In this series I outline the epic of the Mahabharata. The events that happened before and after the Bhagavad Gita.

For those that have not watched my Bhagavad Gita series you can find it on    • Bhagavad Gita Complete Summary  

For this series I have drawn inspiration from the works of
Sudipta Bhawmik and Avi Ziv in their series “Stories of the Mahabharata” https://shows.acast.com/thestoriesofm... as well as the illustrated “Mahabharata” by Manoj Publications www.manojpublications.com.

Many images are from the visually stunning Mahabharat by StarPlus available on Youtube

Music by ShidenBeatsMusic from Pixabay

Chapter 58 – WAR: Dark Night

Ashwatthama, the son of Drona; Kripacharya and Kritavarma gathered around the dying Duryodhan. Ashwatthama whispered to Duryodhan “We have seen the deceitful way in which Bheem brought you down, valiant leader. The Pandavas, in a similar manner, spread rumours about my death, in order to slay my father. I will avenge you both.”

Duryodhan weakly smiled and commanded Kripacharycha and Kritavarma to anoint Ashwatthama as the final supreme Commander of the Kauravas. The trio returned to their camp and Ashwatthama mulled over a way to overcome their enemy. As he stared into the distance he spotted an owl. The owl descended into a tree and killed the birds resting in their nests. A sinister plan formed in his mind.

The three warriors infiltrated the Pandava camp that very night with the intention of slaying the Pandava’s in their sleep. To their dismay the brothers did not return to camp, but in their stead they found the Upapandavas, the five sons of Draupadi. Ashwatthama killed them while they slept and then crept into Dhrishtadyumna’s quarter’s and while the warrior slept, Ashwatthama slayed the brother of Draupadi as well. The trio moved through the camp and slaughtered the remaining forces of the Pandava army. In the still of the night they then set the camp on fire.
Ashwatthama returned to their fallen prince Duryodhan and delivered the details of their grisly deed. Duryodhan smiled and departed his mortal body. When the news reached the Pandava brothers, they were distraught. They sent for Draupadi and delivered the heart wrenching message. Draupadi fainted, overwhelmed with grief, she had lost her father, brother and all of her children in the conflict.

With the revelation of Ashwatthama's involvement, Lord Krishna cautioned Arjuna, for Ashwatthama possessed knowledge of a weapon of immense power. The brothers found the son of Drona at Sage Vyasa's ashram near the bank of the Ganges. Ashwatthama was surprised that he was so quickly discovered. He picked up a blade of grass and charged it with a divine mantra and then released against the brothers, a celestial missile, one of the most destructive and irresistible weapons known to the Gods, the Brahmastra.