Draupadee After the War

Ashwatthaamaa Kills Her Five Sons

This was not the end of sorrows of Draupadee.  Draupadee had five sons from her five husbands (see Draupadee 1). After everybody died from Kaurav's side, hiding in a pond Duryodhan was still alive towards the fag end of the war. Ashwatthaamaa came looking for him and asked him as what he could do for him. Duryodhan told him that he would be pleased if he could oblige him by bringing all Paandav's heads. Ashwatthaamaa promised him to do so and he asked Duryodhan to hold on till then. And off he went. 

On the same night, when Paandav were in a bit relaxed mood, Ashwatthaamaa sneaked in their camp and looked around for Paandav. He found five sons of Paandav sleeping in one tent and considering them Paandav as they looked like their fathers, killed all of them, and came to inform Duryodhan about their death. But by then Duryodhan had died. 

When Draupadee came to know abut her sons' killing, she wept bitterly. Arjun knew as who could do that. When Ashwatthaamaa came to know about his mistake he ran away from there. Arjun with Krishn went to look for Ashwatthaamaa. They got him in an Aashram where he was hiding in shelter. Both fought bravely. In the end Ashwatthaamaa used Brahmaastra. He knew how to release it but he didn't know how to get it back. To encounter it Arjun also had to use Brahmaastra. Brahmaa and Devtaa got frightened. Brahmaa Jee intervened and requested Arjun to take it back. Arjun did so, but Ashwatthaamaa couldn't call it back. He directed it towards Uttaraa's womb where Paandav's last male child heir Pareekshit was growing. It burned her fetus, but Krishn gave him life. 

Ashwatthaamaa got defeated. Arjun brought him to Draupadee for justice. She pardoned him on three reasons: one, he was their Guru's son; two, he was Braahman (they will have Brahm Hatyaa Paap); and three, she would not get her sons back after they had killed him. Then Krishn asked him to forfeit his Mani (gem) from his forehead as his punishment.