pandavas, being aware that Bhishma stood protected by the "makara vyuha" and was ready for battle, they had adopted the invincible "sheyna vyuha" with Bhima leading stationed at the mouth and Arjuna stationed at the neck of the bird-shaped vyuha, and Yudhishthira patrolling the rear.[6]
  11. Vajra-vyūha was large a three-fold formation of warriors.

Vyūha in the Pāñcarātra Āgama: the Vaiṣṇava doctrine of manifestation

Caturvyūha
The "Four emanations"
Front: Vāsudeva and his kinsmen emanating from him.
Back: Kadamba tree and branches showing their relationship.
The Caturvyūha, showing the four emanation of Nārāyaṇa,[7] or later Vishnu.[8] Vāsudeva is four-armed, and is fittingly in the center with his decorated heavy mace on the side and holding a conch, his elder brother Balarama to his right under a serpent hood, his son Pradyumna to his left (lost), and his grandson Aniruddha on top.[8] The back of the statue shows the trunk of a tree with branches, thus highlighting the genealogical relationship between the divinities.[9] 2nd century CE, Art of Mathura, Mathura Museum.

The main āgamas are the Vaiṣṇava (worship of Vishnu), the Śaiva (worship of Shiva) and the Śākta (worship of Devi or Shakti) āgamas; all āgamas are elaborate systems of Vedic knowledge. According to Vedanta Desika, the Pāñcarātra āgama teaches the five-fold daily religious duty consisting of – abhigamana, upādāna, ijyā, svādhyāya and yoga, the name of this āgama is derived on account of its description of the five-fold manifestation of the Supreme Being viz, para (supreme or the transcendental form), vyūha (formation or manifestation as the four vyūha), vibhava (reincarnation or descent to earth as avtāra), arcā (visible image of God) and antaryāmi (cosmic form of God). Lakshmi accompanies Vishnu in His Chatur-vyūha (four-fold manifestation) as Vāsudeva (creator), Saṅkarṣaṇa (sustainer), Pradyumna (destroyer), and Aniruddha (spiritual knowledge promulgator). This is the Vaiṣṇava doctrine of Vyūha or the doctrine of formation.[10]

The Chatur-vyūha forms of Viṣṇu are related to four of the six causes of creation which six are God Himself as the final cause of creation and His five aspects – Narāyaṇa (thinking), Vāsudeva (feeling), Sankarśana (willing), Pradyumna (knowing), and Aniruddha (acting) successively. Each divinity controls its specific creative energy.[11] The six gunas – jnana (omniscience), aishvarya (lordship), shakti (potency), bala (force), virya (virtue) and tejas (self-sufficiency), acting in pairs and in totality, are the instruments and the subtle material of pure creation. Vyūhas are the first beings created, and they represent the effective parts of a coherent whole.[12] Here, vyūha means – projection; the projection of the svarūpa ('own form') as bahurūpa ('manifest variously').[13]

Vyūha in Buddhism

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, the word vyūha means "arrangement", the like of marvelous, supernatural, magical arrangements, or supernatural manifestations.[14] It is also extant in the Pali language, where it means "an array" or "grouping of troops".[15]

The term is also found among the titles of some Buddhist texts. In Pure Land Buddhism, the character of Amitābha Buddha is elaborated upon in both the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra and the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra. The term "Sukhāvatīvyūha" may translated as "description of Sukhāvatī".[16] The Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra has been translated as "The Basket's Display".[17]

See also

More information Image, Attributes ...
Pāñcarātra system[18][19][20]
Vyūhas Image Attributes Symbol[21][22] Direction Face Concept
Narayana
Vishnu		 Vāsudeva Chakra Wheel
Gadā Mace
Shankha Conch		 Garuda Eagle East Saumya
(Placid/ benevolent)		 Jṅāna Knowledge
Samkarsana Lāṅgala Plough
Musala Pestle
Wine glass		 Tala Fan palm South Simha Lion Bala Strength
Pradyumna Cāpa Bow
Bāṇa Arrow		 Makara Crocodile West Raudra Kapila Aiśvaryā Sovereignty
Aniruddha Carma Shield
Khaḍga Sword		 Ṛṣya (ऋष्य) White-footed antelope North Varaha Boar Śakti Power
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References

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