Chapter summary: Army arrays – staff, snake, circle, detached order; counter-arrays
According to Brihaspati, an array is comprised of the front and reserve, two wings, and two flanks. The principal arrays – staff, snake, circle, detached order – are varieties of the above two forms consisting of wings, flanks and front.
Stationing the army so as to stand abreast, is called a Staff array.
Stationing the army in a line so that one may follow the other, is called a Snake array.
Stationing the army so as to face all the directions, is called a Circle array.
Detached arrangement of the army into small independent units is called a Detached Order array.
A Staff array has equal strength on its wings, flanks and front.
It is called a Breaking-the-enemy-array array when its flanks are made to project in front.
It is called a Firm array when its wings and flanks are stretched back.
It is called an Irresistible array when its wings are lengthened.
It is called an Eagle array when, having formed the wings, the front is made to bulge out.
The reverse-form arrangements of the four arrays above are respectively called a Bow, a Centre of a bow, a Hold, and a Stronghold array.
It is called a Victory array when the wings are arrayed like a bow.
It is called a Conqueror array when the front is projected.
It is called a Big Ear array when its flanks and wings are formed like a staff.
It is called a Vast Victory array when its front made twice as strong as a Conqueror array.
It is called an Army-Face array when it has its wings stretched forward.
The reverse-form arrangement of an Army-Face array is called a Fish-Face array.
It is called a Pin array when one constituent of the army is made to stand behind the other.
A Pin array comprised of two lines or four lines is known as an Aggregate or Invincible array respectively.
These are the varieties of the Staff array.
A Snake array has its wings and front capable of turning.
It is called a Serpentine or Cow-urine array when its wings, flank and front are of unequal depth.
It is called a Cart array when it consists of two lines in front and has its wings arranged as in the staff-like array.
The reverse-form arrangement of a Cart array is called a Crocodile array.
A Cart array consisting of elephants, horses and chariots is called a Swift World Conquest array.
These are the varieties of the Snake array.
A Circle array’s varieties are the All-auspicious, One-of-eight-divisions and Victory arrays.
A Detached order array has its wings, flanks and front stationed apart.
It is called a Diamond or Alligator array when five divisions of the army are arranged in detached order.
It is called a Park or Crow’s foot array when four divisions of the army are arranged in detached order.
It is called a Half-moon or Crab array when three divisions of the army are arranged in detached order.
These are the varieties of the array in detached order.
An array is called Auspicious if its chariots form the front, elephants the wings, and horses the rear.
An array is called Immovable If infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants stand one behind the other.
An array is called Invincible if elephants, horses, chariots and infantry stand in order one behind the other.
Of these, the conqueror should assail the Breaking-the-enemy-array array with the Firm array, the Firm array with the Irresistible array, the Eagle array with the Bow array, the Hold Array with the Stronghold array, the Victory array with the Conqueror array, the Big Ear array with the Vast Victory array, the Swift World Conquest array with the All-auspicious array, and all kinds of arrays with the Invincible array.
—Kautilya, in the Arthaśāstra, 10.6:1-43
