ராதே கிருஷ்ணா 31-05-2016
அஸ்வத்தாமா - குந்தி ஸ்துதி
அஸ்வத்தாமா - குந்தி ஸ்துதி
Ashwatthama
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Ashwatthama
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Ashwatthama uses Narayanastra
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Information
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Family
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Drona (father)
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A
character of the Indian epic Mahābhārata, Ashwatthama (Sanskrit:
अश्वत्थामा, Aśvatthāmā)
or Ashwatthaman (Sanskrit:
अश्वत्थामन्,Aśvatthāman)
or Drauni was
the son of guru Drona and
he is the grandson of the Brahmin saga Bharadwaja.
Ashwatthama is a mighty Maharathi[1] who
fought on the Kaurava side
against the Pandavas.
Ashwatthama is the avatar of one of the eleven Rudrasand
he is one of the seven Chiranjivi.[2] Along
with his maternal uncle Kripa,
Ashwatthama is believed to be a living survivor of theKurukshetra
War.[3] The
rumours about his death led to the death of Drona by Prince
Dhrishtadyumna.
After Arjuna and Karna,
Ashwatthama killed most number of warriors in the Kurukshetra
war.
Along
with sage Parashurama,
sage Vyasa and
sage Kripa, Aswatthama is considered to be foremost among the
rishis in Kaliyuga.[4]Aswatthama
will become the next sage Vyasa, who in turn divide the Veda in
29th Mahayuga of 7th Manvantara.[5] Aswatthama
will also become one of the Saptarishi in
the 8th Manvantara along with sage Vyasa, sage Kripa and sage
Parashurama.[6] Like
Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Karna,
and Arjuna, he is a master of the science of weapons and is
regarded as the foremost among warriors.[7] Aswatthama
studied Dhanurveda or martial arts and Brahmavidya or the science
of the self or atma from
Lord Parasurama, Maharishi Durvasa, Maharishi Ved Vyasa, Bhishma,
Kripa and Drona. Aswatthama is the master of all forms of knowledge
and possesses complete mastery over 64 forms of arts or Kalas and
18 Vidyas or branches of knowledge.The Mahabharatha describes him
as being incredibly tall, with dark skin, dark eyes, and with a gem
in his forehead.[8]
Contents
Etymology
According
to The
Mahabharata,
Aswatthaman means "the horse-voiced".[9][10] It
is so called because when he was born he cried like a horse[11]
Birth and Life Prior to the War
Ashwatthama
was the son of Dronacharya and Kripi. Drona did many years of
severe penance to please Lord Shiva in
order to obtain a son who possesses the same valiance as Lord
Shiva. Ashwatthama was born to become a Chiranjivi and
cannot be killed by any kind of weapons.[12] Ashwatthama
was born with a gem in his forehead which gives him power over all
living beings lower than humans; it protected him from hunger,
thirst and fatigue.This gem is supposed to protect him from attacks
by ghosts, demons, poisonous insects, snakes, animals etc.
Drona's love for Ashwatthama
Drona loved
his son very dearly. Dronacharya was very poor. Once when
Ashwatthama was a child, he desired to drink milk,
like he had seen friends drink. Not even owning acow,
Ashwatthama painted his lips with a mixture of wheat
flour with
water, making it seem as if he had drank milk. This scene saddened
Dronacharya. He remembered his childhood friend Drupada,
who in a spurt of youthful exuberance, had promised to give
Drona half
of whatever he had.
Dronacharya went to the court of Drupada to ask for a cow. King
Drupada humiliated Drona, saying friendship existed only between
equals. He told Drona to ask as a Brahmin asks
for alms,
but not as a friend, and Drupada would do his kingly duty and
provide whatever he asked. Refusing, Dronacharya returned
empty-handed and humiliated.
After
this incident, on seeing the plight of Dronacharya, Kripacharya,
who was teaching the Kuru princes,
invited Drona to Hastinapur.
There, he came upon the attention of his co-disciple Bhishma.
Thus, Dronacharya became the guru of the Pandavas and
of the Kauravas in
Hastinapur. Ashwatthama was trained in the art of warfare along
with them.[13]
Avatar of Lord Shiv
Ashwattham,
the powerful son of Drona, though known as the part incarnate
of Rudra,
was really born of the four parts of Yama,
Rudra,Kama(Cupidity) and Krodha(Anger). Just before Mahabaratha
war, Bhishma himself declared that it will be virtually impossible
for anyone to kill or defeat Ashwatthama in war as he is the part
incarnate of Lord Shiva and
he because was born to become a Chiranjivi.
Bhishma said when Ashwatthama becomes angry then it will be
impossible to fight him as he becomes a second Shiva. No one can
handle his wrath and fury. Bhishma told Duryodhana[14]
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Amongst the warriors of
both armies, there is no one who can be regarded as his peer.
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Lord
Krishna and
sage Vyasa also knew about this and they advised Arjuna to seek the
blessing of Lord Siva himself to defeat Kaurava army in war
otherwise it will be impossible to defeat the army containing
Ashwatthama,the part incarnate of Lord Siva. While Arjun was doing
penance, Lord
Indra went
to Arjuna in the guise of a celibate and asked about the purpose
for which he was doing penance. Arjuna told him that he wanted to
defeat the Kauravas. Indra then told Arjuna that it was not in his
capacity to help him achieve victory over the Kauravas, because of
Ashwatthama who was a partial incarnation of Shiva. Indra advised
Arjuna to please lord Shiva by his penance so that his wishes could
be fulfilled. Lord Siva blessed victory to Arjuna but warned that
it is impossible for anyone to kill Ashwatthama or agitate his
anger. Later the false story of Ashwatthama's death led to the
assassination of his father Guru Drona.The tragic death of Drona
made Aswathama extremely angry and these events led to the complete
annihilation of Pandava lineage by the hands of Ashwatthama
himself.[15]
Role in the Kurukshetra war
Siding with the Kauravas
Since Hastinapura,
ruled by King Dhritarashtra,
offered Dronacharya the
privilege of teaching the Kuru princes,
both Dronacharya and Ashwatthama were loyal to Hastinapur and
fought for the Kauravas in
the Kurukshetra
war.
Before Dronacharya's death, Ashwatthama visited his father,
desiring a blessing of victory, but Dronacharya refused. He advised
Ashwatthama to win the war using his own strength and not through a
blessing from him. Earlier, Dronacharya's favorite disciple and
Pandava prince Arjuna had
already obtained such a blessing from Drona.
Despite
his friendship with the Pandavas, Ashwatthama had great familiarity
with Duryodhana.
He was attracted to Duryodhana's gregarious nature, and to
Duryodhana's largesse bestowed upon him. Moreover, just as
Duryodhana believed that the Pandavas were taking his birthright to
the crown, Ashwatthama felt that Arjuna was usurping his place in
Drona's heart.
Death of Drona
On
the 10th day of the war, Bhishma falls,
and Drona is
named the supreme commander of the armies. He promises Duryodhana
that he will capture Yudhishthira,
but then he repeatedly fails to do so. Duryodhana taunts and
insults him, which greatly angers Ashwatthama, causing friction
between Ashwatthama and Duryodhana. Lord Krishna knew
that it was not possible to defeat an armed Drona. Krishna also
knew that Drona loved his son Ashwatthama very dearly. So, Krishna
suggested to Yudhishthira and
other Pāṇḍava brothers that, if he were convinced that his son
was killed on the battlefield, then Droṇācārya would be so sad
that he would lay down all his arms on the ground and it would be
easier to kill him.
In
order to find a way out,Lord Kṛiṣhna suggested Bhīma to kill
an elephant by name Ashwatthama and claim to Droṇācārya that he
has killed Droṇacharya's son Aśvatthāma. After killing the
elephant as suggested; he loudly proclaimed that he had killed
Aśvatthāma. Droṇācārya however, did not believe Bhīma's
words as he knew that it was impossible for anyone to kill
Aśvatthāma and he approached Yudhishthira. Droṇa knew of
Yudhiṣṭhira's firm adherence to Dharma and that he would never
ever utter a lie. When Droṇācārya approached Yudhiṣṭhira
and questioned him as to whether his son was dead, Yudhiṣṭhira
responded with the cryptic 'Aśvatthāma is dead. But it is an
elephant and not your son'( Sanskrit: Aśvatthāmā hatho hataḥ,
अश्वत्थामा
हतोहतः)( Sanskrit:
naro vā kuñjaro vā, नरो
वा,
कुञ्जरो
वा).Kṛiṣhṇa
also knew that it was not possible for Yudhiṣṭhira to lie
outright. On his instructions, the other warriors blew trumpets and
conches, raising a tumultuous noise in such a way that Droṇācārya
only heard that "Aśvatthāma was dead"( Sanskrit:
Aśvatthāmā hatho hataḥ, अश्वत्थामा
हतोहतः),
but could not hear the latter part of Yudhiṣṭhira's
reply( Sanskrit:
naro vā kuñjaro vā, नरो
वा,
कुञ्जरो
वा)..
Drona
descended from his chariot, laid down his arms and sat in
meditation. Closing his eyes, his soul
went to heaven in
search of Ashwatthama's soul. Dhrishtadyumna took
this opportunity and beheaded the unarmed Drona. Though it was
highly prohibited according to the rules of the war as agreed by
the 2 parties before the fight to kill an unarmed warrior or
attacking from the back Pandavas and Lord Krishna bend these rules
to kill Dronacharya. Thus, on the 15th day of battle,Guru Drona was
cheated to death by Lord Krishna and Pandava brothers,especially
Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira's chariot which was floating on the air
from the beginning of the war due to his high virtue fell down to
earth after this act and later Yudhishthira is supposed to have
gone to hell for a while after his death due to this particular
action. It was the sole unethical act of Yudhishthira during his
entire period of life.
Narayanastra
Ashwatthama
rages and the furious Ashwatthama unleashed Narayanastra on
the Pandava army. The Narayanastra was the personal weapon of lord
Vishnu in his Narayana form. Earlier Lord Narayana gifted this
weapon to Drona and Drona himself passed this terrible astra to his
son Ashwatthama. Only Drona, Ashwatthama, and Lord Krishna
possessed the knowledge of this weapon. This astra fires a powerful
tirade of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously. The intensity
of the shower increases with resistance. The only way of defense
towards this missile, is to show total submission before the
missiles hit. This in turn will cause this weapon to stop and spare
the target.When it was used, Ekadasha (Eleven) Rudras appeared in
the sky to destroy Pandavas. Millions of types of weapons like
Chakra, Gadha, ultra sharp arrows appeared in rage to destroy them.
Whoever tried to offend were destroyed and large number of Pandava
troops died. Lord Krishna, who is an Avatar of Vishnu tells the
Pandavas and their warriors to drop their weapons and lie down on
the ground, so that they all surrender completely to the power of
this weapon. When targeted, Bhima refuses to surrender thinking
that it as a cowardice act, and attacks the downpour of fiery
arrows. The Narayana weapon concentrates its shower on him, and he
gets steadily exhausted and severely injured. However, he was not
killed as Krishna and his brothers restrained him and asked him to
surrender.This act of surrender saved the lives of Bhima and
Pandava brothers.[16]
The
Narayana astra destroyed one Akshauhini of Pandava army
completely.After the use of Narayana astra, terrible war between
both armies took place. Ashwatthama defeated Dhrishtadyumna in
direct combat, but failed to kill because many Pandava mahartha's
came for the aid of Dhrishtadyumna and fought together against
Ashwatthama. Though it was prohibited,Pandava maharatha's broke the
code of engagement by fighting together against a single maharatha
to protect Dhrishtadyumna. Then kaurava warriors came to the aid of
but Ashwatthama but Dhrishtadyumna was saved by Satyaki and Bhima.
Terrible war took place between the maharatha's of both sides and
Ashwatthama defeated Satyaki and Bhima in direct combat and both
fled away from the battle field. Yudhishthira blamed himself for
the heavy loss he suffered at the hands of Ashwatthama.[17]
During the war he
killed many prominent warriors like Suratha, Satrunjaya, Valanika,
Jayanika, Jaya, Prishdhra, Chandrasena, ten sons of Kuntibhoja,
Srutayus, Satrunjaya, Anjanaparvan, Nila and Malaydhawaja.
Remainder of the War
Despite
his animosity, after the death of Dushasana,
Ashwatthama still suggested Duryodhana that he make peace with the
Pandavas, keeping in mind the welfare of Hastinapur. Duryodhana
strongly rejected his suggestion.Later after being struck down
by Bhima below
the waist during mace fight and facing death,King Duryodhana send
messenger for the remaining 3 survivors of the war from Kaurava
side. Kripa, Kritavarma and Ashwatthama rushed to the spot of
Duryodhana after hearing the message. Duryodhana told them[18]
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You should never repose
any confidence upon the Pandavas, those violators of rules, who
have perpetrated many unrighteous acts! I have, in battle, been
slain by Bhimasena most unrighteous way!.Never ever forget how
they cheated and slayed Bhishma, Drona, Karna and Bhurishrava!
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Hearing
these Ashwatthama flamed up in anger and told Duryodhana[19]
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My sire(Drona) was slain
by those wretches with a cruel contrivance. That act, however,
doth not burn me so keenly as this plight to which thou hast
been reduced, O king! Listen to these words of mine that I
utter,swearing by Truth itself, O lord, and by all my acts of
piety, all my gifts, my religion, and the religious merits I
have won. I shall today, in the very presence of Vasudeva,
despatch all the Pancalas, by all means in my power, to the
abode of Yama. It behoveth thee, O monarch, to grant me
permission!
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Hearing these words
Duryodhana made Ashwatthama as the commander of his army and said
to Kripa and Kritavarma
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O preceptor(Kripa), bring
me without delay a pot full of water!.Let the son of Drona, be
at my command installed as generalissimo, if thou wishest to do
me the good!
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Attack on Pandava Camp
On
the night a very disturbed and restless Ashwatthama was sitting
sleepless under a large tree planning about future actions to be
taken. An owl ambushing
a group of crows caught his attention. This gave him an idea of
attacking the Pandava camp
at night. He gathered the only other surviving
Kaurava warriors—Kritavarma and
Kripacharya and attacked the Pandava camp on the 18th night of the
Kurukshetra war.
Ashvatthama
said to Kripacharya and Kritavarma.[20]
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The Pandavas broken the
bridge of righteousness into a hundred fragments. My father
(Drona), Karna, Shantanu's son Bhishma, Bhurishrava and
Duryodhana hath been slain unrighteously by the Pandavas and
Panchalas in the very sight of all the lords of earth.The
unrighteous and sinful Pancalas, who have broken down the
barrier of virtue. Having slain the Pancalas, those slayers of
my sire (Drona), in the night when they are buried in sleep, I
care not if I am born a worm or a winged insect in my next life.
That which I have resolved is hurrying me towards its
accomplishment
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The
3 warriors proceeded to the Pandava camp. Kripa and Kritavarma
waited outside for slaying those who come out of the camp and
Ashvatthama proceeded into the camp. When reached there,Ashvatthama
found a Bhairava guarding
the Pandava camp assigned by Lord Krishna for the protection of
Pandavas and resisted his every attempt to enter into Pandava camp.
So Ashvatthama worshiped Lord Shiva for the fulfillment of his
desires.Ashvatthama offered himself as an oblation to Lord Shiva
into the fire. He prayed to Lord Shiva.[21]
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Sprung from Angirasa's
line, I am about to pour my soul, O god, as a libation on this
fire! Accept, O lord, this victim! In this hour of distress, O
Soul of the universe, I offer up my own self as the sacrificial
victim, from devotion to thee and with heart concentrated in
meditation! All creatures are in thee and thou art in all
creatures! Assemblage of all high attributes occur in thee! O
lord, O thou art the refuge of all creatures. I wait as a
libation for thee, since I am unable to vanquish my foes. Accept
me, O god.
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Having
said these words, Ashvatthama offered himself up as the victim into
sacrificial fire and entered that blazing fire. Seeing this,the
pleased Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati in
her most ferocious Kali form
appeared before Ashvatthama with their gana's.
There appeared millions of Siva ganas who where extremely
frightening and fierce for the aid of Ashvatthama. Also there
appeared millions of Kali Sakthis, Kalika Nityas and Kalika
Yoginis. They eagerly awaited for the impending massacre. Lord Siva
smilingly told Ashvatthama.[22]
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With truth, purity,
sincerity, resignation, ascetic austerities, vows,forgiveness,
devotion, patience, thought, and word, I have been duly adored
by Krishna. For honoring him and at his word I have protected
the Pancalas and displayed diverse kinds of illusion. By
protecting the Pancalas I have honored him. They have, however,
been afflicted by time. The period of their lives hath run out.
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Having
said these words to Ashvatthama, Lord Shiva entered into
Ashvatthama's body after giving him an excellent and polished
sword. Filled by that divine being, Ashvatthama blazed up with
energy. In consequence of that energy derived from the godhead,
Ashvatthama became all-powerful in battle.Kali appeared in her most
terrible form with 64 hands with different kinds of weapons for the
aid of Ashwathama and for the destruction of Pandava army. The
appearance of Kali was earlier prophasised and Lord Krishna knew
about this in advance,so he purposely kept 5 Pandava princes and
Satyaki away from Panava camp and stayed at the camp of Duryodhana.
Since the beginning of the war many Pandava soldiers saw horrific
dreams about a ferocious form and considered this as a very bad
omen. This ferocious being was inturn Mahakali and their dream came
true. Siva and Kali gana's,
many invisible beings, pisachas, rakshasas and all kinds of evil
spirits proceeded along with Ashvatthama's right and his left side
as he set out, like the lord Shiva himself, for entering the camp
of his foes.With the sword of Lord Shiva, Ashvatthama and Siva
Ganas burned the entire Pandava camp to ashes leaving nothing
behind. Hearing the loud and frightening roars of the Gana's
the entire Pandava camp wakes up. Ashvatthama first kicked and woke
up Dhrishtadyumna, the commander of the Pandava army and the killer
of his father Drona.They both fought with bare hands and
Dhrishtadyumna was no match for Ashvatthama empowered with Lord
Shiva.
Dhrishtadyumna
begged for mercy at the foot of Ashvatthama.[23] He
strangled Dhrishtadyumna to death and fought with entire remaining
Pandava army alone.He moved on and fought
with Shikhandi, Uttamaujas and
many other prominent warriors of the Pandava army and killed all of
them in direct fight.None of them was able to resist Ashvatthama
empowered by Lord Shiva.Those who tried to flee from Ashwatthama's
wrath, were hacked down by Kripacharyya and Kritavarma at the
camp's entrance.Siva ganas assisted Ashwatthama, attacked and
killed the Pandavas and Panchalas and feasted upon them. Siva
ganas, Kalika Nityas,Sakthis and Yoginins drank the blood of the
soldiers and danced in joy. Hearing the loud noise inside the
camp Upapandavas came
with weapons and Ashvatthama fought with them and killed all of
them. After destroying the entire Pandava camp, Ashwatthama
proceeds towards Duryodana with
the cut off heads of 5 Pandava sons.He told Duryodhana that he only
managed to kill the Pandava's children as the Pandavas were not
there, and this makes Duryodhana happy, as that means the
Pandava lineage would
die out.Ashwatthama told Duryodhana.[24]
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O Duryodhana, thou hast
any life in thee still, listen to these words that are so
pleasant to hear. On the side of the Pandavas, only seven are
alive, and among the Dhartarashtras, only we three! The seven on
their side are the five brothers and Vasudeva and Satyaki; on
our side, we three are myself and Kripa and Kritavarma! All the
sons of Draupadi have been slain, as also all the children of
Dhrishtadyumna! All the Pancalas too have been slain, as also
the remnant of the Matsyas, O Bharata! Behold the vengeance
taken for what they had done! The Pandavas are now childless!
Penetrating into their camp in the night, O king, I have slain
Dhrishtadyumna, that wight of sinful deeds, as one kills an
animal.
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Duryodhana
then, having heard those words that were so agreeable to his heart,
regained his senses and replied to Ashwatthama.[25]
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That which neither Ganga's
son (Bhishma), nor Karna, nor thy sire (Drona), could achieve,
hath at last been achieved by thee today, accompanied by Kripa
and Bhoja. Thou hast slain that low wretch (Dhrishtadyumna) who
was commander of the Pandava forces, as also Shikhandi. In
consequence of this I regard myself equal to Maghavat himself!
Good be to you all! Let prosperity be yours! All of us will
again meet together in heaven!
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Duryodhana died
happily after hearing this and the 3 remaining warriors of Kaurava
army done the cremation of Duryodhana. After these events Lord
Shiva exited out of the body of Ashwatthama and left along with his
ganas to his abode Kailas.
The
Pandavas and Krishna who were away during night, now returned to
their camp the next day morning.Hearing the news of these events in
the morning Yudhishthira fainted and the Pandavas become
inconsolable.Later Yudhishthira lamented in great affliction and
said[26]
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Alas, having vanquished
the foe, we have ourselves been vanquished in the end! The
course of events is difficult to be ascertained even by persons
endued with spiritual sight. The foes, who were vanquished have
become victorious! Ourselves, again, while victorious, are
vanquished! Having slain brothers and friends and sires and sons
and well-wishers, and kinsmen, and counsellors, and having
vanquished them all, we ourselves are vanquished at last! Misery
looks like prosperity and prosperity looks like misery! This our
victory has assumed the shape of defeat. Our victory, therefore,
has ended in defeat! Having won the victory, I am obliged to
grieve as an afflicted wretch. How, then, can I regard it as a
victory? In reality, I have been doubly defeated by the foe.
They for whose sake we have incurred the sin of victory by
slaying our kinsmen and friends,alas, they, after victory had
crowned them, have been vanquished by defeated foes that were
heedful!
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Pandavas
went searching for Ashwatthama to sage Vyasa's ashram. On seeing
the approaching angered Pandavas, Ashwatthama as a last resort, he
used his sacred knowledge of the Vedas to devise a Brahmashirsha
astra from
a blade of grass and invoked it against the Pandavas and Krishna.
On seeing the Brahmashirsha astra approaching the Pandavas, Krishna
asked Arjuna to invoke the same. Arjuna invokes Brahmashirsha
astra, which he received by Drona charya itself, towards
Ashwatthama.
Narada
and Vyasa came to stop Brahmashirsha astra used by Aswatthama and
Arjuna
On
seeing the two powerful astra's
heading for a head on cataclysmic (catastrophic) collision that
would result in the total annihilation of the entire Earth, sage
Vyasa stopped these divine weapons from colliding with each other
by using his yogic power. He asked both these warriors to withdraw
their respective weapons. Arjuna was able to withdraw his
Brahmashirsha astra, while Ashwatthama could not do so
as Dronacharya did
not teach his son how to withdraw it.An archer who is able to
invoke and withdraw any Divyastra (Divine Weapon) can invoke it as
many times as he wishes. Dronacharya taught Arjuna to withdraw
Brahmashirsha astra but he did not do so to Aswatthama, thus
limiting the power of Aswatthama to invoke Brahmashirsha astra for
only one instance. However, Aswatthama was given the option of
deviating his weapon towards one single isolated object in a place
that was not inhabited by any form of life, so that the
Brahmashirsha astra does not harm anyone on Earth. But Ashwatthama,
out of rage, directed the weapon towards the womb of Uttara (wife
of Abhimanyu) who was carrying Abhimanyu's son (Parikshit) in an
attempt to end the lineage of the Pandavas. The angered Pandavas
want to capture Aswatthama, but Sage Vyasa prohibited Pandavas from
doing so because Pandavas themselves employed deceit to kill their
own Guru Drona. Sage Vyasa explained that it was due to the severe
sin of killing their Guru Drona by unethical means, the Pandavas
suffered severe tragedy and their entire lineage came to
extinction. Further Sage Vyasa warned Pandavas that he will curse
Pandavas if they ever tried to hurt Aswatthama, the lone survivor
of their Gurus lineage.
Ashwatthama
was asked to surrender the gem on his forehead. Enraged Krishna
then cursed Ashwatthama that for 3000 years he will roam in the
forests with blood and puss oozing out of his injuries and cry for
death. Since he had no fear of death during war, death would not
meet him. He will have neither any hospitality nor any
accommodation; He will be in total isolation without any contact of
physical communication from mankind and society; The wound caused
by the removal of this gem on his forehead will not heal and his
body will suffer from a host of incurable diseases forming sores
and ulcers that would never heal for 3000 years" .[27]
Alternate theories about Ashwatthama's fate
In
a Kannada version of Mahabaratha written by Kumara Vyasa, the
author claimed that he wrote Mahabaratha by listening to Sage
Aswatthama. It was said in different sources and alternate theories
that, in order to escape from the curse of Lord Krishna, Aswatthama
approached his Parama Guru (guru's guru) Lord Parasurama, who was
also an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Lord Parasurama felt pity at
Aswatthama and agreed to help him. It was said that Aswatthama was
only an instrument in Lord Shiva's plan to exterminate all the evil
people from earth. Since it was Lord Shiva who entered into
Aswatthama's body and exterminated Pandava forces, Aswatthama was
absolved of all sins. It was said that Pandavas met Aswathama once
again 36 years later when they were travelling to the Himalayas to
seek pardon from Lord Siva for their heinous crimes in war. The
description says Pandavas found Aswatthama happy in the company of
Lord Parasurama and Sage Durvasa in an ashram on the banks of river
Ganga and Aswatthama was found free from all curses. It was
believed that Lord Parasurama and Maharishi Durvasa initiated
Aswatthama into Sakthi worship, which is considered to be the
supreme of all modes of worship. By worshipping Adi
ParaSakthi,
the mother of Lord Brahma,Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, Aswatthama
bypassed the curse of Lord Krishna.[28]
It
is said in ancient scriptures that "If God is angry at you,
Guru can save you. But if Guru is angry at you, even God cannot
save you". Alternate theories suggest that as per the words in
scriptures Aswatthama sought the help of his gurus and escaped the
wrath of God. Maharashi Ashwathama lives alongs with his
mother Kripi and
his maternal uncle sage Kripa, both being great yogis somewhere
in the Himalayas.[29]
Ashwatthama and Brahmashirsha Astra
Ashwatthama
and Brahmashirastra
Ashwatthama
sought the knowledge of Brahmashirsha
astra from
his father Drona. Dronacharya taught Ashwatthama only to invoke
Brahmashirsha astra, but does not teach him how to withdraw it.
This was because Drona earlier gave his word to Arjuna that he will
make Arjuna the greatest archer. So in order to fulfill his promise
Drona gave only partial knowledge of Brahmashirsha astra to
Ashwatthama but he gave full knowledge to Arjuna. Drona was bound
by his word to Arjuna, so later he was also forced by circumstances
to cut off the thumb of Karat prince Ekalavya because
he seemed superior in skill to Arjuna.[30] Ashwatthama
had a partial knowledge in the context of Bramhashirastra. He only
knew how to invoke it, but did not know how to withdraw it.If an
archer is aware of both the invocation and withdrawal of any
celestial weapon, then he can invoke it as many times as he wants.
Hence, to avoid Ashwatthama from invoking Bramhashirastra multiple
times, Dronacharya only gives a partial knowledge about it. If an
archer invokes Bramhashirastra once, it not only destroys the
target, but also leads to a famine in the region for 12 years. If a
Bramhashirastra is invoked twice, then it can even lead to draining
of the entire ocean on Earth.
Duryodhana’s dilemmas
When
Duryodhana was lying in the battle field, awaiting death, badly
bruised by the wounds inflicted by Bhima. He kept his three fingers
in a raised position and was unable to speak. All the efforts made
by his men to understand the meaning proved to be futile. Seeing
his plight Krishna approached him and said "I know what issues
occupied your mind. I will address them".Krishna identified
the issues as - not building a fort around Hastinapur, not
persuading Vidura to
fight the battle, not making Ashwatthama the commander-in-chief
after the death of Dronacharya. On hearing this Duryodhana closed
all the fingers and rested. Duryodhana concluded that these 3
factors should have surely brought him victory. If he had built a
fort around Hastinapur, he could have totally avoided the war in
the first place and he don't have to worry about the power of
Pandavas. If Vidura fought
on his side,he would have the best strategist, even better than
Lord Krishna. At last only Duryodhana came to the conclusion that
Lord Krishna is in fact the avatar of Lord Vishnu.
If Duryodhana had made Ashwatthama as the commander of the army
after the death of Drona,victory would have surely be his as
Ashwatthama was the avatar of Lord Shiva.[31]No
one can handle a 'furious' Ashwatthama, the part incarnate of Lord
Shiva. Lord Shiva is pleasing most of the time but no one in the
entire universe can handle a furious Lord Shiva. Similarly all
Duryodhana need to do to win the war was to make Ashwatthama
furious. Just like Pandavas had Lord Krishna, the avatar of Lord
Vishnu, Duryodhana had the avatar of Lord Shiva, but he never
utilized Ashwatthama. The remorse about under utilizing Ashwatthama
prompted Duryodhana to rethink and made Ashwatthama the commander
of his army after the war,after his defeat.[32] These
events led to the complete destruction of Pandava army and lineage
and at the end the victorious Pandavas felt like the loser. After
the night raid of Ashwatthama on Pandava camp Duryodhana felt like
he had won the war, as the Pandavas lost everything and everyone
they care about.[33]
Skill as a warrior
In Udyoga
Parva of Mahabarath,
Bhishma declared Ashwatthama as a mighty Maharathi,
or a warrior capable of fighting 720,000 warriors simultaneously;
circumspect in his mastery of all forms of weapons and combat
skills.[34]
|
“
|
The mighty bowman
(Aswatthaman) who is Drona's son surpasseth all bowmen.
Acquainted with all modes of warfare, and of unbaffled weapons,
he is a Maharatha. Like the wielder of Gandiva(Arjuna),
the shafts of this warrior, shot from his bow, proceed in a
continuous line, touching one another. If he wishes it, this
Maharatha is capable of consuming the three worlds. Engaged in
austerities in his hermitage, he has, by these, increased both
his fury and energy. Possessed of great intelligence, he has
been favored by Drona with (the gift of all) celestial
weapons. Amongst the warriors of both armies
there is no one who can be regarded as his peer. On even a
single car he can annihilate the very army of the
celestials.Possessed of a strong frame, he can split the very
mountains by the flaps of his bow-string, striking against the
leathern fence on his left arm. Endued with innumerable
qualities, this smiter of fierce effulgence will wander (over
the field of battle), incapable of being withstood like Yama(the
lord of death) himself, mace in hand. Resembling the fire at the
end of the Yuga as regards his fury, possessed of leonine neck,
and endued with great lustre, Aswatthaman will extinguish the
embers of this battle between the Bharata's.
|
”
|
In
Drona Parva of Mahabarath, it gives a detailed explanation of the
skill of Drona's son Aswatthaman.[35]
|
“
|
Obtaining all the secrets
regarding celestial weapons with every detail, the son of
Saradwat's daughter has become a second Drona, and a great hero.
Aswatthaman is equal to Karna in knowledge of weapons, to
Purandara in battle, to Kartavirya in energy, and Vrihaspati in
wisdom. In fortitude, that youth is equal to a mountain, and in
energy to fire. In gravity, he is equal to an ocean, and in
wrath, to the poison of the snake. He is the foremost of all
car-warriors in battle, a firm bowman, and above all fatigue. In
speed he is equal to the wind itself and he careens in the thick
of fight like Yama in rage. While his engaged in shooting arrows
in battle, the very earth becomes afflicted. Of prowess
incapable of being baffled, hero is never fatigued by exertions.
Purified by the Vedas and by vows, he is a thorough master of
the science of arms, like Rama, the son of Dasharatha. He is
like the ocean,incapable of being agitated.
|
”
|
Themes and Analysis
Aswatthama was a
great warrior and was one of the greatest archers of his times.
Like Bhishma, Drona, Arjuna and Karna he had all divine weapons in
his armory. But Duryodhana did not think highly of him because of
his immense love for Karna and made no secret of his opinion
either. For Duryodhana, one who sought immortality was afraid of
death and one who was afraid of death was a disgrace to the
community of warriors. Aswatthama always considered the war as
unnecessary but he fought in the war just to do his duty towards
his king. Aswatthama was a very good friend of both Pandavas and
Kauravas and always argued Duryodhana to desist from war
considering the welfare of Hastinapura. Aswatthama was never part
of any crooked methods of Duryodhana and is always considered fair
to both Pandavas and Kauvaras.He was always strongly against the
plots of Duryodhana. The Pandavas even requested Aswatthama to
fight for them before the beginning of the war but just like
Bhishma, Drona and Kripa, Aswatthama was also tied to Hastinapura
owing to his duty towards Kauvarava king. But towards the end of
the war Aswatthama lost his cool after witnessing all the cheatings
done by Lord Krishna and Pandavas in the name of Dharma by blowing
away all the rules of engagements of the war. So Aswatthama become
furious and decided to exterminate the Pandavas by any means
necessary.
Kunthi
Sthuthi
Translated by
P.R.Ramachander
( At the end of the Maha Bharatha War between Kauravas and Pandavas , When the entire Kaurava army has perished, Aswathama the son of Guru Drona sent the Brahmastra to kill all the Pandavas. In return Arjuna also sent another Brahmasthra. Lord Krishana made Arjuna to take The shiro rathna(Gem on the head) of Aswathama and asked Aswathama to aim his asthra at the unborn child of Abhimanyu. Lord Krishna then entered the womb of the wife of Abhimanyu and saves her child. Thus the clan of Pandavas is saved. At this juncture Kunthi the mother of the Pandavas addresses this prayer to Lord Krishna. This occurs in the 8th chapter of the first Skanda of Bhagwatha Purana.
It is interesting to note that Kunthi is the sister of Vasudeva the father of Krishna and was earlier given in adoption to king Kunthi Bhoja by Surasena, the father of Vasudeva. Thus she was the maternal aunt of Lord Krishna. The text in Sanskrit as well as a translation in to English of this stotra is given in http://shivu360.blogspot.com/2010/04/kunti-stuti.html )
1.Namasthe
purusham thwadhyameeswaram prakruthe param,
Alakshyam sarva
bhoothanaam anthar baihiravasthitham.
I
salute the Lord Vishnu , the primeval God and the divine
Nature,
Who
is invisible to all beings , though he is inside and outside all of
them.
2.Mayaa
ja vanikacchanna majnadhoksham avyayam,
Na
lakshyase mooda drusaa nato natyadharo Yadhaa.
He is
covered by the curtain of illusion and is invisible and imperishable,
And
not felt by the foolish humans and is like an
actor dressed for playing the part.
3,.Thadha
parama hamsaanaam muni nama malathmanaam,
Bhakthi
yoga vidharatha , kadham pasyema hi sthriya.
How
can you be perceived by ladies, as you appear only for great sages,
And
philosophers who can recognize the soul and also to
experts in the path of devotion.
4.Krishnaya
Vasudevaya , Devaki nandhanaya cha,
Nanda
gopa kumaraya , govindaaya namo nama
Salutations
and salutations to Krishna , son of Vasudeva and Devaki,
Who
is the son of Nandagopa and Lord of all beings.
5.Nama
Pankhaja nabhaya, nama Panjkaja maline,
Nama
Pankaja nethraya, namathe pankajangraye.
Salutations
to him who has a lotus on his navel
Who
wears a lotus wreath, who has eyes like a lotus,
And
who has soft feet like that of a lotus flower.
6.Yadha
hrishikesa, khalena Devaki kamsena rudhathichiram
sucharpitha,
Viomochithaham
cha sahathmaja Vibho thwayaiva nadhena
muhurvipadganath.
You
are the Lord of the senses ,
Who
freed Devaki from sorrow ,
As
she was imprisoned by the envious Kamsa,
And
Oh Lord you have also repeatedly helped my children,
From
various constant and serious groups of threats.
7.Vishan
mahagnai purushaa dadarsanadha sad sabhaaya, vana vasa
kruchratha,
Mrudhe,
mrudhe aneka maha radhasthratho drounyasthrathaschasma
hare abhisakshitha.
You
saved us from poison, great fire ,
Look
of evil people, from assembly of the wicked,
From
perils of dangerous forest life,
From
very many great arrows from great warriors ,
In
the war and now from the arrow of Aswathama, the
son of Drona.
8.Vipadha
santhu nasashwathathra thathra jagat guro,
Bhavatho
darsanam yathsyadha punarbhava darsanam.
Oh
teacher of the universe , let these calamities occur frequently,
For
we are blessed with meeting with you which eliminates the
sorrows,
Of this
life with its ever occurring cycles of births and deaths.
9.Janmai
aiswarya srutha sri bhiredhamana madha pumaan,
Naivaar
hathyabhidhaathum vai thwama kinchana gocharam.
Those
gentleman intoxicated by wealth , fame , education and beauty,
Will
not be ever in a position to even utter your name,
For
you being approachable only by those who have nothing of their own.
10.Namo
akinchana vithaya , nivrutha guna vruthaye,
Aathmaramaya
santhaya kaivalya pathaye nama.
Salutations
to the god who is the wealth of those who do not have
anything,
Who
is beyond the three characters of Saintly, regal and base,
Who
delights with himself, who is peace and the path to salvation.
11.Manye
thwaam kaala meesana manadhi nidhanam vibhum,
Samam
charantham sarvathra bhoothanaam yanmidha kali.
I
believe that you are the” time”, the great God who does not have
any end or beginning,
Who
travels equally in all the beings who appear to differ among
themselves.
12.Na
vdhe kaschidbhagawasi keershitham thweha manasya nrunaam vidambanam,
Na
yasya kaschid dayitho asthi karhichid dweshyascha yasmin
vishamaamathirnrunaam.
No
one ever understands what is in your mind,
When
you are acting like a human being,
You
are not close or far off from any one,
And
it is people who think that you are biased.
13.Janma
karma cha viswathman , na kasya karthur aathmana,
Thiryang
nrushishu yaadhaa sa thadathyantha vidambanam.
Oh
soul of the universe, you are completely devoid of birth and soul,
And
your birth among small creatures, men , sages and aquatic creatures
is your pastime.
14.Gopyaa
dhadhe thwayi kruthadai dhama thavaadhya
they dasasru kalilanjanaa sambhramaksham,
Vakram
neeneeya bhaya bhavanaaya sdhithasya saa
maam vimohayathi bheerapi yaddbhethi.
When
you broke the pot of curd and offended your foster mother,
And
when she took the rope to tie you , since you were naughty,
You
stood full of fear , bent face , collyrium flowing due to your tears
And
with your eyes rolling in confusion and this filled me
with wonder,
Because
when even fear was afraid of you, how can you be afraid of some one.
15.Kechid
dahurajam jaatham punya slokasya keerthaye,
Yadho
priuasyanvavaye malayasyeva chandanam.
Some
say that though you do not have birth ,
You
were born in the clan of the famous and great Yadhu,
In
order to add to his fame like the sandalwood tree,
Which
is born in the Malaya mountains to enhance the glory of the
mountain.
16.Apare
vasudevasya devakyaam yachitho
abhyagaath,
Ajasthwamasya kshemaya vadhaya cha
suradwishaam.
Others
say that though you are birth less,
You
were born to Vasudeva and Devaki ,
As an
answer to their prayer and for,
Killing
of all the enemies of Devas.
17.Bharava
thaaranayanye bhuvo naava ivodhadhou,
Seedhanthyaa
bhoori bharena jatho hyatha bhuvathithaa.
Other
say that you appeared like a boat in a great sea,
To
take away the burden of earth , which appeared sinking,
As an
answer to the prayers of Lord Brahma.
18.Bhave
asmin kilasya maana nama vidhyaa kama karmabhi,
Sravana
smanaarhani karishyannathi kechane.
Some
people tell that you have descended on earth,
To do
acts fit to be heard or dealt with,
Even
by those who are being tormented in this world,
Of
ignorance , desire and selfish acts.
19.Sruvanthi,
gayanthi grunanthyabhhekshnasa smaranthi nandanthi thavehitham
janaa,
Tha
yeva pasyanth yachirena thavakam bhava
pravahoparam padaambhujam.
The
people who are partial to you listen ,
Sing,
repeat to others and meditate,
And
would alone soon see your lotus like feet
That
would end waves of life of birth and death.
20.Apyadhya nasthwam swakruthehitha prabho jihaasasi
swith suhrudho anujeevina,
Yeshaam
na chanyathbhavatha padambujath paraayanam rajasu yojithaamhasaam.
Oh
Lord , you always had our interest in mind,
And
today you are going away from us ,
And
we your friends do not have any other protection ,
Other
than, Your lotus like feet
And
we have made enemies of other kings,
By
inflicting lot of suffering on them by this war.
21.Ke
vayam namaroopabhyaam yadhubhi saha pandava,
Bhavatho adarashanam yarhi hrishi
kaanas mivesithu.
When
your name and form are not with Yadhus and Pandavas,
They
all would become like the body without the soul
.
22.
Neyam shobhishyathe thathra yadhe dhanam gadha
dhara,
Thwad
padai rangitha bhathi swa lakshana
vilakshithai.
Oh
Lord with the mace , this earth will not shine the as it does now,
As it
would not be adorned by your feet and would not have great
symbols.
23.
Ime jana padhaa svruddhaa supa koushaadhi virudha,
Vanadhri nadhy
dhan vantho hyedhanthe thava veekshithai.
This
territory with its forests, hills , ripe crops and
vegetation,
Will
flourish only when they receive your benign glances.
24.
Adha Vishwesa vishwathman Viswamoorthe swakeshu
may,
Sneha
pasam imam chindhi drudam pandushu Vrushneshu.
So
Lord of the universe, soul of the universe, personification of the
universe,
Please
cut off the strong bondage that I have to the clan of
Pandu and Vrushni.
25.Twayi
may ananya vishayaa mathir madhupathe asakruth,
Rathi mudhwahatha
dhaddhaa gadgai vouga mudhanwathi.
Oh
Lord of honey, let my mind not go to any other
aspects other than you,
And
let it be flowing towards you like the Ganges flows towards
the sea.
26.
Sri Krishna , Krisha sakha vrushnyrusha bhava nidhrug
rajaanvyam sadha hanaa napa varga veerya,
Govnda godwija
surarthi haravathara yogeswarakhila guro
Bhagavan namasthe.
Oh
Lord Krishna, friend of Arjuna, greatest in the clan of Vrushni,
You
are the fire that which burns the princes who harm this earth,
Oh
Govinda, who has taken birth to relieve the distress of all cows,
Al
Brahmins and all gods, I salute you Oh teacher, Oh God.
