Vyūha (Sanskrit:व्यूह) means - 'to arrange troops in a battle array (formation)', 'to arrange, put or place in order, to dispose, separate, divide, alter, transpose, disarrange, resolve (vowels syllables etc.)'. Its root is व्यः which means - a 'cover' or 'veil'. This word also refers to emanation and to the manifest power of LordVishnu.^[1] It has different meanings depending on the doctrine of the treatise and the context, such as revealing of the knowledge of Vedas, and the war formations of Mahabharata.

In theUpanishads the wordvyūha occurs once, in śloka 16 of theIsha Upanishad:

पूषन्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य प्राजापत्यव्यूह रश्मिन्समूह |

तेजो यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि ||

Pūṣann ekarṣe yama Sūrya Prājāpatya vyūha raśmin samūha, tejo yat te rūpaṁ kalyāṇatamaṁ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sāv asau puruṣaḥ so 'ham asmi.

"O Sun, sole traveler of the Heavens, controller of all,Sūrya, son ofPrajāpati;remove thy rays and gather up the burning light. I behold thy glorious form; I am he, thePurusha within thee."

In this passagevyūha means "remove" (to a distance).

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The sage declares that the Truth is concealed in theVedas, covered by a golden lid or vessel^[2]Bādarāyaṇa, by declaring – utpatty-asambhavāt (उत्पत्त्यसम्भवात्) (Owing to the impossibility of origin) -Brahma-Sūtras (II.ii.42) refutes theBhāgavata view that theCatur-vyūha forms originate successively fromVasudeva, for any origin for the soul is impossible, an implement cannot originate from its agent who wields it.^[3] Whereas in avyūha an army re-sets its different able warriors and weaponry into a specific arrangement as per battle demands, the Supreme Being re-sets the contents of consciousness through yogamaya with each formation concealing yet another formation. The five layers of matter (prakrti) that constitute the human body are the five sheaths (pañcakośa), one moves inwards from the visible layers through more refined invisible layers in search of own true self.^[4]

Caturvyūha
The "Four emanations"

Front:Vāsudeva and his kinsmen emanating from him.

Back:Kadamba tree and branches showing their relationship.

TheCaturvyūha, showing the four emanation ofNārāyaṇa,^[5] or laterVishnu.^[6]Vāsudeva is four-armed, and is fittingly in the center with his decorated heavy mace on the side and holding a conch, his elder brotherBalarama to his right under a serpent hood, his sonPradyumna to his left (lost), and his grandsonAniruddha on top.^[6] The back of the statue shows the trunk of a tree with branches, thus highlighting the genealogical relationship between the divinities.^[7] 2nd century CE,Art of Mathura,Mathura Museum.

ThePāñcarātra Āgama, which are based onEkāyana recension of theŚukla Yajurveda, is later than theVedas but earlier than theMahabharata. The maināgamas are theVaiṣṇava (worship ofVishnu), theŚaiva (worship ofShiva) and theŚākta (worship ofDevi orShakti)āgamas; allāgamas are elaborate systems ofVedic knowledge. According toVedanta Desika, thePāñcarātra āgama teaches the five-fold daily religious duty consisting of –abhigamana,upādāna,ijyā,svādhyāya andyoga, the name of thisāgama is derived on account of its description of the five-fold manifestation of the Supreme Being viz,para (supreme or the transcendental form),vyūha (formation or manifestation as the fourvyūha),vibhava (reincarnation or descent to earth as avtāra),arcā (visible image of God) andantaryāmi (cosmic form of God).Lakshmi accompanies Vishnu in HisChatur-vyūha (four-fold manifestation) asVāsudeva (creator),Saṅkarṣaṇa (sustainer),Pradyumna (destroyer), andAniruddha (spiritual knowledge promulgator). This is theVaiṣṇava doctrine ofVyūha orthe doctrine of formation.^[8]

The Chatur-vyūha forms of Viṣṇu are related to four of the six causes of creation which six are God Himself as the final cause of creation and His five aspects – Narāyaṇa (thinking), Vāsudeva (feeling), Sankarśana (willing), Pradyumna (knowing), and Aniruddha (acting) successively. Each divinity controls its specific creative energy.^[9] The six gunas –jnana (omniscience),aishvarya (lordship),shakti (potency),bala (force),virya (virtue) andtejas (self-sufficiency), acting in pairs and in totality, are the instruments and the subtle material of pure creation.Vyūhas are the first beings created, and they represent the effective parts of a coherent whole.^[10] Here,vyūha means – projection; the projection of thesvarūpa ('own form') asbahurūpa ('manifest variously').^[11]

TheMahabharata and theManu Samhita list by name and formation manyvyūhas ('battle formations'), some were small in size and others, gigantic, such as:^[12]

1. Ardha-chandra-vyūha ('crescent moon formation'),
2. Chakra-vyūha ('circular formation') a large formation was devised by theKauravas in whichAbhimanyu, son ofArjuna, was trapped never to emerge alive.
3. Garbha-vyūha ('womb-shaped formation'),
4. Makara-vyuha ('crocodile formation'), adopted byBhishma in theKurukshetra War^[13]
5. Mandala vyuha ('galaxy formation'),
6. Oormi vyuha ('ocean formation'),
7. Shakata-vyūha ('cart-shaped formation'),
8. Sarvatobhadra-vyūha ('grand formation'),
9. Suchi-vyūha ('needle-shaped formation'),
10. Shyena-vyuha (also calledGaruda Vyuh) ('eagle formation'). At the commencement of the Kurukshetra War which lasted for eighteen days, thePandavas, being aware that Bhishma stood protected by the "makara vyuha" and was ready for battle, they had adopted the invincible "sheyna vyuha" withBhima leading stationed at the mouth andArjuna stationed at the neck of the bird-shapedvyuha, andYudhishthira patrolling the rear.^[13]
11. Vajra-vyūha was large a three-fold formation of warriors.

InMahāyāna Buddhism, the wordvyūha means "arrangement", the like of marvelous, supernatural, magical arrangements, or supernatural manifestations.^[14] It is also extant in thePali language, where it means "an array" or "grouping of troops."^[15]

The term is also found among the titles of someBuddhist texts. InPure Land Buddhism, the character ofAmitābha Buddha is elaborated upon in both theLonger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra and theShorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra. The term "Sukhāvatīvyūha" may translated as "description ofSukhāvatī".^[16] TheKāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra has been translated as "The Basket’s Display".^[17]

• Hindu texts
• Indian martial arts

v t e Pāñcarātra system[18][19][20]
	Vyūhas	Image	Attributes	Symbol[21][22]		Direction	Face		Concept
Narayana Vishnu	Vāsudeva		Chakra Wheel Gadā Mace Shankha Conch	Garuda Eagle		East	Saumya (Placid/ benevolent)		Jṅāna Knowledge
	Samkarsana		LāṅgalaPlough MusalaPestle Wine glass	Tala Fan palm		South	Simha Lion		Bala Strength
	Pradyumna		Cāpa Bow Bāṇa Arrow	Makara Crocodile		West	Raudra Kapila		Aiśvaryā Sovereignty
	Aniruddha		Carma Shield Khaḍga Sword	Ṛṣya (ऋष्य) White-footed antelope		North	Varaha Boar		Śakti Power

• Hindu philosophical concepts
• Buddhist philosophical concepts
• Vedas
• Vedanta

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