Kutayuddha or kuta-yuddha (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

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: , also spelt Kootayudha) is a

word made up of two roots: ''kuta'' () commonly explained as evil genius, crooked, devious, unjust or unrighteousness, and ''yuddha'' () meaning warfare. While there is no exact English translation, kutayuddha is explained as the opposite of

dharma-yuddha Dharma-yuddha is a Sanskrit word made up of two roots: ''dharma'' (धर्म) meaning righteousness, and ''yuddha'' (युद्ध) meaning warfare. In the Hindu Scriptures, dharma-yuddha refers to a war that is fought while following several ...

(from the concept

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

), which is in turn is explained as ethical, righteous or just war and warfare. Take ethics out of war, and you have real warfare, a kutayuddha. It is also known as Citrayuddha. The

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

is considered a war which was a

; however the war itself contains practices of both kutayuddha and dharma-yuddha. The ancient Indian treatise

Arthashastra The ''Arthashastra'' ( sa, अर्थशास्त्रम्, ) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, political science, economic policy and military strategy. Kautilya, also identified as Vishnugupta and Chanakya, is ...

(3rd century BCE), credited to

Kautilya Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य; IAST: ', ; 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya o ...

, gives a substantial amount of space to the methods of kutayuddha such as deception. In

Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson (20 ...

dharma-yuddha reigns and is the ultimate winner; however in practice kutayuddha is the necessary standard or way of life and war. The contrast of kuta-yuddha and dharma-yuddha is similar to what Machiavelli attempts to explain in ''

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

'' (1532). The deception mentioned in Tacitus' book about the history of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

also has similarities to concepts in Kautilya’s kutayuddha. Kutayuddha has been called a defensive concept as opposed to an offensive one. A milder version of katuyuddha emerged around 900 CE.

Nitisara Nitisara () or the Nitisara of Kamandaki, is an ancient Indian treatise on politics and statecraft. It was authored by Kamandaka, also known as Kamandaki or Kamandakiya, who was a disciple of Chanakya. It is traditionally dated to the 4th-3rd ce ...

, another ancient Indian treatise tried to balance the binaries. Katuyuddha also finds its way into

Panchatantra The ''Panchatantra'' (IAST: Pañcatantra, ISO: Pañcatantra, sa, पञ्चतन्त्र, "Five Treatises") is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story.

and

Hitopadesha ''Hitopadesha'' (Sanskrit: हितोपदेशः, IAST: ''Hitopadeśa'', "Beneficial Advice") is an Indian text in the Sanskrit language consisting of fables with both animal and human characters. It incorporates maxims, worldly wisdom and ...

Shukra-Niti ''Shukranīti'' (–) also known as ''Shukranītisara'' (–) is a part of Dharmasastra and considered as ''Shukracharya's System of Morals''. It is a treatise on the science of governance, structured towards upholding the morals through implement ...

says that if a ruler is too weak to engage in any sort of battle including an attack from the rear, then ruler must then use guerrilla warfare. Kutayuddha is contrasted with that can be translated as "illuminated or open warfare". is a type of kutayuddha that is a more lethal and amoral in terms of outcome. ''Tusnimdandena'', using techniques such as deception or poisoning to remove enemy leaders, extends to t''ushnim-yuddha'' (silent warfare). Components of kutayuddha include ''Dvaidhibhava'' (having a dual policy), ''Dvaidhibhutah'' (making a pact with the enemy to attack another), having patience when third parties are fighting in a ''kalaha'' (life or death struggle), promoting enmity between third parties and attacking a third party which is facing leadership problems. Some proponents of kuttayuddha include attacking non-combatants.

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See also

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Further reading