Ashwatthama was planning to do away with the Pandavas that night. He, Kripacharya and Kritavarma were the only warriors left. They all reached the Pandava camp stealthily.In the camp, Draupadi’s five sons were sleeping. Ashwatthama killed them thinking them to be the Pandavas. He also killed Dhrishtdyumna sleeping in another camp. Then he set the camp on fire. Thereafter, he delivered the happy news to Duryodhana who breathed his last peacefully.
Next day when the Pandavas learnt of the ghastly act, they were seething with anger. Draupadi was dispirited. Then all the Pandavas went out in search of Ashwathama. They found him in the hermitage of sage Veda Vyasa. Ashwatthama shot the Brahmastra towards the Pandavas. In retaliation, Arjuna too shot the Brahmastra towards Ashwatthama. To save the earth the sage came in between the fatal weapons and asked the two warriors to take their respective weapons back. Arjuna called back his weapon but Ashwatthama failed to do so. His weapon went in the direction of Uttara to kill Abhimanyu’s unborn child. But Krishna saved Uttara and her child. After taking the jewel out of the forehead of Drona’s son as punishment, the Pandavas released him. Thus the eighteenth’s day battle of Kurukshetra came to an end.
Ashwatthama’s Revenge
