The Legend Of An Immortal: Ashwatthama

Have you ever heard of the immortal hero from Mahabharata who is still supposed to be alive? Shocking news, isn't it? But the great Indian epic, Mahabharata is filled with such mysterious tales and incidents. Every tale in the epic has a mystery attached to it which makes this longest epic of the world, the most interesting as well.

Most people find Mahabharata as a very confusing story. This is because Mahabharata has a lot of characters and each character is related to the other by some or the other way. Because this epic has so many legendary characters like the Pandavas, Draupadi, Kauravas etc. around whom the whole story revolves, people are not very familiar with the other characters who also have a crucial role in the epic. One such lesser known character is Ashwatthama.

Ashwatthama is a character from Mahabharata who is still believed to be alive and wandering on Earth since ages. Many people have claimed to see the immortal hero alive. Whether the rumours are true or not, the story of Ashwatthama is worth a read. So, read on to know about this immortal hero from Mahabharata.

SECRETS FROM THE EPIC MAHABHARATA

About Ashwatthama
Ashwatthama was the son of Dronacharya, who was the teacher of both Pandavas and the Kauravas. Ashwatthama was born to Dronacharya and his wife Kripi. Since his birth, Ashwatthama had a gem embedded on his forehead. This gem was supposed to be the source of all his powers. Ashwatthama grew up to be a valiant warrior who was well versed in archery and other war skills.

Ashwatthama In Mahabharata
During the Mahabharata war, Ashwatthama fought from the Kaurava's camp along with his father. Drona loved his son very dearly. So, when he heard the rumours during the war that Ashwatthama had died, Dronacharya gave up his arms and sat in meditation. He was killed by Dhristadyumna.

Seeking revenge for the same, Ashwatthama killed all the five sons of Draupadi on the last night of Mahabharata war, thinking that he was killing the Pandavas. When he realised his mistake, he invoked the most powerful weapon, Brahmastra to kill Pandavas. But he was stopped by sage Vyas who asked him to withdraw the powerful weapon. But Ashwatthama did not know how to withdraw the weapon after invoking. So, as a last resort, he directed the Brahmastra to kill Abhimanyu's unborn son in Uttara's womb, thus finishing the lineage of the Pandavas.

Enraged by this behaviour of Ashwatthama, Lord Krishna cursed him that he will roam about on the Earth for infinity, carrying the burden of his sins. He would never receive love or be welcomed by anyone. Lord Krishna also asked him to surrender the gem of his forehead and cursed that the sore formed from the removal of the gem would never heal. Thus, Ashwatthama roams about on Earth in search of salvation.

Is Ashwatthama Still Alive?
Many people have claimed that they have seen Ashwatthama. A doctor in Madhya Pradesh once had a patient with an incurable wound on his forehead. He applied several medicines to cure the wound but it just wouldn't heal. So, the doctor casually said that he was amazed as the wound seems ageless and incurable. It was like the incurable wound of Ashwatthama. Saying this the doctor laughed and turned to get his box. When the doctor turned back, the patient had vanished.

Another legend goes that there is a Indian village near Burhanpur, where there is a fort called Asirgarh. According to the locals, Ashwatthama still comes and offers flowers to the Shiva linga in the fort, every morning. Some other people have claimed to see Ashwatthama walking and living among the tribes at the Himalayan foothills.

Whether Ashwatthama is alive or not, his legend keeps him alive till date. The valiant warrior met a tragic end due to his ego and ignorance.