The Kurukshetra War Day by Day

Quick answer: The Kurukshetra war lasted eighteen days. Bhishma commanded the Kaurava army for the first ten, Drona for the next five, Karna for two, and Shalya on the last day, when Duryodhana was struck down in a mace duel with Bhima. The Mahabharata itself says the war had reached eighteen days on that last day (9.23.16), and that Drona fought for five days (7.172.94).

This page follows the critical edition of the Mahabharata (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune). References are book.chapter.verse in that edition. For each day we give the place where the text marks its start (dawn) or its end (the withdrawal of the troops, avahara, or the return to camp). Popular day-by-day charts add events the text does not tie to a day; where retellings differ, we say so.

How the text marks the days

Sanjaya does not number every day. The days have to be counted from the text's own markers: phrases such as "when the night had passed" (prabhatayam tu sharvaryam) at dawn, and "the troops were withdrawn" (avaharam akurvanta) at dusk. Some days are named outright: the tenth (6.104.38, "when the tenth day came"), the seventeenth (8.51.2) and the eighteenth (9.23.16). The total also checks out from the commanders: Bhishma fought ten days (6.111.10, 7.1.33), Drona five (7.172.94) and Karna two (8.1.15).

Counted this way, the days fall as in the table below.

Days 1 to 10: Bhishma in command

Before the first arrow, Arjuna lost heart and Krishna taught him the Bhagavad Gita (6.23 to 6.40). Yudhishthira then walked unarmed to the Kaurava lines to ask the blessing of his elders (6.41). The whole Bhishma Parva is told back from the tenth day, when Sanjaya brings Dhritarashtra the news that Bhishma has fallen. For a book-length summary, see the Bhishma Parva summary.

Day 1

The armies met at sunrise (6.16.24). The Kauravas had the better of the day. Virata's young son Uttara was killed by Shalya, and Bhishma drove the Pandava army back until the troops were withdrawn (6.45.63).

Day 2

Next morning Arjuna was placed at the front of the Pandava array (6.46.41). Duryodhana sent the Kalinga army against Bhima, who fought it on his own (6.49.37 to 40 and 6.50). The day ended with the withdrawal of the troops (6.51.42).

Day 3

Krishna saw that Arjuna was holding back against Bhishma, his grandfather. He jumped down from the chariot and ran at Bhishma with his discus. Arjuna ran after him and held him back at the tenth step, promising to fight in earnest (6.55.86 to 98).

Day 4

Bhima killed several of Dhritarashtra's sons, among them Jalasandha, Sushena and Sulochana (6.60.28 to 32). That night a frightened Dhritarashtra asked why the Pandavas kept winning, and Sanjaya told him how Bhishma had answered the same question from Duryodhana, with praise of Krishna (6.61 to 6.64).

Day 5

In the afternoon, Satyaki's ten sons attacked Bhurishravas together, and he killed all ten (6.70.18 to 25). The troops were withdrawn at the end of the day (6.70.35).

Days 6 and 7

These two days are mostly general battle, with many single combats. The sixth begins "when the night had passed" (6.71.1) and the seventh "at clear dawn" (6.77.11); the seventh ends with the exhausted armies asleep in camp (6.82.56). Popular charts give each of these days a headline event, but the charts do not agree with each other, and the text does not single one out.

Day 8

Iravan, Arjuna's son by the naga princess Ulupi, was killed by a rakshasa fighting for the Kauravas (6.86.70). The day ended with the withdrawal of both armies (6.92.79). That night Duryodhana wounded Bhishma with harsh words, accusing him of sparing the Pandavas (6.94.1).

Day 9

Bhishma was unstoppable. Krishna leapt down a second time, now with only his whip in hand, and rushed at him (6.102). That night the Pandavas went to Bhishma's tent and asked him how he could be beaten. He told them that he would not fight Shikhandi, who had been born a woman, and that with Shikhandi in front of him Arjuna could strike him (6.103.77 to 100).

Day 10

The text names this day again and again, "the tenth day" (6.104.38, 6.111.1, 6.114.70). Arjuna attacked with Shikhandi before him. Bhishma would not shoot back at Shikhandi, and Arjuna's arrows brought him down. Bhishma lay on a bed of arrows to wait for the sun's northward turn before he died (6.114). See Bhishma in the Mahabharata.

Days 11 to 15: Drona in command

Day 11

Drona was made commander (7.5) and promised Duryodhana he would capture Yudhishthira alive (7.11 to 7.12). He did not manage it, and both armies returned to camp (7.16.1).

Day 12

That night the Samshaptakas, warriors sworn to kill Arjuna or die, made their vow, and the next day they drew Arjuna to the far side of the field (7.16 to 7.17). Arjuna killed Bhagadatta, king of Pragjyotisha, and his great elephant (7.28). The day ended with the withdrawal of the troops (7.32.3).

Day 13

Drona arranged the army in the chakravyuha, the wheel formation (7.33.12). Arjuna's son Abhimanyu broke in alone, was cut off and was killed (7.48.12 to 13). That evening Arjuna swore to kill Jayadratha before the next sunset or enter the fire (7.51.20 to 37). See Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuha.

Day 14

The day began at dawn with Drona's army drawn up to protect Jayadratha (7.63.1). Arjuna fought his way through and killed Jayadratha just before sunset (7.121). The fighting did not stop at dusk: the battle went on through the night by torchlight (7.129 to 7.130, 7.138). In the night, Karna used the spear given him by Indra to kill Ghatotkacha, Bhima's rakshasa son (7.154.50 to 60). Worn out, the soldiers fell asleep on the field and fought again later in the night (7.159.12 to 19, 7.159.50).

Day 15

The night battle ran on into the fifteenth day. Drona killed Drupada and Virata (7.161.34). Told by Yudhishthira that "Ashwatthama is dead", Drona put down his weapons and was killed by Dhrishtadyumna (7.164 to 7.165). The troops were withdrawn (7.172.92), and the text closes: having fought for five days, Drona went to the world of Brahma (7.172.94). See Drona and Ashwatthama.

Days 16 and 17: Karna in command

The Karna Parva opens by saying the two armies fought under Karna for two days (8.1.15).

Day 16

Karna was consecrated commander (8.6.43). The day was one of heavy fighting, and the armies returned to camp at nightfall (8.21.41).

Day 17

Next morning Karna asked Duryodhana to give him King Shalya as his charioteer (8.22.29 onwards). Krishna tells Arjuna that this is the seventeenth day of the war (8.51.2). Bhima killed Duhshasana and drank his blood, fulfilling the vow he had made in the dice hall (8.62.1, 8.62.10). Late in the day Karna's chariot wheel sank into the earth, and Arjuna killed him (8.66 to 8.67). See Karna's story.

Day 18: Shalya in command

Shalya, king of Madra, was made commander (9.6 to 9.7). Yudhishthira killed him with a spear (9.16.38 to 46). Sahadeva killed Shakuni, cutting off his head with an arrow (9.27.55 to 59). Arjuna reminded Krishna that "today it is eighteen days of this war" (9.23.16). With his army gone, Duryodhana hid in a lake (9.28 to 9.29); the Pandavas found him, and in the mace duel Bhima struck his thighs (9.57). See Duryodhana in the Mahabharata.

The night raid on the sleeping Pandava camp by Ashwatthama, Kripa and Kritavarman came after the eighteenth day, in the Sauptika Parva (10.8). It is not counted as a day of the war. See who survived the Kurukshetra war.

Where retellings differ

• Headline events for every day. Popular charts give each day one named event. For days 6 and 7 the critical edition describes general battle, and the charts give different events for those days.
• Krishna and his weapon. The text has two scenes: the discus on day 3 (6.55) and the whip on day 9 (6.102). Many retellings tell only one of them.
• The end of day 14 and day 15. In the text the fourteenth day runs into a night battle, the armies sleep on the field, and fighting resumes in the night. Charts draw a clean line between the two days; the text does not, so the day a chart gives for that night's events is a convention.
• Additions not in the critical edition. Episodes such as Barbarika watching the war, or Krishna covering the sun before Jayadratha's death, belong to later tellings. In the critical edition Jayadratha is killed just before sunset, without any darkness. See Barbarika.

Frequently asked questions

How many days did the Kurukshetra war last?

Eighteen days. Arjuna says so on the last day (9.23.16).

Who commanded the Kaurava army on each day?

Bhishma on days 1 to 10, Drona on days 11 to 15, Karna on days 16 and 17, and Shalya on day 18.

On which day did Bhishma fall?

The tenth day (6.104.38, 6.114).

On which day was Abhimanyu killed?

The thirteenth day, in the chakravyuha (7.33 to 7.48).

On which day did Karna die?

The seventeenth day (8.51.2, 8.67).

Was there fighting at night?

Yes, once. After Jayadratha's death on the fourteenth day, the battle went on through the night by torchlight (7.129 onwards).

Is the night raid on the Pandava camp part of the eighteen days?

No. Ashwatthama's raid comes after the eighteenth day, in the Sauptika Parva (10.8).

Who commanded the Pandava army?

Dhrishtadyumna, son of Drupada, throughout the war.

Related reading

• Mahabharata: The Complete Guide
• Bhishma Parva summary
• Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuha
• Karna's story
• Who survived the Kurukshetra war
• The Bhagavad Gita guide

Sources

1. The Mahabharata, critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, 1933 to 1966); electronic text BORI 1999, via Indology: Bhishma Parva MBh06, Drona Parva MBh07, Karna Parva MBh08, Shalya Parva MBh09. References are book.chapter.verse in this edition.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.