GUNJAN PORWAL, engineer by day, and writer by night, is fascinated by Indian mythology, especially the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
After graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 2002, Gunjan worked in MNCs as an engineer while contemplating writing anything other than code.
Gunjan lives in Pune with his wife, children, and parents. Ashwatthamas Redemption: The Rise of Dandak is his debut novel.
First published in 2018 by
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Text copyright Gunjan Porwal
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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ISBN: 9789352766352
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
At the holy feet of Shirdi Sai Baba
My wife Shweta, my strong pillar of support;
My children Anvesha and Krrish, my world;
And, my parents, whom I cannot thank enough.
Contents
Authors Note
Signs
The Recluse
The Accidental Traveller
Road to Hastinapur
The Princess of Indraprastha
The Puzzle
The Valley of Illusions
The Himavant Ranges
Karma
The Path Ends
The Bow of Lord Rama
The Yeti Kingdom
Strategy
Raktavija
Ashwatthama s Redemption
The Edge
The Green Thief
The Rise of Dandak
Krishnas Chamber
The Barbarik Connection
Vidyuts Fury
The Palace by the Sea
Acknowledgements
Authors Note
mHk;ks% lsu;ks% v'oRFkke;kf/kd dksfi ohj% ukfLr]
;fn l% q/;fr psr~ vij% f'ko bo HkofrA
There is no one mightier than him in both armies.
If he unleashes his anger, he becomes a second Shiva.
With these words, Bhishma comforted Duryodhana, describing the greatness of Ashwatthama among the warriors in the Kuru army.
The battle of Kurukshetra is rich with stories of mighty warriors like Arjuna, Karna and Abhimanyu, among others. However, little is known about Ashwatthama, son of Dronacharya.
Born with a gem on his forehead, that made him fearless and invincible, Ashwatthama was Lord Shiva part-incarnate. Much like the Pandavas, he was a demigod. He was a Maharatha . He could shoot arrows in quick succession, his rage could consume armies, and as a warrior, he was peerless. On his deathbed, Duryodhana had expressed regret to Krishna that the Kauravas might have won had Ashwatthama been made the commander-in-chief of the Kuru army after Dronacharyas death.
Ashwatthama was trained by none other than Dronacharya, his father and guru. He avenged his fathers death on the eighteenth night of the Kurukshetra War by killing over a thousand Pandava warriors in a few hours. That event became his legacy.
However, every coin has two sides, and we rarely try to understand the story from an alternative perspective. Ashwatthama was not a villain, he was not the hero either. His greatness as the most powerful warrior ever has been conveniently forgotten.
On learning more about his acts on the final night of the war, I realised that while others achieved legendary status in the war, Ashwatthama was cursed for (almost) an eternity, and left to suffer for one night of misadventure.
Second chances are important for redemption, and this story is my attempt to rediscover Ashwatthama, and find a way beyond his eternal journey of guilt and rage. In this fictional universe, Ashwatthama is on the road to healing. After Krishnas curse the only curse ever uttered by the Lord will Ashwatthama find any meaning or purpose in his life?
Will the gods forgive Ashwatthama? Does he even deserve redemption?
Map of Aryavarta (3129 bc )
3228 bc Descent of Lord Krishna on Earth
3139 bc The Kurukshetra War
3102 bc Lord Krishna leaves Earth and returns to Vaikuntha
The Pandavas renounce the world after a
36-year reign
Parikshit is crowned King of Hastinapur
3079 bc King Parikshit dies of a snakebite
Janamejaya organises a havan to kill all
snakes
The Mahabharata is recited to Janamejaya
v'oRFkkek cfyO;kZlks guweka'p foHkh"k.k%A
d`i% ij'kqjke'p lIr,rS fpjthfou%AA
lIrSrku~ laLejsfR;a ekdZ.Ms;eFkk"VeEk~A
thos}"kZ'kra lksfi loZO;kf/kfooftZrAA
By remembering the eight immortals
(Ashwatthama, Bali, Veda Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya, Parashurama and Rishi Markandaya),
one can be free of all problems
and live up to hundred years.
Signs
Over 100 years after the Kurukshetra War
Ujjaini, the capital of Avanti
Avanti, a kingdom above the Vindhya Ranges
The young man fidgeted in his sleep. He was feeling unusually warm. He had a disturbing vision. Dawn hadnt broken yet. Getting out of bed, he trudged towards the balcony. The white palace glowed in the moonlight. The fountain in the front yard of the palace gurgled the only sound that was audible in the silence of the predawn hours.
The vision kept returning to Rana. A large glowing crater, a bluish-gold arrow mounted against a golden bowstring, and a mysterious hooded figure dressed in black with red eyes. Rana rested his palms on the marble railing, trying to comprehend the vision, but he was clueless. A recurring vision was not a coincidence. Feeling restless, he went inside his bedroom.
It was morning. In the early hours, the city of Ujjaini looked serene. The palace was situated on a hill overlooking the city. A few early-morning walkers could be seen in the distance. The entire kingdom hadnt woken up yet.
Avanti was a peaceful kingdom. Most of the surrounding kingdoms had been destroyed during the Kurukshetra War. Avanti, however, had survived due to its strong trade relations with the southern kingdoms, some of which had abstained from participating in the war. The fall of the other northern kingdoms had worked in Avantis favour, as most southern states were suddenly left with no choice but to trade with Avanti. Their former trading partner states had collapsed and many kingdoms that participated in the war, faced civil unrest due to lack of leadership.
The present ruler, Janak Pratap Singh, was a sharp strategist, and the people were happy under his rule. Farmers earned a fair price for their crops, traders struck good business deals, and the royal treasury, too, got a boost in earnings through taxation. The king would sporadically lower the tax rates, and, the economy grew rapidly, encouraging traders and farmers from other kingdoms to come and settle down in Avanti. The standard of living was high among the common folk, and many people owned houses and horses. Even the poor farmers owned bullock carts.
