We now begin the “book of the sleeping men (souptika parvam)” which starts with the chapter titled “the killing of the sleeping men (souptika vadha parvam)”
Aswatthama took a pledge to avenge the death of his father in the presence of the dying Duryodhana. He, then, fled to a nearby forest on horse back in the company of Kritavarma and Kripa. They were scared that the Pandavas might be hot on their chase. They would be slaughtered mercilessly unless they hid themselves safely somewhere.
It was a dense forest that they entered. The three refreshed themselves drinking the cool water from a nearby stream. The horses were let to drink to their fill and tied up giving them the much needed rest.
There was a huge banyan tree close by and the three, thoroughly exhausted, lied down underneath it. Kripa and Kritavarma soon went into deep sleep. Aswatthama was too absorbed in thoughts of revenge. Sleep escaped him altogether.
The Owl and the Crows
The hollow of the tree’s branches housed hundreds of crows. Soon, an owl arrived on the scene. The two, the owl and the crows, are said to be legendary enemies. The owl has poor vision during the day and is confined to its nest. Then the crows attack the owl and destroy the young and old alike.
Now it was the owl’s turn. It started attacking the nests of the crows one by one. The crows were fast asleep in their nests. It was anyway too dark for the crows to see what was happening. The owl had good vision at night. Besides, it had the advantageous position right at the opening of the nests.
The crows had no chance of escape. The owl visited the nests one by one and killed all the crows mercilessly.
An Inspiration
That sight drew the attention of Aswatthama. He thought that the owl came to give him a valuable lesson. The son of Drona awoke his uncle, Kripa, from his deep sleep and spoke. “The Pandavas have played foul at every stage in the war. That was how they have won against us. Now only the three of us are left on the Kaurava side. We fare no chance against the Pandava forces in straight combat. But, if we attack them now while they are asleep with a carefree mind, we can inflict heavy casualty on them and thereby take revenge for all the cruelties they have inflicted on us. Forget all the principles of the Kshatriyas (warrior class) and let us fight the battle in the only way left for us”.
Kripa asked Aswatthama to take rest for the rest of the night. The next morning he and Kritavarma would accompany his nephew to face the Pandavas.
But, Aswatthama refused to budge from his resolve. He said. “I am too deeply in sorrow to go to sleep. I shall not rest until I put an end to the life of Dhrishtadyumna who killed my father in the most heinous way.”
Kripa said. “Let us go, if you are so bent on an attack on the Pandavas now itself. But, remember that we shall be committing a crime for which we shall definitely end up in the worst of all hells. You earned impeccable reputation through your fair deals all through the war. Think twice before you lose all that through a hasty act”.
But, Aswatthama was already burning with a passion for revenge that no words of caution changed his mind. He replied. “There is none in the whole world who can change my mind at this stage”. With those words the son of Drona quickly bridled his horse and started towards the Pandava camp. Left with no other choice the other two followed him.
(To be continued)
