The War – Day 17 (Part 3)

Let us recall that Karna was in command of the Kaurava army from the 16th day of war. Not much happened that day, though. Karna thought that what he lacked was a good charioteer. Salya was his choice for that role. The Madra king accepted the task on one condition. He should be free to criticize Karna whenever he bragged about his own greatness.

There was a promise that Salya had given to the Pandavas that is worth remembering in this context. Nakula and Sahadeva were his nephews. The king had come with one Akshauhini (battalion) of army to fight the war on the side of the Pandavas. Duryodhana cleverly managed to get him to his side. When the Pandavas heard about that, they asked for one favour from Salya. Karna was the biggest challenge to Arjuna and he was known to be moody. Praises boosted the ego of the son of the charioteer and then he was capable of accomplishing great tasks. On the contrary, criticism put down his morale. Hence, Salya was made to promise that he would try and put down Karna whenever he got an opportunity. It is difficult to know whether the Madra king remembered his words to his nephews in stipulating the condition for accepting his new role as Karna’s charioteer.

With Salya on the charioteers’ seat Karna was all set to settle score with Arjuna on the 17th day. Both the sides built their formations with utmost care. Karna stood at the front of the Kaurava army which then marched against the Pandavas with the blowing of trumpets and bugles and with the noise raised by soldiers on the march.

Yudhishthira pointed out Karna to Arjuna. “Look at the battle formation of the Kauravas as built by Karna. He is leading the army from the front. Make sure that we resist their attack effectively. You must personally take care of the challenge of Karna”.
Arjuna agreed to do his best against his enemy.

“Here comes Arjuna”

Salya noticed from a distance the chariot of Arjuna bearing the mark of Hanuman on his mast. He called out to Karna seated behind him in the chariot. “There comes Arjuna whom you have been so eagerly waiting to meet. You can see for yourself the trail of destruction he is leaving behind all along the path he has travelled. But, I warn you of one thing. The omens that appear in the sky and all around us are not in our favour. Take on him as best as you can, keeping this in mind”.

But, the chariot of Arjuna disappeared in the next instant in the midst of the suicide squad of the Trigarthas. Karna said to Salya looking at that. “The Trigarthas would finish him even before I get my chance”.

Karna torments Yudhishthira

Karna, then, asked Salya to turn the chariot against the other Pandavas. Great was the damage he caused in the enemy ranks that day. Several of the Pandava heroes came against Karna and had to turn back in distress. Yudhishthira was greatly angered looking at the loss of men on his side and challenged Karna for combat. The two fought fiercely exchanging several divine weapons against one another. But, soon, Yudhishthira was in trouble. Karna’s powerful arrows started tormenting the Pandava after piercing through his armour. Soon, he found his chariot broken to pieces by the arrows of Karna. Yudhishthira jumped down in time and started running away to save his own life.

But, Karna did not want to let out his prey that easily. He followed Yudhishthira on foot and placed his hand on the shoulder of the Panadava. He said. “You are born as a Kshatrya. It is not worthy of you to turn your back in combat. Or, may be you are only fit to perform sacrificial rituals as a Brahmin. In that case I let you go”. Karna’s insulting words pierced through the heart of the Pandava prince. He walked away hanging his dead down in shame. The big battalion of forces of the Pandavas that surrounded him also retreated when they found their commander exiting from the battle field. Karna followed the Pandava army from behind and continued to thrash it with his powerful arrows.

Bhima against Karna.

But, the Pandavas staged a come back lead by Bhima. Seeing that, Karna asked Salya to turn his chariot towards the Pandava. Bhima’s anger flared up seeing Karna face to face.

Salya noticed the mood of Bhima and spoke to Karna. “Look at Bhima. I have seen him in this ferocious mood only twice before – after the death of Abhimanyu and of his own son, Ghatotkacha. It will be an uphill task for you to face the Pandava when he is so angry”. Karna agreed that Salya had a point there. Yet, he wanted to face Bhima at any cost. His hope was that he might get Arjuna on the scene if he managed to put Bhima in any sort of trouble.

With this resolve Karna fought a pitched battle against Bhima. The Pandava was wounded by Karna’s well marked arrows. That only flared up Bhima’s anger even further. He came all out against Karna and sent arrows from his bow that was pulled as far as his ears. Bhima’s arrows found the target on Karna’s chest piercing through his armour. Salya noticed that his protégé even lost his consciousness as a result and quickly drove the chariot away from the scene. The huge army of the Kauravas also took to flight behind the chariot of the commander.

Bhima against the sons of Dhritarashtra

Duryodhana noticed the plight of his army and sent six of his brothers against Bhima. The sons of Dhritarashtra encircled the Pandava and started sending showers of arrow against the enemy. That was the opportunity Bhima was so eagerly awaiting. He fought against them with a vengeance. Soon, his arrows cut the head of each of them down.

(To be continued)

The War – Day 17 (Part 2)

Karna and Salya


As soon as Karna set out in the chariot driven by Salya, he started boasting bout himself. He was in high spirits. So he offered liberal gifts for any one who would locate Krishna and Arjuna for him. His words were, “who will show me the chariot of Arjuna carried by the white horses and driven by Krishna? I shall pay him all the riches that he asks for”, and so on. The moment he could set sight on Arjuna he would put an end to the Pandava with one of his arrows. That was what Karna implied through his loud proclamation.

That was too much for Salya. He said. “You do not have to pay any fees to anyone for showing Arjuna to you. You shall see him yourself, soon. But, that meeting shall become fatal for you”.
Karna did not like the comment from the Madra king. He boasted of his own prowess. But, Salya asked him what Karna did on the several occasions in the past when Arjuna defeated the Kauvas single handed.

Karna was greatly angered by the belittling words of Salya. He started to insult his tormentor by saying that the people of the Madra land were of loose moral character and not trustworthy. Karna quoted several others who, it seemed, gave instances to prove the point. He, then, threatened his charioteer with dire consequences, if he spoke another word questioning his ability.

Salya kept his cool even after listening to Karna’s angry words. But, he said that good and bad people could be found everywhere. It was not fair to tarnish the image of one whole country quoting a few examples.

Then, he narrated the story of the crow which boasted to a swan of its skill in flying

The crow and the swan

It was the work of some mischief mongers who boosted up the false ego of the crow by saying that it was the greatest among birds. The praise took to the head of the naive crow.

When it spotted a fleet of swans in the near by lake the crow challenged them for a trial of skill in flying. The crow claimed that it could fly in a hundred and one different ways. The swans kept quiet to the tall claim. But, one of them accepted the challenge. It said that it knew how to fly, nothing more. But it was willing to compete with the crow.

Then, the two started the trial. The crow showed off its skill by flying with its back up first and then sideways and even tried to roll over while in the air. The swan simply flew ahead. It went in the direction of the western ocean and the crow followed right behind. The swan kept a steady flight over the vast ocean and the crow tried its best to keep apace. But, there was no land to be spotted even in the farthest horizon nor was there any tree for the crow to rest for a while. Soon, the crow started feeling the weight of its own wings. How far ahead? The crow asked. The swan kept quiet and continued on its track.

Soon, the crow realized that it could not move any further. Its feet touched the surface of the ocean unable to hold itself up any longer. It cried out to the swan for help. The swan ignored its companion for a while. When it was clear that the crow was about o sink beneath the deep ocean the swan quietly pulled it up by its feet and deposited it at on the island that came further ahead. It, then, quietly flew off giving the lesson to the crow not to make vain claims.

Salya concluded the story telling Karna not to boast without knowing the strength of his enemy.
But, Karna was not that easily to be put down. He said that he was aware of the strength of his enemy, but, nonetheless was in a position to win over him by his superior combating skills.
He, then, narrated the two curses that are on him that bog him down to some extent. Yet, he was willing to meet the enemy in spite of them.

Curses on Karna

Karna had approached the great Parasurama for lessons in archery. The son of Bhrigu was known for his stern stand against the Kshatriyas (warriors and royals). He had gone about killing them several times over in revenge for the death of his father at their hands. So, Karna went disguised as a Brahmin. Parasurama accepted him as disciple and taught him all that he knew in archery.

One day the teacher was having his nap in the noon resting his head on the lap of the disciple. It is said that Lord Indra, who had the interest of Arjuna at heart, wanted to expose the disguise of Karna. He came in the form of an insect and started piercing the thigh of Karna. Blood started oozing out. Karna did not want to disturb the quiet sleep of his teacher and bore the pain with courage.

But, Parasurama was woken up by the feel of blood on his head and noticed what was happening. How did his disciple bear so much pain silently? He asked Karna. “Who are you in reality? It is unlikely that a Brahmin would stand so much pain quietly. Tell me the truth”. Karna could not, but, expose his true identity to the teacher. Parasurama was angry because of the deceit and said. “What you have learnt in the pretext of a Brahmin shall escape you at the crucial moment”.

Besides, Karna had inadvertently killed the cow of a Brahmin. The animal was dear to the Brahmin serving his daily need for milk used in the sacrificial rites. Greatly angered, the Brahmin cursed Karna that the wheels of his chariot would sink in mud in the crucial war he would fight. Karna tried to pacify the Brahmin by offering suitable gifts. But, the Brahmin was unmoved.Karna concluded saying that he was somewhat worried of these two curses on him, but, was not afraid to face any enemy, be it Arjuna or Indra, himself.

With these words he asked Salya to drive on to where he could meet Arjuna.

We shall learn more about the war on the 17th day in the next episode.

The War – Day 17 (Part 1)

A charioteer for Karna

“Give me a good charioteer”, Karna asked Duryodhana. The war on the 16th day, the first day under his command, had just ended. The Kauravas did not fare any better even that day compared to the earlier days. Karna thought that the time had come for him show his real mettle to all, especially to Duryodhana. He continued. “Mark my words. I shall not return today without killing Arjuna. I am better than he is in almost every aspect of archery. I excel the Pandava in the ease of sending arrows, their accuracy and power. My own bow, “Vijayam”, which was made by the architect of the gods, is superior to Arjuna’s Gandiva. But, I have none to drive my chariot with skills to match that of Krishna. If I get a good charioteer, then I shall easily defeat and kill all the Pandavas, including Arjuna. He has been avoiding me all these days for fear of my powerful javelin given by Indra (Sakthi). Now that I have used it up against Ghatotkacha, Arjuna is going to come face to face to fight against me.”

Duryodhana was willing to offer anyone and anything to Karna. Who his good friend would like to drive his chariot?

Karna pointed out to Salya who was standing near by.

Salya feels insulted

Duryodhana spoke polite and appeasing words to the Madra king. “Sir, you are an expert on the science of horses (Aswa Hridaya) among us as Krishna is on the Pandava side. Kindly accept the role of charioteer as requested by Karna”.

Salya had heard Karna when he asked for the favour. He was fuming with righteous anger from that time. When the Kaurava prince asked him directly he burst out. “Who does the son of charioteer think I am to drive his chariot? I, myself, am a much superior warrior than he is in all spheres of warfare”.

It took a lot effort on the part of Duryodhana to pacify the hurt feelings of Salya. He offered liberal praises on the superior skills of the Madra king. Then, the Kaurava narrated the story of the Tripuras to illustrate the point that great people had accepted the role of charioteer in the past in times of crisis.

The killing of the Tripuras

That was the time when the gods fought pitched battles against the demons and were destroying thousands of them. There were three sons to the famous demon, Taraka, bearing names, Kamalaksha,Tarakaksha and Vidyunmali.

The three brothers did years of hard penance and pleased Brahma, the creator. The latter appeared before them and offered any boon of their choice. The demons asked for immortality. But, Brahma would offer anything except that to them.

Then, they thought of a clever condition. They asked for three cities for them to live in. Each would live in one of the three cities for one thousand years. The cities should move around freely at their will during that time. Then, the three cities could come together for a second and split apart as before for another thousand years. If they were to be killed, the enemy should use that opportunity when they came together and kill all the three of them with one single arrow. Brahma agreed and blessed them accordingly.

It was said that Maya, the architect of demons built the three cities in the three worlds for them in which they started living happily. Then, they went about their main business of killing gods indiscriminately living in their flying cities.

The gods were in a fix. The three demons had put almost an impossible condition for killing them. They approached Brahma for help. The creator of worlds was helpless against those whom he, himself, had empowered with an almost flawless boon. He went to Siva accompanied by all other gods. The destroyer of the three worlds assessed the situation and agreed. But, he wanted Brahma to be his charioteer. Brahma accepted the role and it is said that the two accomplished the task of killing the formidable demons at the end of the next thousand years when they came together.

Salya accepts the role

Even before Duryodhana completed his story Salya had already cooled down considerably hearing the shower of praise from the Kaurava. The story of Brahma volunteering to drive the chariot of Siva, who was his son, made the Madra king feel even better. He accepted the role of Karna’s charioteer, but, on certain conditions. He would speak frankly to Karna keeping his welfare in mind. Karna should not mind that.

There was one more condition. Salya turned to Karna and spoke. “Don’t boast about your accomplishments or insult others on their failures. If you speak that way, I shall not spare any words to put you on the right track immediately”. Karna accepted the conditions.

Thus, the 17th day’s war started, with Salya driving the chariot of Karna. We shall learn about the developments on the 17th day from the subsequent episodes.

The War - Day 16

The Book of Karna

We start on the “Book of Karna (Karna Parvam)” here which has only one chapter, “the killing of Karna (Karna Vadha Parvam)”. Two day’s of battle are covered in the chapter.

At the end of each day’s battle Sanjaya used to report the events of the day to Dhritarshtra.
The narration of the next morning always would start with a dialogue between the two. This time it runs into several sections. The old king was disconsolate hearing about the killing of Karna (at the end of day 17). He laments about the death of all the veterans like Bhishma and Drona and asks Sanjaya to list all those who had been killed and those who survived on both the sides. Several sections of the chapter cover the list of those who died and those who survived so far.

Karna as the commander in chief

The death of Drona left a vacuum at the top of the Kaurava army. Great were the losses on their side already. What should be the next course of action? Duryodhana got his veterans together and posed the question to them.

Aswatthama spoke on behalf of the others. He said. “Victory and defeat are all part of war. True, that we have had several reverses. But, if we fight on with determination, we can still win this war. I suggest that Karna should lead our army henceforth”.

Duryodhana was greatly pleased with the suggestion. He always felt that both Bhishma and Drona favoured the Pandavas. But, he trusted Karna for his unwavering loyalty towards him. He, accordingly, requested Karna to take up the challenge which was readily accepted. Thus, the son of Radha was anointed as the great commander in chief of the vast Kaurava army. Under his command the Kaurava army marched forward on the sixteenth morning against the Pandavas.

The battles on day 16

The sixteenth day was relatively uneventful, though. True, there were quite a few battles between the veterans of either side. Among these, the ones by Karna and Aswatthama shined on the Kaurava side. The battles of Arjuna, Bhima and Satyaki are worth mentioning on the Pandava side.

Bhima killed a king by name Kshemadhoorthi of Kulootha kingdom after a fierce battle.
Satyaki killed two princes of Kekaya by name Vinda and Anuvinda.

There was a prolonged battle between Aswatthama and Bhima at the end of which both fell down unconscious. The son of Drona returned later and challenged Arjuna for a duel. The two dispatched several divine weapons against one another. Aswatthama had to escape from the scene totally defeated by the Pandava. Arjuna later took on the remaining suicide commandoes and killed most of them at the end.

Sahadeva fought against Dussasana and defeated his foe.

Karna against Nakula

There was a pitched battle between Karna and Nakula. The Pandava was totally defeated and was trying to escape from the scene. Karna caught hold of him with his bow and humiliated him saying, “henceforth, fight only against your equals. Let this be a lesson for you”. May be, Karna remembered the word he had given to Kunti that he would spare all her sons, except Arjuna.

Yudhishthira against Duryodhana

Towards the end of the sixteenth day Yudhishthira encountered Duryodhana in a fierce battle. Thousands of soldiers and animals perished in the battle. Duryodhana was thoroughly defeated by his foe at the end. Yudhishthira was about to kill his enemy at which time Bhima intervened. He said. “Do you not remember my vow to kill all the sons of Dhritarshtra myself? Please spare his life for me”.

Soon, the sun turned red in the western sky. The veterans on both the sides remembered the horrors of the battle on the fourteenth night and decided to pull their forces from the battle field.
That was how the battle ended on the sixteenth day, the first day under Karna’s command.

The War – Day 15 (Part 4)

Aswatthama repeated his oath once again to Duryodhana saying, “I shall annihilate the entire Pandava forces, unless they all put down their arms”. With those words he marched towards the Pandava army. The Kauravas followed him with high hopes of revenge.

Aswatthama did not wait long to take out his all powerful weapon, the arrow called Naaraayanaastra. His aim was revenge by killing all the Pandavas as soon as possible. When the son of Drona lauched the weapon, thousands of fireballs emerged from his arrow aimed towards the Pandava army. Those who tried to fight were immediately knocked down by the power of the weapon. The more they perished on the Pandava side the more powerful the weapon appeared in its path towards them.

Yudhishthira was thunder struck by looking at the power of destruction of the arrow and thought that it was the end of game for them. He called out to his allies. “O!Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki! You better return with your people to your own land. I am going to perish with my people in no time as we are powerless against this divine weapon of Aswatthama”.

Krishna as the savior

Krishna knew the secret of the weapon. After all, it was the weapon of Narayana whose incarnation Krishna was. He called out. “All of you must immediately put down your arms. Those who are in chariots, or mounted on elephants or on horseback must get down and lie flat on the ground. That is the only way you can escape the impact of the weapon”. Yudhishthira, Arjuna and other Pandavas immediately did as Krishna asked them to do.

Bhima resists

But, Bhima was adamant. “I am not afraid of any one or any weapon, however powerful they may be. Let it be the arrow of Naaraayana or of Brahma. Let the son of Drona face me. I shall destroy him with my mace. It is mere cowardice to put down your own weapons while facing an enemy”.

Krishna knew that force rather than words was required to save Bhima. He and Arjuna rushed to Bhima and pulled him down using all their power. Bhima resented this intrusion into his right to fight and resisted with all his might. He was, with great effort, somehow brought down from his chariot and disarmed.

The spent force of Naaraayanaastra

Meanwhile, the arrow from Aswatthama raged through the Pandava army and destroyed all those who were armed or mounted. Then, it returned to the son of Drona with its power already spent.

Duryodhana was disappointed that his arch enemies escaped the wrath of the Naaraayanaastra. He asked Aswatthama why he could not kill Bhima and Arjuna. The son of Drona replied. “It is the nature of the weapon that it destroys only those who show some resistance. The Pandavas were warned in time and saved by Krishna”. But, Duryodhana was not satisfied. He asked, “then, why don’t you send it again and kill the Pandavas before they have time to disarm themselves?”

Aswatthama replied. “No, if I try to send it a second, it will destroy me”.

Duryodhana was not pleased, but, he requested Aswatthama to use his other divine weapons in his fight against the Pandavas. The son of Drona agreed to that.

Then, breathtaking duels took place between him on one side and one of the Pandava heroes like Bhima, Satyaki and Dhrishtadyumna on the other. The Pandavas faced the son of Drona bravely, but, suffered greatly as a result.

Then, Arjuna came on the scene. Several divine weapons were dispatched by Aswatthama against Arjuna. The Pandava had one of his own to counter the effect of each dispatched by the son of Drona.

The return of the son of Drona

FinallyAswatthama gave up. He was dejected that none of his arrows had the desired impact on his enemy. He put down his bow and arrows, jumped down from his chariot and was about to leave the battle field.

It is said that Veda Vyasa appeared on the scene at that very instant. The son of Drona prostrated in front of the sage and spoke out his disappointment. He said. “Revered sage, why is that my divine weapons which would have destroyed any other enemy failed against Arjuna?”

Veda Vyasa, then, explained the divine origin of Krishna and Arjuna and convinced him that it was futile to fight against the pair.

The war on the 15th day thus ended after Aswatthama left the battle field in total frustration, unable to achieve his objective of destroying the Pandavas. With this end both the chapter on the “launch of Naaraayanaastra (Naraayanaastra Moksha Parvam)” and the “Book of Drona (Drona Parvam)”.

The War – Day 15 (Part 3)

The Acharya has been killed. What was thought to be impossible had happened. The impact it has had on the Kauravas was no less than what the fall of the grandsire had made. The panic it created in the Kaurava army was unprecedented.

Aswatthama was highly surprised to find the Kaurava army running helter skelter as if a great calamity had happened. He asked Duryodhana for the reason. The Kaurava prince was too overwhelmed with the turn of events to talk to the son of the Acharya. Kripa who was standing nearby explained the sequence of events. It was from the words of his own uncle that Aswatthama learnt about the tragedy that resulted in the death of his father.

The oath by Aswatthama

The son of Drona was overcome with grief and fury. He declared to the Kaurava warriors around. “None among the Pandavas would have managed to kill my father in straight combat. The unscrupulous scoundrels took resort to lying and cheating to perform this heinous crime. How can I tolerate that my father was held by his hair and his head was chopped off while I am alive! What use are all the divine weapons in my possession except to avenge the death of my dear father? Take my word that I shall use even the unique arrow of Vishnu (Narayanaastra), which the Lord himself had bestowed on my father, to annihilate the Pandavas with all their supporters”. With those words Aswatthama marched towards the Pandava army with a resolve for immediate revenge. That encouraged the Kaurava soldiers to gather around him in small groups until the entire army came together launching a fresh attack against the Pandavas.

The return of the Kauravas

Yudhishthira was surprised to find the return of the Kaurava forces. From the way they had panicked and run for their lives it was difficult to believe that they would stage a come back that easily. He asked Arjuna who was standing nearby for the possible reason.

But Arjuna was still sulking from the pain of his teacher’s death. He burst out at his brother which was unusual for the usually composed Pandava. He said. “You must be ashamed of yourself for telling the lie simply out of greed for winning the war and regaining your kingdom. It is better that you give up your life for getting the Acharya killed after he had put down his weapons”.

Yudhishthira heard the stinging words from his brother, but, kept quiet. But, Bhima came up in support of his elder brother. He said. “You utter words of righteousness as if you are a sage living in forest. Where was your sense of justice when we were sent into exile through unfair means? Who are you to talk like this even when we had the blessing of Krishna in this?”

Dhrishtadyumna came forward and justified his action. “Drona deserved to be killed. Being a Brahmin, he did not have any business, in the first place, to take up arms. He knew that this war was unjustified on the part of the Kauravas and, yet, he joined them. He has sinned by killing so many unarmed soldiers with his special weapons like Brahmastra. I have killed my born enemy. I have every right to kill him by any means. Remember, you killed your own grandfather, that too keeping Sikhandi merely as a cover!”

Arjuna was visibly shaken by the accusation of Satyaki, though in self defense. He and other Pandavas kept quiet hearing the words of the Panchala. But, Satyaki was enraged. He shouted. “Is there no one among us to kill this sinner talking nonsense? If you speak another word, I shall break your head into pieces with this mace of mine”.

But, Dhrishtadyumna was not that easily put down. He asked Satyaki. “Who are you to talk right and wrong after killing Bhurisravas? Every one knew that he had put down his arms and was deep in meditation”.

The quarrel between Satyaki and Dhrishtadyumna heated up and developed into a scuffle. Krishna asked Bhima to intervene before the situation went out of control. It was with great effort that the Pandava managed to separate the two allies who had come to blows against one another.

Meanwhile, the Kaurava army led by Aswatthama had started inflicting heavy casualties in the Pandava army.
(Continued in the next episode)

The War – Day 15 (Part 2)

“Can it be true? Is my son really dead?” That was the thought that tormented Drona as he fought on the 15th in the morning.

It is said that some sages from heaven came down at that time and advised Drona to stop fighting. They said. “Fighting a war is not something a noble Brahmin like you should engage in. You have done a sinful act by killing so many innocent ones in the war”.

It was then that Drona found Dhrishtadyumna coming forward to fight against him. The sight of the Panchala prince who was born to end his life dampened the spirit of the Acharya even further.

The fatal lie

Krishna guessed the predicament in the mind of the Acharya. He spoke to Yudhishthira. “If the Acharya continues to fight like this even for half a day, there will be none left in our army. You will have to tell him that Aswatthama has been killed, even if it is a lie, to save your life and ours”. Bhima came along at that time and declared that he had killed an elephant by name Aswatthama.

It was then that Drona wanted confirmation of what Bhima told him from a reliable source. He called out to Yudhishthira. “Is it true that my son has been killed?”

Yudhishthira had made up his mind to tell the lie against his innate nature. He said aloud. “Yes, it is true that aswatthama has been killed”. Then, as though to reduce the impact of the sin, he spoke in a low voice, “Aswatthama, the elephant”.

It is said that the chariot of Yudhishthira always stood four inches above ground as he had a divine status because of his strict adherence to principles. When he uttered those words of untruth his chariot wheels came down and touched the earth.

When Drona heard the confirmation of the death of his son from Yudhishthira he lost all interest in war and in his own life.

Dhrishtadyumna against Drona

By the time the Panchala arrived to face Drona the Acharya had lost interest in fighting. But, Dhrishtadyumna started sending arrows in quick succession at Drona unconcerned about the mental state of the Acharya. When the sharp arrows from the Panchala started piercing his chest Drona woke up for a while and started fighting spiritedly. Then, he again lost interest and slowly sank into inaction.

Finally, the Acharya became totally dispirited and dropped his bows and arrows in the chariot. He then sat in the lotus posture in full meditation unconcerned about the raging war that was going around. It is said that slowly a glow arose from his body and went up to the sky through his head. His life had thus left his body and ascended to heaven. Only a few enlightened souls like Krishna and Arjuna could see that breathtaking scene.

The end of the Acharya

Dhrishtadyumna noticed that his enemy had dropped his bow. That was the opportunity he was waiting for. He jumped down from his own chariot and rushed to Drona with sword in hand. He jumped up into the Acharya’s chariot, caught hold of his hair and cut his head off from his already lifeless body.

It was too late for Arjuna who rushed forward shouting, “no, no, do not pay disrespect to the Acharya!” The same sentiment was expressed by all the soldiers around who all shouted in unison, “do not kill!”

Bhima alone came forward and embraced the Panchala and congratulated him for the heroic act.
With this the chapter on “the killing of Drona (Drona Vadha Parvam) comes to a close. But, the war on the 15th day and the Book of Drona continues in the next chapter, too.