Aśvatthaman is a warrior Brahmin and the son of Drona. He becomes one of the last commanders of the Kaurava army and is most famous for his deadly night raid against the Pandava army. During the night raid, Aśvatthaman asks Śiva for help, then almost single-handedly kills thousands of Pandava fighters, including Sikhandin, Dhrishtadyumna, Prativindhya, Sutasoma, Śatanika, Śrutakirti, and Śrutasena. Aśvatthaman represents the power of Śiva, the god of destruction, while also more generally representing the carnage of warfare, which can be unfair.
Aśvatthaman Quotes in Mahabharata
The Mahabharata quotes below are all either spoken by Aśvatthaman or refer to Aśvatthaman . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10. The Night-Raid
Quotes
Drona’s son Aśvatthaman watched that owl carry out its guileful attack at night. The bird’s behaviour filled him with new resolve, and he said to himself, ‘This bird has given me good advice in warfare!’
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
‘Here is the jewel, and here am I.’
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Aśvatthaman Quotes in Mahabharata
The Mahabharata quotes below are all either spoken by Aśvatthaman or refer to Aśvatthaman . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10. The Night-Raid
Quotes
Drona’s son Aśvatthaman watched that owl carry out its guileful attack at night. The bird’s behaviour filled him with new resolve, and he said to himself, ‘This bird has given me good advice in warfare!’
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
‘Here is the jewel, and here am I.’