Pre-modern Warfare:India And Elsewhere

[Bodhi]

HH, kindly post the image...

<!--QuoteBegin-Hauma Hamiddha+Sep 3 2008, 05:20 AM-->QUOTE(Hauma Hamiddha @ Sep 3 2008, 05:20 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->the pattern described in the KSS where a rAjpUt hero cuts his head as an offering to ambika or mahiShamardini.
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yes... that also reminds of a description of self decapitation from the 7-8th century drama mahAvIracharitam, where bhavabhUti has rAvaNa bragging about his courage of how he severed his heads in offering to shiva's feet. Here is a couple of portions of a dialog between him and mandodarI:

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->...साहसिकेनेति वदंत्या देव्या विस्मृतप्रायम। <span style='color:red'>मत्साहसेतु उत्पुष्यद्गलधमनिस्फुटप्रसपैत्प्रत्यग्रक्षतझरोनिवृत्तपाद्यः।
हर्षाश्रुप्रचुरमधुस्मितस्फुटश्रीवक्वाब्जाचिंतचरणः शिवः प्रमाणम॥</span>

मन्दोदरी: महाराअ! ओधारेहि किं वि अन्णारिसी रअणा कस्स व विलीमुहस्स हत्थपुण्णदो उवरि ज्जेव चिट्ठिन्दि ते महीधरा जलम्मि त्ति।

रावणः (सशिरःकम्पम) :
इदं तदप्रतीकार्य मौग्धमबलानां यद्ब्रावाणोपि प्लवंत इति। देवि! किं बहुनोक्तेन?
श्रुतं मे जानाति श्रुतिकविरथाज्ञां सहचरः
स शच्या धैर्यं चाशनिरथ यशोदस्त्रिभुवनम ।
बलं कैलासाद्रिः किमपरमहो साहसमपि
<span style='color:red'>क्षरत्कीलालाम्भःस्नपितचरणः खण्डपरशुः ॥</span>
(नेपथ्ये महान कलकलः )

{rAvaNa:
...by calling him brave and courageous you make a misjudgment about our own courage! <span style='color:red'>Careless about the streams of blood flowing from the veins of our severed heads - nay! - smiling with the eyes filled with the tears of joy – had we performed our offering of our heads at the feet of Lord shiva.</span> He, who pleased with us had accepted such our offering, that Lord Shiva himself is witness to our courage!!!”

mandodari (speaks prAkR^ita): Emperor! Please do not dismiss this without paying a serious thought. This construction of setu is a unique event! By the earlier puNya-s of a certain vAnara, it seems even the stones are floating at the surface of the water!!!

rAvaNa (shaking his head in denial): To this stupidity of women - that stones can float over water – what can be said!!! What more to say devi than this:

(sings this ode — )
about our knowledge of scriptures, knows bhamhA himself, the propagator of veda-s,
about our command, knows indra himself, the commander of Gods,
about our strength, knows vajra, and about our glory the whole world,
about our power knows mount kailAsha; and what is more –
<span style='color:red'>about our courage knows none other than shiva Himself –
whose holy feet we had lavishly washed with our own blood!</span>
(thundering sounds in the background)}

On Hindu Theatrics, bhavabhUti and rAma setu
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It is very clear by analyzing the descriptions of bhavabhUti and his contemporaries that they were modernists who applied to older themes the descriptions which were acceptable and available in their concurrent times. Surely the audiences of 7-8th centory India must be "aware" of such self decapitations, and therefore it is used poetically to highlight the courage of rAvaNa in these dialogs.