42 Yudhishtira, the Pandava prince famous for
withdraw a missile that he has launched. Alarmed
always speaking the truth, is given the responsi-
at the prospect that his suspended missile could
bility to tell Dronacharya about his son’s death.
unleash the apocalypse, the assembled sages ask
However, he turns the lie into a half-truth. A battle
Ashwatthama to choose a target for his weapon.
elephant, also called Ashwatthama, is felled, and
Ashwatthama seizes this opportunity to take re-
immediate after he tells Dronacharya “Ashwat-
venge for the death of his father by attempting
thama hata” (Ashwatthama is dead), he quietly
to destroy the unborn child of even the children of
says “Iti Gaja” (I mean the elephant). Stunned
his enemies. He chooses the womb of Uttara, the
with grief, Dronacharya stops fighting, and is easily
grieving widow of Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu, where
dispatched with a series of well-timed volleys of
the only inheritor of the Pandava legacy, Parikshit,
arrows from the Pandava formations. The tide of
is growing as a foetus. Uttara aborts. But the god
the battle turns, and the Pandavas are victorious.
Krishna rescues the stillborn foetus and revives it.
Enraged at the duplicity that felled his father,
As punishment for his attempt to destroy the
Ashwatthama vows to destroy the Pandavas’
future, Ashwatthama is cursed by Krishna to roam
future. He makes his way into the Pandava camp
the earth until the end of time. Ashwatthama’s
at midnight and kills the children of the five
jewelled talisman, his mani, which bestowed upon
Pandava princes by Draupadi, their common wife.
its wearer freedom from the fear of injury, disease
He is then pursued by Arjuna, the Pandava
or hunger, is wrenched from him. Ashwatthama
hero. Ashwatthama and Arjuna hurl deadly mis-
haunts the earth forever, like an injured, sick,
siles at each other, which together contain the
scared, and hungry shadow.
power to destroy the world. Alarmed at the prospect of total destruction, assembled sages pre-
IV.
vail upon Arjuna and Ashwatthama to withdraw
You must grieve, Ashwatthama, yet how must
their weapons. Arjuna knows how to do this, but Ashwatthama has never learned how to
you grieve?