Mahabharata characters 56 – Arjuna 19 – The difficult disciplining of Ashvatthama

This talk is a part of the “Fascinating Mahabharata Characters” series. To know more about this course, please visit: bhakticourses.com

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna. Welcome back to the Mahabharata character series.
We are discussing the Kurukshetra war and Arjuna has achieved the most significant victory over Karna. After Karna’s fall, the war ends quickly. The next day, Sahadev kills Shakuni and Yudhishthira kills Shalya and then Bhima kills Duryodhana.
Now, on the last day, Arjuna is also fighting, but there are other characters who win the primary wars. Now, Ashwathama after that very brutally kills all the remaining warriors who are there on the war field. So, we will discuss about Ashwathama later.
So, he wants to avenge the killing of Dhristadyumna. And so, he decides to, sorry, he wants to avenge the killing of Drona by Dhristadyumna. But instead of killing Dhristadyumna, he kills everyone in the Pandava camp.
So, the five Pandavas along with Satyaki and Krishna, seven of them are sleeping on the war field for the night, whereas the remaining soldiers, warriors sleep in their camps and Ashwathama kills everyone in the camp. Whoever escapes is killed by Krithavarman and Kripa. And the only Dhristadyumna’s charioteer somehow escapes.
And he comes after surviving the night’s carnage. He comes the next morning to Yudhishthira. And when Yudhishthira hears this, he is devastated.
He falls to the ground with tears in his eyes and cries out. And when his brothers come and they also are similarly devastated and Yudhishthira sends Nakula to get to get Draupadi. Now, the women do not stay in the camp.
The camp is very close to the battlefield. The women stay elsewhere. So, he tells them to collect Draupadi and to ask her to come to the camp.
And when the Pandavas arrive there and they see the corpses lying mangled and they see the corpses where most of the killed warriors were without weapons, without armor and they are slaughtered in their sleep. This Parva is Mahabharata called Saptik Parva. They were killed during sleep.
Saptik means to sleep. So, sleeping. Now, they used to clutch their weapons and see where is the brutal perpetrator of these costly deeds.
And they want to destroy that person. But they find the invaders are not there. And then at that time Draupadi comes and she is aghast to see the blood and gore.
And they take her to the Pandava tent, to one of the important tents wherein they see that she sees the decapitated bodies of her five sons. She screams and practically faints. And then when she understands what has happened, she is devastated.
Tears of grief and anger start coming from her eyes. And she says, Oh, that wretched man who has killed my sons like this. Unless you punish him, I will have no peace.
And she sits down at the camp itself in a Prayavrata. Prayavrata is a fast which is taken till death. She says, I will fast till death unless the head of, the jewel on the head of Yudhishthira, of Ashwathama is brought back to me and that wretch is punished.
So, she speaks to Yudhishthira and then she looks at Bhima. You have always been my shelter whenever we are in trouble. Please, Akshatriya hero, punish this killer of our sons.
So, Bhima is already burning with anger at the horrendous act done by Ashwathama. And when he further is incited by the words and the grief of Draupadi, he springs on his chariot. Nakula has brought his, brought Draupadi.
Nakula becomes his charioteer and they march off. Now, they know that, he surmises that Ashwathama will, before he disappears, he knows that he cannot live with the Pandavas on his heels. So, he will try to escape.
Before going to escape, first he will go to Hastinapur. So, he starts charging in the direction of Hastinapur. Now, in the meanwhile, Krishna has, that night, gone to Hastinapur to pacify Gandhari and Dhritarashtra at Yudhishthira’s request so that Gandhari will not curse the Pandavas.
So, when he comes back and he sees what has happened in the camp and he hears that Bhima is gone, he says, he turns to Yudhishthira and says, O King, Bhima is more dear to you than your own life and sending him in the pursuit of Ashwathama is extremely dangerous. You know that the preceptor has given his most formidable weapon, the Brahma Sheera, to his son and apart from Arjuna, no one among you knows how to counter the Brahma Sheera. So, how can you stand passively? Instruct Arjuna to go immediately in pursuit of Ashwathama.
So, he immediately nods and then Krishna’s chariot is still there with Daruka on it. So, Krishna and Arjuna both get on the chariot and Daruka races in the direction in which Bhima has gone. Now, this same incident is given differently in the Bhagavatam and in the Mahabharata.
This refers to different millennia in which the pastimes of the Lord happen differently. So, this is the Mahabharata character series. So, we will focus on the Mahabharata narrative.
Now, Daruka soon reaches Bhima and Bhima is beside himself with rage and although Krishna tries to dissuade him from his pursuit, Bhima is not ready to hear it. He is determined to punish Ashwathama and they charge in the direction in which they expect Ashwathama to have gone. Now, Ashwathama, thinking of where he can escape, he knows that the wrath of the Pandavas will be immense and he had got some formidable power from Lord Shiva at the time when he caused that macabre destruction.
But after that, that power had disappeared and now he knew that he could not match the Pandavas. So, he decided the only safe place for him would be among the Brahmanas. So, he had acted as worse than an outcast.
He has acted as a heartless Rakshasa like barbarian, worse than a Rakshasa. But now suddenly he started making Brahmanical pretensions. He had only sacred thread on the upper part of his body and he was wearing a Brahmana garb and he went and sat amidst the Brahmanas headed by Vyasadeva as if he were very interested in sacrifices and spiritual discussions.
And the Pandavas following in that direction, they came and they saw, Pandavas here refers to Bhima and Arjuna, they saw Ashwathama and Bhima jumped off his chariot and rode in anger and started charging towards Ashwathama. Now, Ashwathama looked up and he saw a mighty form of Bhima menacingly marching on him and he saw Bhima and Krishna and Arjuna on the chariot. He panicked.
He realized that there was no hope for him for his survival unless he uses Brahma Shiras. So, he took the Brahma Shiras. His father had told him not to use it unless his life was in danger and because if misused, this weapon could cause destruction all over the world.
So, in fact, all of the universe, it could devastate. So, he had not used it even in the Kurukshetra war. But now, when his life was under threat, he immediately picked up a Kushagras.
He did not even have any weapons at that time, but the astra can be summoned in different ways. So, he took a Kushagras and he imbued it with the power of the Brahma Shira and he was about to throw it. Now, seeing the danger, Krishna called out to Bhima and said, stop.
Now, although Bhima was enraged, when he heard Krishna stone, he understood that there is some formidable danger and he stopped. And as Ashwathama rushed out of the midst of the Brahmanas, picked up a Kushagras and hurled it, imbued with the power of the Brahma Shira. Suddenly, all the directions became blazing with effulgence, light and heat and the weapons started charging towards Arjuna.
And now, Arjuna, although he had got these tremendous austerities, got celestial weapons himself and fought against the most formidable warriors, not just on the earth, but in the whole universe. He had fought with the Devatas and the Dhanavas, but he had not seen a weapon like this. Arjuna had himself discharged a Brahmaastra, but actually Brahma Shira is a special type of Brahmaastra.
It is four times more powerful than a Brahmaastra. And Arjuna had used a Brahmaastra, but not a Brahma Shira till now. So, he saw this Brahma Shira coming and he asked Krishna, Krishna, what is this? What is this? He said, Krishna, you are the protector of everyone.
You are the knower of everything. You are the deliverer of your devotees. Please tell us, what is this? And Krishna told, this is the Brahma Shira and discharge your own Brahma Shira and then you can withdraw both of them.
So, Arjuna immediately chanted the incantations and he discharged the Brahma Shira. As he discharged it, it started racing towards and both the Brahma Shiras were colliding and Vyasadeva came towards Ashwathama and he said, oh, Brahmana boy, what have you done? Oh, the Brahma Shira can itself destroy the whole world and the collusion of two Brahma Shiras can cause imminent devastation. Withdraw your Brahma Shira immediately.
Now, Ashwathama looked at Vyasadeva. He did not speak anything. His mind was moving like crazy.
He was in anxiety, he was in anger, he was in agony, anxiety over his own safety, agony about the death of Drona and anger about the unfairness of the death and he was completely… his mind was moving, he thought, I did not have the power to withdraw that astra. So, he decided that that wretched Pandava dynasty which killed my father, you know, I will end that Pandava dynasty. That Pandava dynasty is the curse of the earth.
It has evil distorted thoughts. The Pandavas were not the curse. Drona had acted evilly by choosing the side of evil, unfortunately.
So, what he thought that way. He says, I will end their dynasty. Now, actually Bhima had some one of his sons living and there were other sons also who were there.
But Madhvacharya explains in Mahabharata that the embryo in Uttara’s womb, who later was Parikshit, he alone had the avish of all the five Pandavas and Krishna also. That’s why he is considered to be the only surviving descendant. So, he is the only surviving descendant.
So, he just sent the Brahmas charging towards Brahmashira instead of withdrawing it which he did not have the power to, could divert it and he diverted it towards Uttara’s womb. Just by all this sophisticated technology which in the mind only he can desire and the weapon will follow that and that Brahmashira disappeared from there. Now, when Arjuna withdrew, he did not realize that he has withdrawn only his Brahmashira.
He thought that he had withdrawn both Brahmashiras but actually he had withdrawn only his own and he thought the danger is over and the Brahmashira just charged towards Uttara. Now, Uttara was just a young girl who had just become a widow. She had only married less than a year ago and she had become pregnant and then she was a widow and she suddenly felt a blazing missile coming towards her.
Sensing a grave danger to her unborn child, she immediately prayed to Krishna. As only a helpless young girl, she said, please Krishna, you are the protector of all your devotees. You are the deliverer from the dangers of existence.
Please save my child. Even if I have to die, let me die but let my child survive. And Krishna, he was there in the chariot with Arjuna but he expanded himself by his personal energy and he entered into the womb of Uttara and actually the Brahmashira had by that time reached and almost killed Parikshit.
He was barely conscious towards the Brahma but Krishna came there with his Gada and his Chakra and he just resisted and that weapon which was irresistible was countered and the Brahmashira just disappeared being unable to withstand the presence of Krishna who is the original Vishnu and his weapons and Uttara and other palace ladies saw that this powerful missile had come towards the womb of Uttara and had gone and they realized that Krishna had acted miraculously to save her embryo and they offered their thanks to Krishna, prayers of gratitude to Krishna and this way Krishna saved Parikshit. And then on the Brahmana’s hermitage area, now Arjuna shot, after he had withdrew the Brahmashira, he shot another arrow and just the power of that arrow, it expanded into ropes and immediately bound Ashwathama and Bhima went there and grabbed him and Arjuna also grabbed him and Arjuna was thinking what to do. So Arjuna was hesitating to kill Ashwathama and Krishna said don’t hesitate, this wretch has killed your sons brutally and he does not deserve to live and he also given the word to Draupadi.
So Arjuna when he had been departing, he had told Draupadi that I will get the head of that wretched Ashwathama and then you can perform the last rites of your sons and then you will have your revenge. So Arjuna became grave and he said whatever he has done, but he is the son of my preceptor, how can I do something that would have caused such grief to a preceptor. His mind was going back to the thought that just the news of the death of Ashwathama had completely robbed Drona of all spirit.
It had ultimately robbed him of his life. So even when that news was not true and even when Drona had not experienced that event, he had not seen the dead corpse but just thought that his son might be dead and caused him so much distress. So Arjuna was thinking although Drona was dead, Arjuna’s bond of affection and gratitude to his preceptor was not dead.
So Arjuna was thinking how can I cause such grief to my preceptor. So he was not just seeing Drona over there, he was not just seeing Ashwathama, he was seeing the connection of Ashwathama, where he belonged, to whom he belonged. And he turned to Krishna and he said, Krishna, I do not feel that I can kill him.
Of course, if you desire that, then I will do it. But for myself, I feel incapable. I feel that much better we take him to Yudhishthir and then let Draupadi decide what is to be done.
Bhima and Krishna both agreed and the bound Ashwathama was taken to the camp where Draupadi was still grieving. Now Draupadi is a remarkable lady. Although she was so grief stricken when seeing her own son, her son’s dead, but when she saw Ashwathama tied up like an animal and flung in front of her, she actually holded her hand and offered respects and she said, release him, release him.
Just as Arjuna did not see Ashwathama, he saw his father, Drona. So Draupadi did not see Ashwathama, he saw his mother, Kripi. She said that, you know, the grief that I am suffering, how can I cause that grief to Kripi? Please release him.
Moreover, he is a brahmana. So Krishna looked at Arjuna and actually Yudhishthir agreed with Draupadi that he should be released. Bhima, however, did not agree.
The twins were ambivalent, but they tended to agree with Yudhishthir and Draupadi. So Krishna looked at Arjuna and he said, you know, the scriptures say that a brahmana should not be killed, but at the same time an aggressor should be killed. So knowing these injunctions, decide what to do.
Now Krishna looked at Arjuna, Arjuna looked at Krishna also and he understood what was Krishna’s mind. Arjuna’s mind went back to the time when he had been duty bound by his vow to kill Yudhishthira and Krishna had told him that to dishonor a person is equivalent to killing him. So he decided that the same could be applied here to Ashwathama and he decided to, he said, oh Krishna, actually a person, a brahmana, even if it is an abominable activity, the scriptures do not sanction destroying his body.
But for a person, if the honor is destroyed, then that person is as good or as bad as dead. So he said, with your permission, I will cut off his hair and in this way he will be humiliated and I will take off his jewel also. Without his jewel, he will become powerless.
So now he looked at Krishna. Now Krishna had actually come in between Bhima, Draupadi and Ashwathama. When Draupadi had said that let Ashwathama be spared, Bhima had been incensed.
You know Bhima’s emotions were violent but not volatile. Draupadi’s emotions were volatile. She was enraged but when she saw the actual reality of what would happen to Kripi, then the rage almost went away.
At least the grief was there but the rage specifically directed towards Ashwathama was not there. Bhima’s rage was still there and when Draupadi had said don’t kill, Bhima had come, I will kill himself and Draupadi had come in between. No, don’t kill.
So then Krishna had come between Bhima and Draupadi. He was checking Bhima on one side and he was consoling Draupadi and he seemed to have four hands and he was doing all four things at that time and Arjuna looked at Krishna and he submitted his proposal. Krishna smiled.
Yes, Arjuna had passed his test and Bhima also approved of this and then they decided that this was the fit punishment for Ashwathama. Now throughout all this time, Ashwathama had remained silent. Ashwathama had realized that there was no escape for him from whatever plight came upon him.
So Krishna took off his, Arjuna took off his, took his unsheathed sword and cut off his hair and you know cutting the hair can be a sign of renunciation and that is auspicious but when a hair is cut away in a partial way, in a way that is not for renunciation but that is for humiliation, that is for punishment, then that is maranatakarichyate, that is worse than death and then as he took off the throne or cut off the throne also, removed the throne from his head and he gave it to Draupadi and without a throne, Ashwathama just lost his prowess and he just collapsed on the ground. He was already on the ground, he collapsed further and then Krishna turned towards him. Krishna was his stone and he said that Ashwathama, for the vile and despicable deeds that you have done, you will be punished.
You will have to wander on the earth three thousand years alone and you will be foul smelling and you will be rejected. You will have to live in wilderness, in the dreary lands, deserts and after thus atoning for your horrendous misdeeds, then you will become purified of your sins and then you will attain an auspicious destination. Go now and Krishna told Ashwathama to depart and Ashwathama departed and the Pandavas were left by themselves to be consoled, to console each other and to be consoled by each other and in this way the horrendous war ended.
It was a victory but it was a victory filled with bitterness especially not just because Bhima, Drona had been killed but also practically everybody on their side had been killed. The sons had been killed. Arjuna was especially grief stricken.
Later on when Kunti told that Karna was her eldest son, Arjuna was devastated. What have I done? I have killed my own brother and at that time Karna had only one son remaining and Arjuna took special care of that son and they became very close to each other. They both understood that they had been caught in a most unfortunate and complicated set of circumstances where they had been wooed like puppets.
So, rather than bearing any grudges or animosity for what had happened, they stayed loving and Arjuna trained Karna’s son to also become a great warrior and he protected him. So, in this way Arjuna emerged through the Kurukshetra war along with Bhima as the foremost warrior. In fact, just by the time when Karna had become the commander, Duryodhana had seen that most seven of his Akshayas had gone.
It was inconceivable how it had happened and further destruction happened on the first day of Karna’s commandorship. Duryodhana said, what is this? How has this happened? It is just in this hour. Our army is getting destroyed and most of the damage was done by Bhima and Karna.
Bhima and Arjuna. So, Bhima and Arjuna were formidable warriors and they killed most of the formidable warriors on the Kaurava side and together they established the virtuous Yudhishthira as the king. So, relatively speaking, in the Mahabharata, the focus is on Arjuna much more.
Throughout the Mahabharata, his adventures and also during the Kurukshetra war, he was an archer and Bhima was also an archer but he was primarily a mace fighter and this way Arjuna lived up to his name as Parantapa, justicer of the enemy. He justiced all the enemies and fulfilled the vow that he had taken of killing Karna and of helping Yudhishthira win the war. And thereafter, Yudhishthira Maharaj now decided that when he would become the king, he made Bhima the prince regent and he entrusted the administration, significant role in that to Arjuna also.
And that way the Pandavas began the rule, getting the kingdom back from the ruins which it had gone into because of the devastating war and paving the way for the re-establishment of dharma. And then Arjuna played another significant role in the sacrifice, sacrifice that Yudhishthira performed. That we will discuss in our next session.
Thank you.