Redemption
Ashwatthama continued to wonder the desolate wasteland. His thoughts always return to past events
that occurred over a millennium ago. The
unforgivable actions he committed against the people he loved replay in his
mind. At last he releases a gut-wrenching
scream to the heavens, “I was not always like this. Once I was good and kind. The war twisted me, I did not act like I
normally would.”
A bright orb of light appeared before Ashwatthama. Out of stepped a great tiger with the mighty
Durga astride it. With an imperious
glance at Ashwatthama, the great goddess stated, “I to have fought in countless
wars over the ages. However, not once in
the heat of battle have I ever done anything that I am ashamed of later. Ashwatthama, son of Drona, be honest with
me. Were you truly a good person before
the war?”
“I had friends and loved ones. I trained under my father with the Pandavas
and the Kauravas before everything fell apart,” said Ashwatthama.
“That was what you did, not who you were at the time. Be honest with yourself. Be brave enough to admit your faults. It is the only way you can ever move on,”
replied Durga.
“No! I was petty and weak! I was jealous of my father’s relationship with
Arjuna. I felt like a second-rate
warrior compared to Arjuna and Bhima,” answered Ashwatthama.
“Now we are getting somewhere. It feels good to be true to yourself. If you did that from the beginning perhaps
you would not have been cursed of all eternity.
Do you remember what choice you made that started your downfall?” said Durga.
“Yes, I should have fought with the Pandavas. In my heart I knew they were in the
right. I just could not abandon my
father,” said Ashwatthama.
“I warn you, one more false statement like that, and I will
leave. You can continue to wander the
land cursed until the end of days. Is
that what you want?”
“No, please stay!”
“Fine,” replied Durga, “Now answer the question.”
“I wanted to prove that I was a better warrior than Arjuna,”
answered Ashwatthama.
“That is the answer I was waiting to hear. Answer my next question honestly and in no
uncertain terms. After your father died
and the war ended; why did you not surrender in peace?” asked Durga.
“Because I had nothing left.
I had no family, no home. The
Pandavas took everything from me. All I
had to cling to was my rage, and my desire for revenge. I wanted them to know what it feels like when
everything you ever loved is destroyed right in front of your eyes!”
“So, you felt justified in your actions against the Pandava
family?” asked Durga.
“Of course not! My
quest for revenge turned me into a monster.
An evil man who killed innocent children while they slept. I killed Arjuna’s grandchild while it was
still in the womb. Actions like that can
never be justified,” said Ashwatthama.
With a heavy sigh, and a defeated posture, Ashwatthama whispered,” It
was not the war that twisted me. I did
this to myself. I deserve this
curse. Leave me great goddess, I do not
deserve your attention. However, I must
thank you. Until now I have never taken responsibility
for my own actions. It was talking to
you that finally made me see things clearly.”
A brilliant flash of red light surrounded Durga, and in an
instant she was gone. In her place stood
the awe inspiring, fear inducing Kali. When
her fearsome gaze made eye contact with Ashwatthama; he fell to his knees.
“I am the dark blue night.
I am creation and destruction. I
am the divine protector who grants moksha.
It is I alone who has the power grant liberation form this life, and all
incarnations. I am Kali!” said
Kali. As she strode toward Ashwatthama she
continued, “Ashwatthama, your curse has served its purpose. You have admitted your faults. It is time for you to take the next
step. I grant you a release of the life
and death cycle. Be at peace
Ashwatthama.”
Still on his knees Ashwatthama gazed adoringly at Kali, with
tears in his eyes. He said,” Thank you,
divine goddess, you honor me.” With that Kali swung her sword and gave Ashwatthama
a warrior’s death.
Author’s Note
This
story is loosely based on The Kaurava Empire:Volume 2 The Vengeance of Ashwatthama graphic novel. It was written by
Jason Quinn, with art work by Sachin Nagar the graphic novel is based on the
Mahabharata. It describes the events before, during, and after he war
from the perspective of Ashwatthama. It is all flashbacks that he tells
Governor Aiken, who he saved from an attack. Conversation occurs
thousands of years after the great war. Governor Aiken passes judgment,
saying the slaughter of children is unforgivable. She leaves Ashwatthama
stranded on the planet. It tells how war can twist person and make them
do unforgivable things. It is a cautionary tale of the evil actions war
can cause.
My story starts at the end of the graphic novel. I felt like Ashwatthama’s story was not
over. In the epics I read in this class
if a demon did what Ashwatthama did they would be killed by a hero. Since the gods cursed him with immortality I
thought that they should eventually end the curse. So, the whole point of my story was to get
Ashwatthama accept his guilt. Then he
would get peace through death. I chose
Durga and Kali for several reasons. One,
they are the same goddess. Two, both are
awesome. Three, Kali has the power to
free a soul from the reincarnation cycle.
Four, according to Kali’s Wikipedia page she appears in the Mahabharata
and interacts with Drona and Ashwatthama during the war. Although I have not read that version. I thought it would work well for them to meet
in my story.
