Psychological War in Purāṇa Literature

Abstract

The Purāṇas, influence the present day society in many aspects of culture, religion, social practices, geography, and sciences with its subtle presence in Indian Literature. They describe the desired qualities as well as  responsibilities of the King (Rājan), the general (Senāpati), the soldiers and the subjects. They also describe different activities in battle and its various moral, social and economic aspects of battle. The Purāṇa prohibits fighting only for the sake of fighting, suggesting arms should be taken up only when it may produce benefits and appear only natural and moral. It is reflected that defeating the enemies, the strength of the royal army is no doubt important, but the psychological issues cunningly deployed by the capable strategists also play a significant part.