Post by jksivan on Aug 24, 2013 6:14:53 GMT 5.5
Dear Children
61 ‘’ EXCHANGE OF WEAPON ‘’
Have you heard the word Chiranjeevi? It means “’immortal’. Aswaththama is one of the deathless seven persons named in our legends as chiranjeevi. We will discuss this in another story.
Aswaththama was a great warrior and archer. He was taught the skill in archery by his own father the great Drona,. In his time, Dronacharya was one of the very few great masters in archery, specialist in Dhanurvedham, who taught the Pandavas and Kauravas when they were young at Hasthinapuram Palace. Though a Brahmin boy, Aswaththama was of the same age like the Pandava and Kaurava princes. He lived with his father in the palace of the Kauravas and so was a playmate of the 100 Kaurava princes from childhood. When they grew up, the 100 Kaurava princes were trained in all the martial arts. Aswathama too therefore joined them in learning archery from the Master Archer Dronacharya.
Any teacher will be proud of his best student isn’t it? So during the many years of training imparted by him, the Acharya Drona found the Pandava prince Arjuna as the bright and quick learner. He learnt all the archery techniques and mastered it faster than others. Acharya was very happy and he chose Arjuna to be taught the manthra for operating and handling the difficult Brahmasthram. Dronacharya considered Arjuna alone as the fittest to be taught the prayog of Brahmasthram.
“Arjuna, of all the skills in archery, I learnt the unique Brahmasthra handling, which I am going to teach you. You are the only one who will learn it from me because I have to impart it as part of my duty as a teacher, to someone before I disappear.”said Drona.
“My worshipful Gluru, I am fortunate to be blessed by you”’ answered Arjuna who fell at the feet of the teacher out of his gratitude and respect to be so rewarded. It so happened that Aswaththama, the son of Drona came to know about his father Dronacharya's decision. He got angry and was already jealous of Arjuna.
''’ I am his only son and yet my father is trying to teach the secret of using the Brahmasthra to a stranger’’ fretted and fumed the angry Aswaththama.
He persuaded and pestered Drona who could not avoid teaching the secret of using Brahmasthra to Aswathahama also. But he knew the character of his own son, who was jealous and unfit to be taught fully. So Drona decided not to teach all the manthras to be chanted before releasing the arrow, to Aswaththama. He also cleverly put a condition to both Aswaththama and Arjuna while teaching the handling of Brahmashram “’this asthram should be used only after chanting the prescribed manthra to give it the power. He further put a condition “’under any circumstance, this asthram should not be used against any ordinary mortal human being however bad he may be. If used, the asthram will become ineffective” Drona imposed this condition because he knew Aswaththama will never get any opportunity to wage war with Devas, Asuras and divine beings. So he can never use the brahmasthram in spite of his having learnt the manthra to use it.!!
Aswaththama was waiting for an opportunity to meet Krishna when Pandavas were in their 12 year exile in the forest. He walked to Dwarka and was told by the palace guards that Krishna had gone for his walk along the sea shore. To get an opportunity to meet Krishna personally, was not easy and so Aswaththama ran to the sea shore and saw Krishna walking there.
‘’Aswaththama, I am happy to see after a long time. What brought you here?”
“Krishna, I came to Dwarka to meet you and was told by your palace guards that you are here and so I did not want to miss meeting you”
“Tell me Aswaththama what brought you to me all the way from Hasthinapuram? You would not do so unless you needed from me. What is that?”
“To be frank, Krishna, I have something to ask you, which I had been hesitating to ask for so long and I feel today it will be fulfilled”
“’Cut it short, Aswaththama, tell me clearly what is it you want from me?’’
‘’Krishna, you know I have Brahmasthram, I have no use for it, so I thought I can give it to you in exchange for the Sudharsana Chakra you have”
Aswaththama was restless and was afraid that what he had asked would irritate Krishna and would make him angry. But Krishna was having a hearty laugh and replied softly :
‘’Asswaththama, You are a warrior and you have boldly asked me what you wanted from me. Well, I make it clear to you that you can take anything I have with me, my Panchajanyam, the conch, the mace, my bow and arrow and Sudharshana chakra, anything you like. I am willing to give them all. But you should check with each one of them, whether they are willing to leave me and come to you. So what I would suggest is that you take from me whatever you desired. I don’t need your Brahmasthram in exchange for it ‘’
Aswaththama was very greedy, and wanted sudharshana chakra only. He wanted to become very powerful on earth with it. So when Krishna permittd him to take it, he immediately grasped the golden opportunity.
Aswaththama neared Krishna and tried to take the Sudharshana chakra from Krishna’s hand. He pulled it with his left hand. He could not move it. He tried with his right hand, with same result. He tried with both hands and could not separate it from Krishna. Krishna never resisted. He offered his hand for removing the Sudharshana chakra. Having failed in spite of all his efforts and strength to remove it from Krishna’s hands, Aswaththama was completely exhausted, fell down gasping for breath.
Krishna observed this and asked ''Aswaththama, what is this , you asked me and I offered you readily the Sudharshana Chakra but you could not take it from my hand. I accepted to give you what my brother Balaram, my friend Arjuna and my sons, Pradhyumnan and Samban also never asked, but you could not avail the opportunity. It is alright. Now tell me first, what was your intention, and why you needed the Sudharshana chakra and against whom you were hoping to use it?’’
Aswaththama was still lying on the seashore completely worn out, and in a feeble voice re.plied “’Krishna, let me be honest and tell the truth. I wanted to use it against you only, because if I killed you with the sudharshana chakra, which alone, can kill you, then there is no one powerful than me and I can command everyone. But now I have realised that no one can even dream of touching any of your weapons because the weapons themselves know with whom they rightly have to be. Forgive me Krishna for my folly''
Aswaththama bowed to Krishna and walked back silently. Krishna observed him until he became a dot in the long distance away from him and heaved a sigh of disappointment as he murmured ‘’It is unfortunate that Acharya Drona’s sin has taken the form of a son’’