Chakra means ‘wheel’ and ‘vyuh’ means a battle formation. Chakravyuh is a seven-layered concentric arrangement of soldiers that keeps moving in circular motion. Soldiers from inner circle are more powerful than soldiers of immediate outer circle.
Legend has it that Abhimanyu learnt about piercing chakravyuh while in his mother Subhadra’s womb as he listened to his uncle Krishn explain war strategies. However, he could not know how to escape as his mother fell asleep midway through the conversation.
On the 13th day of war, Abhimanyu penetrated the sixth layer of chakravyuh and got trapped. Kaurav commanders attacked him simultaneously, which was against rules of war and killed him.
Our world of maya is also like a chakravyuh. Due to ignorance, we get trapped in it by enemies such as mind, lust, anger, greed, attachment, jealousy, pride, and our temptations, addictions, phobias, negative attitudes, and feel helpless and depressed.
Studying scriptures, Self-inquiry, surrendering to God, satsang, yog, dhyan and mindfulness in action are ways prescribed by sages to free ourselves from chakravyuh of life.
