Page 216 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

warfare—south asia 1993

Selection from the Hindu religious text Bhagavad Gita
on War and Warriors

Considering also your duty as a warrior you should You will go to heaven if killed, or you will enjoy the
not waver. Because there is nothing more auspicious earth if victorious. Therefore, get up with a determi-
for a warrior than a righteous war. (2.31) nation to fight, O Arjuna. (2.37)

Only the fortunate warriors, O Arjuna, get such an Treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and
opportunity for an unsought war that is like an open defeat alike, engage yourself in your duty. By doing
door to heaven. (2.32) your duty this way you will not incur sin. (2.38)

If you will not fight this righteous war, then you will The wisdom of Saamkhya (or the knowledge of the
fail in your duty, lose your reputation, and incur sin. Self) has been imparted to you, O Arjuna. Now listen
(2.33) to the wisdom of Karma-yoga endowed with which
you will free yourself from the bondage of Karma.
People will talk about your disgrace forever. To the
(2.39)
honored, dishonor is worse than death. (2.34)
In Karma-yoga no effort is ever lost, and there is no
The great warriors will think that you have retreated
harm. Even a little practice of this discipline protects
from the battle out of fear. Those who have greatly
one from great fear (of birth and death). (2.40)
esteemed you will lose respect for you. (2.35)
Source: EAWC Anthology: The Bhagavad Gita. (R. Prasad Trans.). Retrieved April 8,
Your enemies will speak many unmentionable words 2003, from http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/gita.htm
and scorn your ability. What could be more painful
than this? (2.36)

The Mansabdari System were not a serious threat. But by the 1720s, the French,
Traditional Indic polities were segmentary, essentially balking at the high cost and low survivability of European
“military confederation[s] of many chieftains cooperating soldiery in Asia, were recruiting Indian musketeers, whom
under the leadership of the biggest among them” (Stein they called sepoys, after the Persian word spahi, meaning
1980, 55). Loyalty was a problem.The Mughals met this soldier, and training them in the latest European tactical
challenge with the mansabdari system, which entailed doctrine of close-order drill and volley firing. Battles such
granting a specified rank to a noble and entitled the noble as Adyar River in 1746 and Buxar in 1764 proved that
to revenue from an assigned area of land. Mansabdari small sepoy detachments could defeat much larger Indian
ranks carried with them the duty to provide a specified hosts.The British copied the French, and both countries
number of cavalrymen for battle. A rank was not heredi- took advantage of the political flux resulting from the
tary, however, and could be revoked at the emperor’s Mughal empire’s decline to become players in South
pleasure.The mansabdari system was an early attempt at Asian geopolitics.
creating military professionalism in India. The English proved more successful at this, defeating
the French twice (1744–1748 and 1749–1754). They
Colonial South Asian then turned their attention to defeating the Indian poli-
Warfare, 1720–1947 ties, winning wars against Mysore (1767–1769, 1780–
European penetration of India, which had far-reaching 1784, 1790–1792, 1799), the Marathas (1775–1782,
military consequences, began in the 1600s, with the ap- 1803–1805, 1817–1818), the Gurkhas (1814–1816),
pearance of European trading companies on India’s and the Sikhs (1845–1846, 1848–1849). Each of these
shores. Initially, the armed forces of the main contenders wars resulted in the widening of the English East India
—the English and the French East India Companies— Company’s (EIC’s) territory.The Marathas and the Sikhs