Ashvatthama means “the sound of a horse” and he is the son of Dronacharya and the grandson of the Bharadwaja Rishis. He fought alongside the Kauravas against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War.
Ashwathama was one of the most important characters in Mahabharat; he changed the conclusion of Kurukshetra War. He was the son of Drona and his sister, Kripi. He fought on the side of the Kauravas against the Pandavas, along with his father Guru Drona.
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One of the Astha Chiranjeevi
Ashvathama is one of the Astha Chiranjeevi, an Indian folklore character that lives in Hinduism. Astha literally means “intense devotion”. Out of all the legends that are associated with him, he’s actually lead a difficult life. However, this doesn’t stop him from being so skilled at fighting and protecting people. Ashvathama is known for having a jewel on his forehead that allowed him to have powers over all other living things lower than humans.
Is Ashwathama still alive?
One day, one of the most famous doctors of India’s history, a Vaidya, was performing surgery on a patient. After pouring some enchanted liquid on his forehead and then rubbing it with his saliva-coated finger, he noticed that the smell disappeared and the wound no longer bothered him. Satisfied with this, the doctor thought that his patient had completed his treatment and left. He did not realize that after he left too, the patient made a quick exit without anyone noticing! The story goes on to say that this happened in Kalyan City magazine but whether or not it is true or not is unknown.
Skilled Archer
Ashwatthama was not just good at combat, but he was also skilled in the art of archery. He even surpassed Arjuna on occasion, which is why people often called him Sharavana or the rival of Arjuna. Ashwattha was infact considered Drona’s favorite student.
The use of Narayan Astra
Ashwathama killed Pandu, the father of five children in this battle. He created a terrible weapon called the Narayan Astra that had the power to kill all of the five Pandavas. Krishna saw him using it and asked them to bow down so it would stop being used. The Pandavas did and saved their lives.
Defeated Dristadyumna in direct combat
Ashwatthama was the only one to defeat Dristadyumna in direct combat, but he failed to kill him. With their support, Ashwatthama later killed King Nila of Mahismati.
Dronacharya used to be biased nearer to Ashwathama
Dronacharya was biased against his son, Ashwathama. Since Dronacharya knew that Ashwathama would hate continuing the family tradition of archery, he intentionally gave him a smaller pot to make him feel more excluded so that he would come back with water first. The anger from his son’s treatment made Ashwathama stronger than Arjun ever could.
Ashwatthama attacked Pandava’s Camp
Inspired by an owl that snatches a crow in the middle of the night, Ashwatthama plans to attack during the dark hours of the night. When it was brought up that this act felt like an unfair move, he stated that war is not fair and all parties are equally at fault. The dark-hour attack went successfully without Kripacharya and Kertawarma’s interference.
A giant guard confronted the Pandava’s three soldiers on the first day of their trip, who were tasked with defeating him. They were all powerless in a fight with the creature and asked for help from Lord Shiva, who gave them all divine powers just like Rudra and allowed Ashwatthama to enter the Pandava camp without anything stopping him.
First, Ashwatthama searched for Dristadyumna’s tent and then killed him. The commotion made Srikandhi and Panchakumara (five sons of the Pandavas) get up and rush to the Dristadyumana tent. However, they were killed by Ashwatthama, who had obtained power from Shiva. Ashwatthama also killed Yudamanyu, Utamoja, and the knights in the camp then went on a rampage like Rudra. Meanwhile, Kripa and Kertawarma stand guard at the camp’s gates and kill the soldiers fleeing Ashwatthama’s rampage
The use of Agni Astra
Following the failure of the Narayan Astra, Ashwathma used the Agni Astra on the Pandava army. This weapon was extremely powerful and killed three-fourths of their forces. The air became too hot and elephants on the battlefield became irritated. This was when Arjun used the Brahmastra at Krishna’s advice. Ashwathama was so angry that his weapon couldn’t kill Arjun and left out of rage.
Krishna cursed Ashwatthama
Out in the fields, Krishna and Arjuna happen to spot an old man. They approach and ask him if he’s Ashwatthama, Arjuna’s great grandfather from the Mahabharata. To their surprise, it turns out the old man is actually severely ill and in agony with leprosy.
After he was forced to hand over the precious gemstone (mani) attached to his forehead, Ashwatthama worried that only half of his body would be protected by these powerful amulets. However, once the jewel was removed, Ashwatthama’s wound was soaked with an ungodly amount of blood that would never stop flowing.
Suryakanta is believed to be the best of kings. Ashwatthama will always look for death, but he will never die in Kaliyuga. At the end of this age, he will meet Sri Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The last commander
Aswathama was the last commander of the Kaurava army and also known for being one of the most loyal soldiers to King Janamejaya.
Conclusion
The Indian pilot Baba had an extraordinary and unique story to tell. He said he lied the cursed warrior Ashwatthama and has seen him more than once in the foothills of the Himalayas. He even said that he offers his prayers at a temple in order to seek redemption for what he did, till present day.