Mahabharata

by

Vyasa

Aśvatthaman Character Analysis

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:
Dharma Theme Icon
).
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: Aśvatthaman (speaker), Samjaya (speaker), Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Drona, Śiva
Page Number: 564
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Here is the jewel, and here am I.’

Related Characters: Aśvatthaman (speaker), Samjaya (speaker), Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Krishna , Bhima , Drona, Draupadi , Śiva
Page Number: 578
Explanation and Analysis:
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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:
Dharma Theme Icon
).
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: Aśvatthaman (speaker), Samjaya (speaker), Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Drona, Śiva
Page Number: 564
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Here is the jewel, and here am I.’

Related Characters: Aśvatthaman (speaker), Samjaya (speaker), Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Krishna , Bhima , Drona, Draupadi , Śiva
Page Number: 578
Explanation and Analysis: