In the previous episode, we had witnessed Ashwatthama, Sage Kripachaarya and Krita-Varma going into the Kurukshetra battlefield once again, after Duryodhana coronates Ashwatthama as the next “Senapati”. The trio reaches the tent areas and as it is late into the night, all of them are feeling tired after a long day. While Sage Kripachaarya and Krita-Varma are anticipating a nineteenth day of the war, Ashwatthama has different plans. He is still simmering with immense anger over what happened to his father. Ashwatthama wants to seek revenge and is determined to do so. Meanwhile, as Sage Kripachaarya and Krita-Varma are fast asleep beneath a tree, Ashwatthama moves out silently from that place and makes his way towards the tents where the Paandava brothers are resting.
Moving on thus, as Ashwatthama gets up from beneath the tree where the trio are resting, something very interesting and important happens. Sage Vyaasa depicts this scene beautifully here. On the tree top, there is a crow family, which is happily resting after the long day. The family comprises the mother and father crow, along with several kids. All of them are sleeping out of tiredness, and at this point, an eagle comes along that way. Searching for food, the eagle spots this family of crows sleeping in the nest amidst the tree branches and leaves. Now, upon looking at this crow family, the eagle starts feeling hungry more and more. What does the eagle do now? It silently comes near the crow nest and without disturbing the parent crows, the eagle starts attacking the kids one after the other. The eagle pokes one kid with its sharp beak and kills it during its sleep. Similarly, the eagle kills the second child adjacent to the first one by biting it to death. Upon understanding that something is happening, the third kid wakes up in half-sleep. Even before the kid opens its eyes, the eagle gives one sharp peck with its beak and kills it. As another one tries to fly away, the eagle tears and rips apart its wings and makes it fall on the tree branch itself. In this way, the eagle feasts on all these kids happily by killing them, even as the parent crows are fast asleep, totally unaware of the disaster that is unfolding!
As this happens, Ashwatthama is silently watching this entire fiasco unfold, from a corner. His heart beats faster. Already he is simmering with anger, as all of us know. As the eagle kills the crow kids one by one, Ashwatthama decides thus, “Oh! This seems to be the apt strategy to deal with the Paandava brothers! I should be like this eagle which is ripping apart all the crow kids, and the Paandava brothers are like the crow kids who are losing their lives to the eagle! Hence, the only way to destroy the Paandavas is to attack them when they are fast asleep. Anyway, the Paandava brothers have fought the war for eighteen long days, and they would be damn tired tonight! Hence, they would not be aware of what goes around them. It is this time when I’ve to capitalize and kill them then and there, even before anybody wakes up!
Planning thus, Ashwatthama quickly wakes up Sage Kripachaarya, who is fast asleep beneath the tree. Upon waking him up, Ashwatthama says thus, “Oh Sage Kripachaarya! Now it is midnight and everybody will be fast asleep! This is the right time to go and kill the Paandava brothers. I’ve made a plan to kill them while they are fast asleep, and as I do this, Duryodhana will be the happiest person on this earth! The moment Duryodhana hears the news that Yudishtra and Co. are no more, his “Atman” will rest in peace! Oh Sage Kripachaarya! As per the “Yuddha-Neeti”, if we attack an enemy who is not very powerful at that moment, we can taste victory! If the enemy is resting and if we attack him at this point of time, it is easier to kill him. Moreover, if the enemy is having food, this is also an apt time to kill him, as he wouldn’t be physically active! If the enemy is travelling from one place to the other, then he would be sans any weapons. This is a good time to attack him and win over him!”
As Ashwatthama says thus, Sage Kripachaarya replies quickly – “Oh Ashwatthama! All this is correct. However, there’s a follow-up shloka to what you’ve said. Why don’t you look into that shloka also? The next shloka says that if a “Kshatrya” warrior involves in such cowardly techniques of winning over the enemy, it is going to give him enormous “Paapa Karma”, as such things are against the “Yuddha-Neeti”. Oh Ashwatthama! You are selective in your approach – You’re only looking into the shloka which favours you and are conveniently forgetting the next shloka which says that these techniques are highly unwarranted!” This is the same thing that we also do everyday in our lives as well! We take what is convenient for us and leave out which is not convenient! So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion further into the next episode to witness what Sage Kripachaarya is going to reply to Ashwatthama on his plan! Stay tuned!
The Indian Dharma 