In the previous episode, we had witnessed Drishtadhyumna killing Guru Dhronachaarya by chopping off his head. This happens during the fifteenth day of the Kurukshetra war wherein Bheemasena proclaims Ashwatthama’s demise in front of Guru Dhronachaarya. However, the Ashwatthama that Bheemasena killed was an elephant and not Guru Dhronachaarya’s son. This was a clear ploy to put Guru Dhronachaarya on the backfoot and he had to succumb to it. As Guru Dhronachaarya wants to confirm Bheemasena’s words with Yudishtra, Bhagawan Krishna signals Yudishtra to establish that it was really Guru Dhronachaarya’s son who had been killed. Thus, Yudishtra utters the phrase “Ashwatthama hataha! Kunjaraha!” and while uttering the “Kunjaraha” (Elephant) Shabdha, Yudishtra lowers his tone a bit so that Guru Dhronachaarya doesn’t hear it. As these words come from Yudishtra, Guru Dhronachaarya sits down on his chariot after putting his weapons down. This is the time for which Drishtadhyumna was waiting for all these years. He immediately takes his sword and rushes towards Guru Dhronachaarya and chops his head off! With this, Guru Dhronachaarya falls on the ground, dead!
Meanwhile, as Drishtadhyumna is about to chop off Guru Dhronachaarya’s head, Guru Dhronachaarya’s “Atman” makes its way out of his body and travels to the “Svarga Lokha”. This is now being narrated by Sanjaya to King Dhritarashtra. Sanjaya says thus, Oh King! The great Guru Dhronachaarya is no more! However, I’ve seen it with my own two eyes, the place where his “Atman” has travelled! Guru Dhronachaarya is safe and he has reached rightly where he has to reach! So we do not need to worry about him any more!” This incident sends shockwaves across the Kaurava camp and King Dhritarashtra is fuming with anger over what has just happened at the Kurukshetra battlefield!
Thus, with this sad incident, we come to the end of the “Dhrona Vadha Parva” under the main “Dhrona Parva”. Now we come to the last Upa-Parva under the “Dhrona Parva”, which is called “Narayana Asthra Mokhsa Parva”. Now we come to one of the most crucial stages of the fifteenth day at Kurukshetra – Ashwatthaama, the son of Guru Dhronachaarya, fumes with anger upon hearing about the demise of his father! Moreover, when Duryodhana explains to him as to what had happened, Ashwatthama’s anger knows no bounds! He couldn’t believe his ears that Guru Dhronachaarya was tricked into such a malicious and an “unethical” situation by the Paandava camp to finish him off. Now he takes a pledge thus, “Oh Duryodhana! It is extremely shocking and shameful that Yudishtra had behaved in this way to corner my father and kill him. For this unethical and a heinous crime that he had committed, I shall now employ the “Narayana Asthra” which I have with me and kill all the Paandava brothers within minutes! Their demise will only be with my hands and not anybody else’s. I shall make sure that Yudishtra pays a heavy price for the crime that he has committed towards my father!”
Saying thus, Ashwatthama once again enters the battlefield with a renewed rigour! He is in a savage resolution to take on the Paandava brothers and to brutally assault them. As he comes face to face with the Paandava brothers, Ashwatthama goes ahead, takes the bow in his hand, takes the arrow, locks it and chants the “Narayana Asthra” Mantra to it. He thinks within himself thus, “Oh! If it is true that I have an unending devotion towards my father, and if it is true that I respect Bhagawan Narayana, let this Asthra go and destroy all the Paandava brothers instantly! With this, my father’s “Atman” will rest in peace!” With this, Ashwatthama releases the arrow from his bow and the “Narayana Asthram” starts travelling in the air towards the Paandava brothers. As it travels, it multiplies into several arrows, several “Gadhas”, several dangerous and poisonous animals, etc. As the “Asthra” travels like this in the air, Arjuna is extremely worried! He says to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Bhagawan! When I was learning my lessons during my childhood, Guru Dhronachaarya had taught me several “Asthras” and how to counter them effectively. For the “Vaaruna Asthram” the “Aagneya Asthram” is the counter. For the “Indra-Asthram” it is the “Brahma-Asthram”. The list goes on. However, for this “Narayana-Asthram”, Guru Dhronachaarya never taught me the counter “Asthram”!”
As Arjuna says this, Bhagawan Krishna laughs and asks back thus, “Oh Arjuna! Till now you’ve listened to the 700 shlokas of the Bhagawad Gita, haven’t you? What did you understand? Tell me!” Arjuna says thus, “Oh yes! I listened to everything! You are the supreme Bhagawan for this entire world. The world obeys your orders only and all things happen as per your command!” Upon hearing this, Bhagawan replies back – “Oh Arjuna! Now do you understand why Guru Dhronachaarya did not teach you the counter for this “Narayana-Asthram”? Just like how I’m the supreme Bhagawan for this world and how nobody can kill me, this “Narayana-Asthram” also is the same! Nobody can counter it and in fact, there is no counter to this at all! You will be destroyed completely with this now!” As Bhagawan says thus, Arjuna starts trembling with fear! He asks Bhagawan thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! So is everything over with this one “Asthra”? Is this why we were fighting this war for the past 15 days?” Bhagawan laughs at Arjuna once again and says thus, “Oh my dear Arjuna! You’re not understanding my point fully! I never said that this is going to be the end of everything! Now do what I say and do not talk against my words!”
So for today, let us understand up to this point. This is a critical moment wherein Ashwatthama’s Narayana-Asthram is travelling towards the Paandava brothers, even as they are clueless to escape from it! So what is going to happen next? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 