X for X Marks the Spot: Jayadratha’s Death - Mahabharata Mashup

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). 

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. 

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.