Episode#69
On the fifteenth day, the war did not cease even after the sunset but continued as mentioned before in Torchlight. The Kurukshetra field presented strange sight with burning torches - the generals and soldiers on both the sides we're engaged in battle, thousands of torches burnt and were used as signals, devised for night time.
Ghatotkacha and his troops of demons (who are stronger at night) found darkness an additional advantage and violently attacked Duryodhana army. Duryodhana heart sank when he saw thousands of his men destroyed by Ghatotkacha and his demon army moving in the air and attacking in strange and unexpected ways. The warriors begged to Karna "Kill this fellow at once, Karna, for otherwise, soon our whole army will cease to be. Finish him without delay!" Karna himself was angry and bewildered, having been wounded by one of the Asura arrows. He had with him the spear which Indra had bestowed to him, but as warned, it could be used only once, and he had carefully set it aside exclusively use on Arjuna! But in confusion and under the influence of unjustified wrath, Karna suddenly hurled the missile at the young Ghatotkacha, who from the mid-air was showering his deadly arrows on the Kauravas army, dropped dead, plunging the Pandavas in grief. Thus Arjuna was inadvertently saved, but at the cost of Ghatotkacha life.
Far away on the top of the hill Barbarika where his head was placed overlooking the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the son of Ghatotkacha watched his father dying, tears fell out of his eyes, he regret that he could not able to save his father. Bhima cried over the death of his son Ghatotkacha, he looked up at his grandson Barbarika who was also shedding tear on his father's death.
The battle did not stop! Drona spread unrest and devastation in the Pandavas by his relentless attacks. "Oh Arjuna," said Krishna, "there is none that can defeat Drona; we cannot cope with him unless Dharma is set aside! There is only one that will make him desist from fighting. If he hears that his son Aswasthama is dead, Drona will lose all interest in life and throw down his weapons. Hence if someone relates Drona that Aswasthama is slain, he shall withdrawn...!" Arjuna shrank in horror at the proposal, as he could not bring himself to tell a lie. Those who are nearby with him also rejected the idea, for no one desired to be party to deceit. Yudhishtira stood for a while reflecting deeply. "I shall bear the burden of this son," he said and resolved the deadlock! It was strange. Yudhishtira decided to bear the shame of it, for there was no other way?
Bhima lifted his iron mace and crashed it heavily on the head of huge elephant called Aswasthama, Bhima went near Drona division and roared so that all might hear. "I have killed Aswasthama!" Drona heard these words as he was in the act of discharging Brahmastra....
"Yudhishtira, is it true my son has been slain?" Drona ask addressing Yudhishtira. The Acharya thought that Yudhishtira would not utter an untruth even at the cost of his own life! When Drona asked thus Krishna was terribly perturbed. "If Yudhishtira fails us now and shrinks from uttering an untruth, we are lost! Drona Brahmastra is of very high order and the Pandavas will be destroyed within a moment" he said.
Yudhishtira trembled in horror of what he was to say, he also had the desire to win. "Let it be my sin," he muttered to himself and hardening his heart said "Yes, it is true that Aswasthama has been killed." But, as he was saying it, he felt again the disgrace of it and added in a low and tremulous voice, "Aswasthama, the elephant or your son...'Naro Vaa Kunjaravo' - I do not know" these words however drowned in the don't and we're not heard by Drona!
When Drona heard that his beloved son had been slain, all his attachment to life snapped, the desire to live vanished and seeing him in this depressive mood, Bhima deliberately spoke harsh words: "You Brahmans, abandoning the legitimate function of your Varna and taking to the Kshatriyas profession of arms, have brought ruin to Princes. If you Brahmans had not gone astray from the duties belonging to you by birth, the Princes would not have led to this destruction. You teach that non-killing is the highest Dharma and that the Brahmans are the supporters of this Dharma. It was our misfortune that you descended to this sinful life." This words caused excruciating pain to Drona who had already lost the will to live. He threw his weapons away and sat down in yoga on the floor of his chariot and was soon in trance!
At this moment, Dhrishtadyumna ascended in the chariot with a drawn sword, heedless of the cries of horror and deprecation from all around he cut off the sage's head in a single sweep of sword - and the soul of the son of Bharadwaja emerged out in a visible blaze and mounted to the heavens!
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