How Many Days Did The Battle of Mahabharata Last

Introduction

The battle of Mahabharata lasted for a complete eighteen days and was held in the field of the battle of Kurukshetra. It is fought between two sets of cousins within the Kuru family, the Pandavas (sons of Pandu) and the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra). Kingdoms like Panchala and Matsya face off with the Pandavas. Krishna, the regent of Dwaraka, drives the chariot of Arjuna, the third Pandava, and signals his support for his cause. The Mahabharata was written by Ved Vyasa. The war was the result of a series of events, including the struggle for the Hastinapur kingdom's throne. It was won by the Pandavas at the end, however the war had resulted in unfathomable destruction to lives and wealth on both sides. Many dynasties fought and participated in the war. The Mahabharata is one of ancient India's two major epics; the other one is the Ramayana. Many believe that The Mahabharat isn't true because it is an epic, but it is subjective to one's perspective and beliefs.

Total Days in Mahabharat

The Mahabharata lasted for 18 days in which it is divided into five phases

1. Bhishma Parva, that is, from Day 1 to Day 10,

2. Drona Parva, that is from Day 11 to Day 15,

3. Karna Parva, on Days 16 and 17,

4. Shalya Parva, on Day 18

5. Sauptika Parva, on the 18th night, when Ashwatthama raids the Panchala camp.

Bhishma Parva

The first leader of the Kaurava forces was Bhishma. Here, Duryodhana preferred his grandfather to lead his army. By doing so, he makes a troublesome decision of relegating Karna to the sidelines. After a long-standing quarrel, Bhishma tells Duryodhana that he won't fight on the battleground as long as Karna fights for his army. Duryodhana’s different alternative would have been to make Karna the commander and permit Bhishma to take a seat out, or make a 3rd person – like Drona – the leader, keep Karna on the sphere, and risk losing the services of Bhishma. But eventually, Bhishma was elected as the in charge of the Kaurava army who fought for the first ten days.

His general strategy was to focus on eliminating the opponent’s army rather than actually causing harm to any of the Pandavas. Bhishma argues that the Pandavas may be forced to surrender quickly if their army is destroyed. Even though Bhishma rejected Duryodhana's claims that he was fond of the Pandavas, he ultimately acts the same. Yudhishthir is coerced into bringing about Yudhishthir's demise by Krishna, who sees through Bhishma's schemes. On the night of the 10th day, with Shikhandi going about as a defender, the safeguard unseats Bhishma. The first part of the war, what one might possibly call the ‘restrained fighting’ part, involves an end.

Drona Parva

From the eleventh day to the fifteenth, Drona was in charge of the war for five days. However, we should additionally bear in mind that the two sides still fought through the night of the fourteenth day. As a result, Drona's time as leader spans six fighting days effectively. His approach is completely different to that of Bhishma’s. Drona totally commits himself to the cause, and guarantees Duryodhana will capture Yudhishthir alive so the Pandavas can be forced into yet another dice game by the Kauravas. But Arjuna's interventions caused Drona's attempts to repeatedly fail. The furious band of officers alluded to as the Samshaptakas are hence conceived, entrusted with redirecting Arjuna's consideration off from activity so Drona will detain Yudhishthir.

On the thirteenth day, this indirect plan of action works brilliantly, and ends up in the demurrer and death of young Abhimanyu. This ends up with Arjuna wreaking mayhem on the Kaurava army on the fourteenth day, and throughout that, he kills Jayadratha, the Saindhava king. That night, Karna causes Ghatotkacha's death. Drona is killed when Yudhishthir tells a lie to her toward the end of the fifteenth day. Ashwatthama is sparked by Drona's death and vows to exact revenge throughout the Sauptika Parva.

Karna Parva

Karna takes over as leader of the Kuru powers toward the start of the sixteenth day. At the end of the seventeenth day, Karna's death marked the end of this phase of the battle. Karna triumphs inexplicably over each and every one of the four Pandavas in his two days in charge: Bhima, Yudhishthir, Nakula, and Sahadeva. But he doesn't kill any of them because he promised Kunti not to. He has made a vow that he and Arjuna will fight to the death for a match. Regardless of the outcome of the Karna-Arjuna conflict, Kunti can rest assured that she will have five sons. Karna asks Duryodhana to provide him with Shalya as a charioteer for the seventeenth day. Karna is of the opinion that by employing Shalya as his driver, he can attain the same level of skill as a mythical being whose horses are driven by Krishna.

It seems like a foolish move to take. Shalya insults Karna on multiple occasions and praises Krishna and Arjuna to hurt Karna's feelings. Shalya refuses to assist Karna when their chariot gets stuck in the mud during the final battle between the two heroes. Arjuna is given the opportunity to demand a trial, and Karna is forced to take care of the vehicle on his own. Arjuna initially hesitates; However, he kills Karna despite Krishna's advice. The Karna Parva comes to an end on the seventeenth day of Karna's death, when the sun sets.

Shalya Parva

Shalya is the successive commander of Duryodhana’s army, and he supervises them on the 18th morning. He fights with great determination and purpose; However, he dies in a single battle against Yudhishthir in the afternoon. The Kuru army is faced with a dilemma as a result of Shalya's death.The Madra troopers begin to escape, and therefore the Pandava troopers pounce on them. The Kuru numbers get whittled down apace. Duryodhana flees the battleground and hides at an all-time low of a lake within the forest adjacent to Kurukshetra. The Pandavas notice him after a prolonged search, and Yudhishthir calls his first cousin a resolute fighter.

A mace battle is organised between Bhima and Bhima. The duel's condition is that the victorious will inherit the kingdom as a whole, while the losers will be banished. Bhima fights this high-stakes battle virtuously initially. However, as he begins to lose, he sees a sign from Arjuna that means that he ought to aim at Duryodhana’s thighs. Now, the most important mace-fighting rule is never to strike an opponent below the waist. However, Bhima disregards this and smears Duryodhana's thighs. Krishna blows on his univalve and declares the war over when the elder Kaurava is defeated. He declares that Pandu's sons won the battle. The eighteenth day ends here, and therefore the Pandavas believe the war is over. Ashwatthama has different concepts.

Sauptika Parva

Ashwatthama still feels the need to get revenge for his father's death. He approaches Duryodhana and requests that he make him the next military commander. There is currently no "army." Ashwatthama, Kripa, and Kritavarma are the only living beings. Duryodhana names the son of Drona as the next commander of his forces because he doesn't understand what Ashwatthama is saying and doesn't have anything to lose. The three Kuru warriors construct their way to the Pandava camp's perimeter. They wait until all of the people have gone to bed. Ashwatthama then goes on a rampage inside the camp, killing everyone he sees, aided by Shiva's power.

He breaks one of the fundamental rules of combat by doing this: You should never attack your enemy when he is asleep and without weapons. However, Ashwatthama believes that because Drona was killed while he was meditating and had given up his weapons, this is frequently justified. As a result, this is merely Dhrishtadyumna's retaliation. The Pandavas and Krishna are sleeping on the bank of the river Oghavati while the Panchala camp is being raided. Ashwatthama returns to Duryodhana after the bloodshed has ended to inform him that all of his foes have been eliminated. The news makes Duryodhana happy. He leaves Ashwatthama with a blessing and a grin on his face. Thus ends the eighteenth day of the Mahabharata war with Ashwatthama’s nighttime massacre.