Namaskar,
This alphabet needed some thinking before I could
finalize a topic. During the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was killed
by the Kaurava side when he penetrated the Chakravuyha formation. Arjuna was
distraught upon hearing the news that evening. When Yudhistira told him that
Jayadratha (king of Sindhu and husband of Dushala, the Kaurava sister)
prevented the four Pandava brothers from following Abhimanyu into the
formation, Arjuna was livid.
He vowed to kill Jayadratha the next day before the sunset to avenge Abhimanyu’s death. Jayadratha had earlier (during the exile) lusted after Draupadi and abducted her. Bhima and Arjuna wanted to kill him, but Yudhistira let him go with a punishment (shaving his head and mustache).
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Jayadrathavadha is a Upaparva in Drona Parva and is
described in high detail. The Kaurava side did their best to prevent Arjuna
from getting closer to Jayadratha (and failed eventually). Arjuna was said to
have killed eight akshauhini of the Kaurava army that day. Imagine the carnage!
(One Akshauhini = 21,870 chariots; 21,870 elephants;
65,610 horses and 1,09,350 foot soldiers)
After much effort, Ajurna, with Krishna as his
charioteer, got at a shooting distance from Jayadratha (Arjuna’s arrows
could easily travel one krosa, which is appx. 3 KM, and hit the target).
Right before Arjuna aimed, Krishna told him an important story about
Jayadratha’s birth.
When Jayadratha was born, a voice spoke from heaven.
It announced to King Bridhakshatra that his son would be a powerful ruler known
for his prowess but would be beheaded by an enemy on the battlefield. To
prevent this, King Bridhakshatra cursed the (then unknown) enemy and said that
one who let his son’s head fall on the battlefield would die immediately as his
own head would shatter into a thousand pieces.
Krishna then told Arjuna that Bridhakshatra had
later left for a forest called Samantapanchaka and had been doing tapasya for
years. He advised Arjuna to shoot his arrow in such a way that Jayadratha’s
head would not fall on the battlefield but into the lap of the old king
(Bridhakshatra) in the forest.
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Arjuna nodded and charged his arrow with divine
mantras. He aimed and shot it at Jayadratha. The arrow severed Jayadratha’s
head and continued onward, carrying it on the tip. Arjuna shot more arrows in succession to support it. Everyone (including Bhima,
Satyaki, and others) stared in amazement as the arrows and head traveled
away from the battlefield at high speed. The arrows reached the outskirts of
Samantapanchaka, where the old Bridhakshatra was sitting under a tree in
meditation. Jayadratha’s head dropped into his lap.
After a while, Bridhakshatra finished his meditation
and stood, not registering his son’s head on his lap. The head rolled to the
ground. He stared at it, aghast, and his own head shattered into a thousand
pieces. Thus, the father and son died, making the prophecy and the curse come
true.
So, that’s how Arjuna avenged his son’s death and
the arrow reached the spot X.
You can read a detailed summary of Jayadrathavadha
Upaparva on Draupadi Parashakti's Facebook Page (a series of
seventeen posts).
I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z.
The AI images are made on Bing.
This story is new to me. I knew till the chakravyue story and death of Abhimanyu..but i didn't know about other charaactersl Yes I learned that we should never curse others lest it befall upon us.
ReplyDeleteA lot happens after Abhimanyu's death. :)
DeleteYep, a valuable lesson for us.
Mahabharata is enchanting, always. Jayadratha made the life of many characters difficult - Draupadi, Abhimanyu, Dushala - with the authority of being Kshatriya, which eventually lead to his decline.
ReplyDeleteVery true, sir! His actions led to his death.
Delete