The fifth day dawned with a sky the color of a fresh bruise. The initial fervor of the war had evaporated, replaced by a grim, mechanical routine of death. The soldiers on both sides now understood that there would be no swift victory, only a slow, grinding attrition that would consume them all.
Bhishma, having been goaded by Duryodhana and deeply wounded by the events of the previous days, knew he had to adopt a new strategy. The Pandavas were now fighting with a desperate, focused aggression. He needed a formation that was both offensive and defensively sound, a formation that could bite deep into the enemy ranks while protecting its own flanks. He arrayed the Kaurava forces into the formidable Makara Vyuha—the formation of the great Crocodile.
Makara Vyuha (The Crocodile/Alligator Formation): A powerful and aggressive amphibious formation, symbolizing a predator that is deadly both on land and in water. It is designed for a powerful frontal assault, with a heavily fortified head and a long, flexible body.
The Snout and Jaws: At the very head of the formation, forming the powerful, snapping jaws of the crocodile, stood Bhishma himself, flanked by Drona and Shalya. This was the primary point of attack, a concentration of overwhelming force designed to crush whatever it bit into.
The Head and Eyes: Behind them, forming the head and the cold, watchful eyes of the beast, were Ashwatthama and Kripacharya, ready to exploit any opening the initial charge created.
The Body: The long, armored body of the crocodile was composed of the main Kaurava army, with King Duryodhana and his remaining brothers protected deep within its center, surrounded by thousands of chariots and infantry.
The Legs and Tail: The powerful limbs and the lashing tail of the formation were made up of the vast allied armies, including the Trigartas and the forces of Jayadratha, designed to sweep aside any flanking attacks.
The strategy of the Makara Vyuha was one of relentless forward momentum. It was designed to be an unstoppable juggernaut, to smash through the center of the Pandava army and create widespread chaos and panic, allowing the rest of the formation to mop up the shattered remnants.
The Pandavas, under the command of Dhrishtadyumna and Arjuna, saw the great crocodile taking shape across the field and knew that a direct, head-on confrontation would be disastrous. They needed a formation that could counter the Makara's linear power with aerial agility and precision. They responded by arranging their army into the Syena Vyuha—the formation of the mighty Hawk.
Syena Vyuha (The Hawk/Eagle Formation): A swift and deadly avian formation, designed to counter ground-based formations with a piercing, diving attack. It emphasizes speed, precision, and the ability to strike at a specific, vital point.
The Beak: Forming the sharp, tearing beak of the hawk, tasked with the most dangerous role, was the mighty Bhima. His mission was to meet the jaws of the crocodile head-on and break them.
The Head and Eyes: The head of the hawk was formed by Arjuna, with Krishna as his guide, the strategic brain of the entire operation. The keen eyes were Satyaki and Shikhandi, whose job was to spot and exploit weaknesses in the enemy's charge.
The Wings: The great wings of the hawk were commanded by Dhrishtadyumna on the left and the sons of Draupadi on the right, designed to swoop around the body of the crocodile once its head was engaged.
The Body and Tail: Yudhishthira, protected by Nakula and Sahadeva, formed the secure body of the bird, with Abhimanyu and the King of Matsya, Virata, forming a powerful and flexible tail, ready to reinforce any part of the formation that came under pressure.
The Pandava strategy was a brilliant counter. They would not try to stop the crocodile's charge but would meet it with the hawk's beak (Bhima). While the head of the crocodile was locked in combat, the head of the hawk (Arjuna) would direct the wings to swoop in from the sides, attacking the vulnerable body of the Makara. It was a classic contest of brute force versus tactical finesse, a battle between a monster of the deep and a predator of the skies. As the sun climbed higher, the hawk dove towards the crocodile, and the fifth day of the war began with a terrifying roar.
The fifth day's battle exploded with an intensity that surpassed all previous encounters. As planned, Bhima, at the beak of the Syena Vyuha, met the jaws of the Makara Vyuha head-on. He crashed into Bhishma's vanguard, his mace a whirlwind of destruction, and for a moment, the great crocodile's advance was halted. Arjuna, seeing his brother locked in a desperate struggle with the grandsire, surged forward to his aid, and the two greatest warriors on the field, Bhishma and Arjuna, became locked in a spectacular duel. Their arrows crossed in the sky, creating a canopy of gold and fire under which thousands of lesser warriors fought and died. The twang of their bows, the Gandiva and Bhishma's great war-bow, drowned out all other sounds on the battlefield.
While this epic confrontation held the attention of both armies, other critical duels erupted across the field. Drona, freed from his engagement with Arjuna, launched a furious assault on the Pandava ranks, only to be intercepted by the valiant Satyaki. The two great warriors, teacher and student's kinsman, clashed in a battle of supreme skill. Shikhandi, seeing his moment, charged directly at Bhishma. The grandsire, seeing the warrior who was Amba reborn, lowered his bow. His vow prevented him from fighting a woman, or one who had been a woman. He simply turned his chariot aside, ignoring Shikhandi's arrows and challenges, a silent acknowledgment of his own prophesied doom. An enraged Shikhandi, spurned by his fated enemy, then turned his fury upon Drona, joining Satyaki in his desperate attempt to hold back the great Acharya.