Ashwatthama was born to Dronacharya and his wife, Kripi, before he found employment at the Kuru household as the preceptor of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Kripi was the twin sister of Kripacharya, an important and respected council member in the court of Hastinapur, the capital of the Kuru kingdom. 

The couple performed severe penances to Lord Shiva, who finally blessed them with a son. Ashwatthama was born with a divine jewel on his forehead. Thanks to this, He did not know hunger and thirst and was safe from all kinds of illnesses and weapons. 

He grew up with the five Pandavas and the 100 Kauravas as his schoolmates and constant companions. The rivalry between the Kuru cousins started early on, years before the Kurukshetra war, the war that ended all wars, the war that is believed to have led humanity into the Kalki Yuga.

From the beginning, Ashwatthama and the eldest Kaurava, Duryodhana, were steadfast friends. He didn’t share the same rapport with the Pandavas. 

When the Kurukshetra war broke out, it was no surprise that Ashwatthama chose to fight on the side of the Kauravas. The 18-day war was bloody and terrible, with thousands of lives lost on both sides. Nearly all the warriors on both warring sides died, with only a few surviving. The Pandavas emerged victorious under the skilful, divine guidance of Krishna, one of the most powerful, beloved, and revered avatars of Lord Vishnu.

Dronacharya was killed on the 15th day by Dhrishtadyumna, brother of Draupadi and the crown prince of the Panchala kingdom. It was not easy to kill the powerful guru of the Kuru clan. His fighting prowess was enviable, and his knowledge of weaponry was even more so.

The only way was to disarm him first and catch him unguarded. Krishna came up with a plan for this. Guru Drona’s undying love for his son was known to all. Ashwatthama was his life. Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, was known for his strong stance on truth and dharma. He was never known to lie at all. 

If Guru Drona were made to believe that his son had been killed, he would lose his desire to fight. In that unguarded moment, he could be vanquished. After much coaxing by Krishna, Yudhisthira agreed to lie to Dronacharya but with a rider. First, they had to kill an elephant named Ashwatthama.

When Guru Drona was at the height of his fighting on the battlefield, he heard the news that Ashwatthama had been killed. Although shocked at the news, he was unwilling to accept it.

“No weapon can kill Ashwatthama. The jewel on his forehead protects him. I will believe this news only if Yudhisthira himself confirms it.”

So, Yudhisthira came to Dronacharya and said, “Yes, Ashwatthama (the elephant) lies dead on the battlefield,” whispering “the elephant” so Dronacharya wouldn’t hear it. 

Dronacharya was devastated and dropped his weapons in a reflexive action. In this instant, Dhrishtadhyumna shot an arrow at the unarmed Guru of the Kuru clan, which found its fatal mark. Dronacharya fell down dead. 

Ashwatthama Fumes

Ashwatthama fumed with grief and fury at the unjust way his father was killed. “How can he call himself Dharmaraja, the King of Truth? Yudhisthira doesn’t deserve the title!” But helplessness reigned high on his mind. He didn’t understand how to deal with all the powerful emotions at play. He was scared he’d do something wrong if he put his feelings into action. 

The war favoured the Pandavas now that the two most important stalwarts of the Kaurava army, Bhishma, who gave up fighting on the 10th day, and Dronacharya, couldn’t fight anymore. The battle raged on for another three days, sending thousands more warriors to their dreadful deaths even as the cries of horrendous grief from newly widowed women and newly orphaned children rent the air, sending shivers down the spines of the apparently living. 

On the 18th day, Duryodhana was grievously wounded in a mace fight with Bheema. He lay on the battlefield, bleeding profusely and painfully,  awaiting the God of Death to release him from his earthly bonds.

Ashwatthama came to see his dearest friend. Till then, he had believed that his sadness couldn’t get worse. Seeing his best friend lying helplessly, bleeding to a painful death, Ashwatthama was appalled. His heart broke, and unimaginable ire-driven grief flowed unabatedly, touching every nerve in his body.

“This cannot go unavenged, Duryodhana. They call themselves protectors of Dharma, and yet, umpteen times, they broke the laws of fighting without batting an eyelid. They killed my father by adharmic means. They killed Karna by adharmic means. Now, you lie here, helpless and alone. Never have I seen you like this!”

As he spoke, rage filled Ashwatthama’s body and mind. The craving for revenge overtook his soul. He didn’t even notice that night had fallen. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, he unsheathed his sword and ran towards the Pandava camp, where everyone was asleep. 

He first killed Dhrishtadhyma, his father’s slayer. He then moved to the next camp and found five sleeping men, their heads covered. Without thinking, he killed all of them and rushed out of the tent, yelling, “There, the Pandavas are also dead. No one has won this war!”

His anger clouded his judgment, and there was no stopping him. He released the Brahmastra towards the unborn child of Abhimanyu, growing in Princess Uttara’s womb. Krishna came in time and saved the baby by deflecting the powerful weapon unleashed thoughtlessly. 

When his rage abated, Ashwatthama ran as fast as he could from the massacre he created. But he couldn’t get far. He was captured and brought before the Pandavas. He looked confused when he saw them. 

“I killed all of you!”

Then his eyes fell on the five bodies! They were Draupadi’s five sons, born of the Pandava brothers: Prativindya of Yudhisthira, Sutasoma of Bhima, Shrutakarma of Arjuna, Shatanika of Nakula, and Shrutasena of Sahadeva! Innocent, guileless, and young! 

He was aghast! This was why he couldn’t act before. He knew his anger could take irreparable shapes and sizes. 

But it was too late to undo his unforgivable, horrible mistake. His desire for revenge was not his undoing as much as his thoughtless actions of killing sleeping innocent children. He cried unabashedly, his anger melting away from his body in tears, leaving behind a soulless, heartless shell!

He was ready for punishment. He saw unmitigated anger on the Pandava brothers’ faces. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Draupadi. But she kept staring at him. He finally lifted his head and met her gaze.

Strangely, she was calm and peaceful. As if there were nothing more to lose. His face, on the contrary, contorted with guilt-ridden agony.

“Death is the only punishment for my abomination,” he said to her.

Bhima and Arjuna charged towards him, ready to kill him. But Draupadi held them back. 

“No, there’s been enough lives lost. Moreover, it would be a horrible sin to kill the son of your guru. Forgive him and let him go.”

Krishna smiled sadly at his beautiful but war-ravaged cousin. She finally seemed to understand the futility of the war. Turning to Ashwatthama, he said, “Your sins cannot go unpunished.”

Ashwatthama – the Cursed Immortal

He then turned to Bhima. “Cut off the divine jewel from his crown. Without that, he will lose all the powers he was born with.”

The pain of pulling out the jewel was nothing short of excruciating, not to mention the gash that would remain for the rest of his life.

“That’s for killing the Upa Pandavas,” said Krishna. “For using the Brahmastra to kill the unborn child of Abhimanyu, something worse awaits you.”

Ashwatthama’s face filled with horror and fear. What could be worse than this? Death? 

“I deserve to die!”

“No, not death. That would be too easy. Something far worse,” Krishna continued, “you will roam the earth eternally, living a hellish life of repentance and regret, helpless to do anything to change the consequences of your horrific action.”

Bhima cut off the chain around Ashwathama’s hands. He was free to go, disgraced, dishonoured, and cursed to remain an Immortal until the end of the Kali Yuga. 

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.