Ashwatthama

Quick Facts

About Ashwatthama

Drona's son, born with a gem on his forehead, counted among the chiranjivis. Grief and rage after his father's death drove him to the night massacre of the Pandava camp, for which Krishna cursed him to wander the earth for ages.

In Their Words

My father was slain by a lie. Let the world learn what his son's grief can do.

Ashwatthama

Traits

• brilliant
• wrathful
• tragic
• immortal

Story Appearances

• The Fall of the GuruSon who heard of his father's fall❧ 20 min
• The Night of BloodPerpetrator of the night massacre❧ 19 min
• The Aftermath of WarCursed wanderer❧ 25 min

Stories Featuring Ashwatthama

140 further tales on this site name Ashwatthama, in canonical reading order.

• Drona and DrupadaThe Broken FriendshipAdi Parva ‧ 7 min
• The Bird's Eye and the CrocodileDrona's Tests of ArjunaAdi Parva ‧ 6 min
• The Fire-Born and the Woman Who Became a ManDrupada's Children, Drona's Old Feud, and Amba's Vow Across LivesAdi Parva ‧ 29 min
• The Twins in the HeathIndra's dancer, a sage's dropped bow, and the children a king carried homeAdi Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Weighing of the BharataThe gods put the epic in a balance against the four Vedas, and Sauti recites the eighteen booksAdi Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Teacher Who Came Too LateFlour stirred in water, and a mountain walked toAdi Parva
• The Stranger at the WellHow the Kuru princes got their teacherAdi Parva
• The Second ThrowOne cast of the dice for thirteen yearsSabha Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Road Out of HastinapuraWhat Vidura read in the way they walkedSabha Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Errand Vidura Did Not WantCarrying the invitation to the dice game he had begged the king not to sendSabha Parva ‧ 13 min
• When Forgiveness Is Not a VirtueAn angry queen quotes an asura grandfather at a patient kingVana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Year of MasksThe Virata Parva shows that even the mightiest must sometimes hide and endure. The Pandavas could have fought - but...Virata Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Northern Cattle RaidBrihannala Turns the ChariotVirata Parva
• The Ten Names of ArjunaA frightened prince demands proof at the burning groundVirata Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Quarrel Before the CattleAshwatthama tells Duryodhana what his kingdom is made ofVirata Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Day Karna RanThe boast in the dice hall, answered at lastVirata Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Sleep Weapon and the Robes for the DollsSix great warriors disarmed, and a promise kept to some girlsVirata Parva ‧ 17 min
• Five Men on the ThronesThe morning the servants stopped pretendingVirata Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Meal He Chose to EatA king's banquet refused, a servant's supper acceptedUdyoga Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Cities of TentsTwo capitals raised on Kurukshetra before a single arrowUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Consecration of the GrandsireBhishma takes command on two conditions, and the sky rains bloodUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Question of DaysEach commander prices the enemy army in morningsUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• Arjuna's Message to the KurusSanjaya recites the message in open court, and names every man who will dieUdyoga Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Sacrifice of BattleDuryodhana makes the coming war his own rite, and his father disowns him for itUdyoga Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Reckoning of the WarriorsBhishma prices every man on the field, and Karna walks outUdyoga Parva
• The Eighteen DaysWar spares no one - neither the righteous nor the wicked. The Mahabharata war ended with Pandava victory, but the price...Bhishma Parva ‧ 24 min
• Eighteen Days of DestructionThe Kurukshetra War teaches that there is no such thing as a 'clean' war. Even a war fought for the most righteous...Bhishma Parva ‧ 31 min
• The Grandsire Names the GodDuryodhana asks why he keeps losing and gets a theology insteadBhishma Parva ‧ 18 min
• Kurukshetra Day 8: The Rakshasa's HourIravan falls and Ghatotkacha answers for himBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Herb in the Grandsire's HandA wounded Duryodhana asks Bhishma for reassurance and is given honesty, a pledge, and medicineBhishma Parva ‧ 16 min
• Omens and the Ten Kings Around BhimaDrona reads the signs of Bhishma's last day and sends his son to fightBhishma Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Ten Kinsmen Against the Ten SonsDay six: Dhrishtadyumna kills two princes, ten Pandavas duel ten Kauravas, and Bhima goes into the elephants on footBhishma Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Seventh Day After NoonBhima and Duryodhana wound each other twice, Sanjaya tells the blind king whose fault the war is, and Satanika kills DushkarnaBhishma Parva ‧ 23 min
• Six Duels on the Eighth DayShikhandi with a broken sword, Duryodhana on foot, and a mace that missedBhishma Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Three ColumnsAt midday on the eighth day the Pandava army splits into three attacking bodies, Arjuna's son Iravan is killed, and Bhishma sends twelve warriors to pull Duryodhana out of the fire.Bhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• Ghatotkacha and the Javelin of BhagadattaDuryodhana asks to kill a Rakshasa, and a Rakshasa breaks a javelin on his kneeBhishma Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Wall Before BhishmaEvery Kaurava champion is given one Pandava to stop on the tenth dayBhishma Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Last Push on the Tenth DayTenth day: Bhishma asks Yudhishthira to kill him, and the champions of both armies pair off across the field while Dushasana alone stands between him and ArjunaBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Pairings of the Second DayArjuna goes at the grandsire, and the field breaks into nine duelsBhishma Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Weapon That Could Not Be FacedAshvatthama's irresistible astra, undone by submissionDrona Parva ‧ 11 min
• Arjuna's Vow and the Fall of DronaJayadratha, the Night Battle of Ghatotkacha, and the Lie That Killed a TeacherDrona Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Guard Drona Had To KillSatyajit of Panchala, and the promise Arjuna left behind himDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Banners and the BowsSanjaya names every standard on the fieldDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Night the Sindhu King Asked to LeaveJayadratha wants his horses saddled, and Drona tells him the truthDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• What Krishna Told His CharioteerThe night Krishna decided to break his own vowDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Cart, the Lotus and the NeedleDrona builds an array forty-eight miles deep to hide one manDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Blessing at the GateArjuna asks his teacher's leave to break his teacher's lineDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Armour of MantrasThe one day Duryodhana stood in front of Arjuna and did not fallDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• Kurukshetra Day 14: The Longest DaySunset Vow, False Dusk, and a Battle That Would Not Stop at NightfallDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Order Yudhishthira GaveA king overrules the guard his brother postedDrona Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Arrows He Did Not Want to ShootArjuna, Kripa, and a lesson in arms turned back on its teacherDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• One Man Against an Army of the NightAshwatthama burns a full akshauhini of Ghatotkacha's rakshasasDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Oath of a Bereaved FatherThe house of Bahlika ends in a single nightDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• Three Men and a Drawn SwordKarna boasts, Kripa answers, and Ashwatthama draws on his own sideDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Night They Lit the FieldDuryodhana's order that turned a battlefield into a lamp-lit hallDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• Kurukshetra Day 15: The Day the Teacher DiedFrom the Dawn Prayers to the Half-Truth at NoonDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• Held Back by Bhima's ArmsSatyaki and Dhrishtadyumna nearly finish the war for the KauravasDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Weapon That Would Not Burn ThemAshwatthama's fire, and why it left two men standingDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The One Who Walked Ahead of the ChariotArjuna finally asks who has been winning his battlesDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Guard at the WheelKumara of Panchala checks Drona in front of Yudhishthira's chariot, and pays for itDrona Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Brahma Weapon AnsweredDrona empties the celestial arsenal at Yudhishthira on the fourteenth night, and the king matches him astra for astraDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• The King They Thought Was DeadBhima's mace crushes Duryodhana's chariot, and both armies believe the Kuru king killedDrona Parva ‧ 14 min
• Seven Bows Against OneDhrishtadyumna rides at Drona in the night battle and answers seven champions with three arrows apieceDrona Parva ‧ 12 min
• The King Put Off His ChariotSatyaki kills Duryodhana's horses and driver, cuts his bow at the handle, and the king escapes on Kritavarma's carDrona Parva ‧ 13 min
• Sword and Shield Against the PreceptorDhrishtadyumna, stripped of car and bow, dances the twenty-one motions to reach DronaDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Telling in the RoutAshwatthama rides back through a fleeing army to ask what happened, and Kripa has to tell him how Drona was killedDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• How Drona Won the Narayana WeaponAshwatthama tells the Kauravas where his father's last astra came from, and the one rule that came with itDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• The One Who Walked Before the CarVyasa tells Arjuna whose lance was breaking the ranks in front of himDrona Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Mouth of the GarudaDrona draws his host as a bird and comes for Yudhishthira on the twelfth morningDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The King of the Fire CityAshwatthama kills Nila of Mahishmati, and Arjuna kills three of Karna's brothers in his sightDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Blind King Is AnsweredDhritarashtra laments the night after Abhimanyu's death, and his own messenger tells him whose fault it isDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Road to JayadrathaArjuna breaks through the head of Drona's array on the fourteenth morning, from the omens at dawn to the river of bloodDrona Parva ‧ 23 min
• Bhima's Harvest on the Fourteenth EveningDrona takes the head of the king of Sivi, and Bhima kills with his fists, his palm and a caught dart until the kings call him RudraDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Night Falls on the Fourteenth DayAshwatthama breaks the Panchalas after dark, Drona looses the wind weapon, and Krishna pulls Yudhishthira out of a fight he is winningDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Guard at Drona's Right WheelYudhishthira orders his whole army against Drona, and never gets past KritavarmaDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Arrow Cut in the AirSatyaki saves Dhrishtadyumna from the preceptor's shaft and holds three great bowmen at once, and the day ends with Drona's head in the dustDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• Bhima Carried From the FieldAshwatthama's afternoon after the Narayana weapon, and the shaft that took Bhima's charioteerDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Rakshasa Who Came for a DebtAlayudha, and the night that belonged to the man-eatersDrona Parva
• The Commander AccusedDuryodhana tells Drona to his face that he is sparing themDrona Parva
• Kurukshetra Day 17: The Earth Takes the WheelKarna's Last Morning to Karna's Last HourKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Word Brought to HastinapuraSanjaya rides through the night with the news of KarnaKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• Arjuna Against the Preceptor's SonThe duel Ashvatthama could not win twiceKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• Pandya of the Malaya HillsThe southern king who thought himself greater than BhishmaKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• The King Against the KingYudhishthira brings Duryodhana down and Bhima stops the blowKarna Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Calf and the WheelKarna tells his charioteer the curse that will kill himKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Brothers Bhima CountedDuryodhana's kin fall in handfuls on the seventeenth dayKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Bhargava WeaponKarna spends his teacher's last gift on the PancalasKarna Parva ‧ 17 min
• Ashvatthama Asks for PeaceA hand on Duryodhana's wrist while the gods watchKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Field After the Sun FellShalya counts the dead and the Kauravas walk awayKarna Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Duel the Gods ApplaudedAshwatthama and Bhima fight to a standstill and are carried off senseless by their own driversKarna Parva ‧ 14 min
• The King Names the PairsYudhishthira assigns each Pandava his enemy as Karna's array comes onKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• Ashwatthama Breaks the King's GuardA roof of arrows over Yudhishthira, and the insult the king threw backKarna Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Elephant Standard Comes DownDhrishtadyumna leaves Duryodhana without horses, driver, weapons or banner at noon on the seventeenth dayKarna Parva ‧ 18 min
• Ashwatthama at Dhrishtadyumna's ThroatThe vow he very nearly kept on the seventeenth dayKarna Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Night After DronaThe sleepless camp, four men in a tent, and the thread tied round Karna's wristsKarna Parva ‧ 14 min
• The First Duels of the Sixteenth DayBhima kills a king off an elephant, Satyaki kills two brothers, and Draupadi's sons kill two moreKarna Parva ‧ 17 min
• Dandadhara of MagadhaTwo brothers on elephants, and the field Krishna made Arjuna look atKarna Parva ‧ 19 min
• Karna and Satyaki ClashOne Vrishni holds the Kaurava army, and the sixteenth day ends in dustKarna Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Prince Who Went In for ShikhandiKripa strips Shikhandi on the seventeenth day, and a young ally buys him a way out with his lifeKarna Parva ‧ 12 min
• The Gates of Heaven Stand OpenDuryodhana tells his kings that dying well is winning, and Krishna drives Arjuna through what that costsKarna Parva ‧ 20 min
• Satyaki Unhorses ShakuniThe seventeenth day breaks into single combats, and the gambler of Gandhara is carried off the field by his sonKarna Parva ‧ 14 min
• Arjuna Rides Out for KarnaThe car is yoked again, the omen birds go on ahead, and the field between Arjuna and Karna breaks into duelsKarna Parva ‧ 23 min
• Arjuna Cuts His Way to KarnaAn army ordered to tire one man before Karna kills himKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Vows Before the Final DuelKarna, Shalya, Krishna and Arjuna each say what they will do when the other man diesKarna Parva ‧ 24 min
• Duryodhana's Last StandShalya, the Twins, and a King in a LakeShalya Parva ‧ 28 min
• The Fourth CommanderA nephew's water poured on an uncle's head at the foot of HimavatShalya Parva ‧ 18 min
• Shalya Alone Against FiveThe last commander's one unanswerable morningShalya Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Last of the HundredBhima closes an eighteen-year account in a single afternoonShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Oath Comes DueSusharman, his thirty-five sons, and the last of the sworn menShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Men Who Carried the MeatA king's hiding place sold for a purseShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Verdict at the Fallen KingBalarama's plough, Duryodhana's indictment, and the flowers that fell from the skyShalya Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Errand Before the GriefKrishna drives to Hastinapura to reach a mother before her curse doesShalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• Duryodhana Rises from the LakeTaunted in the water, the last Kaurava comes up armed and asks for one man at a timeShalya Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Last Words of DuryodhanaBroken-thighed on the field, the Kuru king laments his dead, sends his last words home, and names a general with a dying man's hand.Shalya Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Eighteenth MorningChekitana takes a lance, Suratha takes a single arrow, and Duryodhana is carried off his own field by bolting horsesShalya Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Seventeen HundredShalya's followers charge against orders, and Duryodhana's army breaks twice before he turns it roundShalya Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Afternoon of the Eighteenth DaySatyaki takes Kritavarma's car again, Duryodhana holds the field alone, and the last elephants fallShalya Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Flight of the Royal LadiesThe last of the eleven armies dies, Duryodhana walks into a lake, and the Kaurava camp runs for HastinapuraShalya Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Muster of the Eighteenth DayAn oath never to fight alone, and the count of what was left of both armiesShalya Parva ‧ 15 min
• Kripa's Last ArgumentThe morning after Karna, somebody finally says stopShalya Parva
• The Count on the Nineteenth MorningEighteen armies, and the men who walked off the fieldShalya Parva
• The Five Sons of DraupadiThe UpapandavasSauptika Parva
• Kripa, the Man Who Survived EverythingThe Teacher Who Outlived the AgeSauptika Parva
• The Owl in the Banyan TreeWhat three beaten men argued about in the darkSauptika Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Being at the GateAshvatthama offers himself to MahadevaSauptika Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Last ReportThree men bring good news to a dying kingSauptika Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Weapon He Could Not LiftAshvatthama's bargain on the Dwaraka shoreSauptika Parva ‧ 16 min
• Why Rudra Broke the SacrificeKrishna explains who really emptied the campSauptika Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Gem on Ashwatthama's HeadDraupadi sits down to starve until the stone is brought to herSauptika Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Duel of the Brahmashira WeaponsAshwatthama and Arjuna loose the world-ending astra at Vyasa's hermitageSauptika Parva ‧ 18 min
• Kritavarma's RoadSmall compromises on the way to atrocitySauptika Parva
• The Queens Who Came a Long WayWhat the Kuru quarrel cost the kingdoms that were only alliesStri Parva ‧ 17 min
• Gandhari Shows Krishna the FieldWith the sight Vyasa gave her, the blindfolded queen walks Krishna through the dead of KurukshetraStri Parva ‧ 21 min
• What Gandhari SawThe blind queen, given sight for one afternoon, walks Kurukshetra naming the dead of both armiesStri Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Savitri Mantra of SalutationsBhishma gives Yudhishthira the roll of names to be said at dawnAnushasana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Revival of ParikshitThe Act of TruthAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 6 min
• The News Krishna Held BackA grandfather is spared until his daughter refuses itAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Night the Dead ReturnedVyasa Calls the Fallen Out of the GangaAshramavasika Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Death of VasudevaKrishna's Father Outlives EveryoneMausala Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Return of the PortionsWho everybody turned out to have beenSvargarohana Parva ‧ 17 min

Places in Ashwatthama's Story

Drawn from the stories Ashwatthama appears in.

• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र
• Virataविराट
• Pandava Campपाण्डव शिविर
• Madraमद्र
• Hastinapurहस्तिनापुर
• Kampilyaकाम्पिल्य
• Kashiकाशी
• Pushkaraपुष्कर
• Forest Hermitageवन आश्रम
• Gangaगङ्गा
• Dwarakaद्वारका
• Mahendra Parvataमहेन्द्र पर्वत

Related Characters

Others counted among the Kauravas.

• ⚔︎Duryodhana
• ☠︎Dushasana
• ⚄Shakuni
• ☀︎Karna
• ☮︎Yuyutsu
• ⛨︎Shalya