Flags and their meanings in Mahabharata

Last night I was telling the bedside story to the younger love of my life, when she asked – “How do you identify the leader of the troop in a war – particularly in a warzone where a lot of people are fighting against each other”?

While I explained to her how the modern warfare works and how the generals lead the army today, I also imagined the warcraft of yesterday and started to describe the vivid imagination fueled by the magnanimity of the movies like Bahubali, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. The job was simple as we both had watched the movies together. And she understood all that I told her. Yet a question from her made me fumble – Do all the warriors have a flag on their chariot, and what do they mean?

In my research for the answer, I stumbled upon the information that I would like to share with you too.

In the Viraat Parva of Mahabharata, Arjuna under the disguise of Brihannala plays the role of the charioteer for Prince Uttara of Virata kingdom. Under the conditions for exile, the Pandavas were supposed to live in forest for 12 years and then 1 year in hiding. If they were found or their true identity is identified by the Kauravas, their exile term shall get reinitialized. The news of Kichaka’s death (Virata’s general) signals Kauravas of the presence of Pandavas. The Kauravas devise a plan to distract the Virata army and the king for a small border issue, while they attack from the different direction to take out the Pandavas. Arjuna or Brihannala accompanies Prince Uttara into the battle and then tells him about his true identity. In this war, Arjuna educates Uttara of all the different leaders in the Kaurava army and defines their identifications. These remain true for the Mahabharata war as well. The list below is an attempt to summarize the information found in different sections of Mahabharata –

Warrior	Main skill in warfare	Flag	Meaning of Flag
Bhishmacharya	Archery	A palm tree	The palm tree depicts his immense knowledge (like the sap of the tree) and his ability to raise above all the difficult situations.(palm trees are usually very tall and Bhishma was the most respected in lieu of his stature and behaviour.)
Dronacharya	Archery	Golden altar decked with a water-pot and the figure of a bow (vedika)	Signifyies his high stature as a teacher to all the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
Kripacharya	Archery	A cow and a bull	Signifies fertility and strength.
Yudhisthira	Spear	Golden moon with planets around it	Yudhishthira was the eldest of the Kuru clan and thus bore the moon - symbol of Chandravansh
Bhima	Mace	Silver gigantic lion with its eyes made of lapis lazuli (deep blue semi-precious stone)	Signifies power and it's eyes instill cold fear in the hearts of the enemy
Arjuna	Archery	Hanuman	Hanuman is an epitome of knowledge,strength,fame ,courage and fearlessness - the very basis on which Arjuna almost single handedly won the war for the Pandavas.
Nakula	Sword	Red deer with golden back	A magnificent creature, known for its beauty, represents the handsomeness of Nakula
Sahadeva	Sword, Axe	Silver swan	Known for intellect, Swan represents the knowledge of Sahdeva
Duryodhana	Mace	A snake wearing a diamond on its hood	Signifying his longing for wealth and his crooked nature.(you can observe a snake does not move in a straight line!)
Duryodhana (From Chapter 17 of the Bhishma Parva and Chapter 101 of the Drona Parva)	Mace	An elephant adorned with gems	Signifying his being the representative of the leader of the Kuru army
Karna	Archery	A beautiful white conch(sankha)	Signifies his ever readiness to go to a battle.
Karna (From Chapter 17 of the Bhishma Parva and Chapter 101 of the Drona Parva)	Archery	Elephant-rope made of gold	Signifies fear. At the same time, signifies him being chained by his decisions and conditions
Abhimanyu	Archery	Golden karnikara tree (tree with yellow leaves)	The flowers of this tree represent a torch. The tree itself signifies an abundance of fruitfullness and attractiveness
Abhimanyu (From Chapter 23 of the Drona Parva)	Archery	Golden Peacock	Shows the affiliation to Arjuna and Krishna
Aswatthama	Archery	Lion’s tale	Vigor and bravery in the battlefield.
Ghatotkacha	Mayavi(Demonic powers)	Vulture	Feeds on dead
Jayadratha		Silver Boar	Bravery
Shalya	Horse Riding, Charioteer	Goddess of Corn	Goddess of Corn represents beauty and fertility with every seed. Shalya was brother of Madri - Nakula and Sahdeva's mother. He served as charioteer of Karna.
Vrishasena		Peacock and a Plough	Vrishasena was the son of Karna and Vrushali
Bhurishrava		Sacrificial Stake	Bhurishrava was the grandson of king Balhika, who was the elder brother of Shantanu the king of Hastinapur.
UpaPandavas - Draupadi's sons		Dharma, Marut, Sakra, and the twin Aswins