Skandapurana 3.1.31

The seers said:

How did Aśvatthāman commit the slaughter of those asleep, O Sūta?

And how was he freed from that sin by immersing himself in Dhanuṣkoṭi?

Tell this to us who are full of faith, O best of Purāṇa reciters!

No satiety arises in us who drink the nectar of your speech.

Thus questioned then by the inhabitants of the Naimiṣa forest,

Sūta, having joyfully bowed to his guru Vyāsa, began to speak there.

Glorious Sūta said:

Formerly, O twice-born, when a dispute arose over the kingdom between the Pāṇḍavas

and the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, in the great war joined with vast armies of akṣauhiṇīs,

after fighting for ten days, when Bhīṣma, son of Śantanu, was slain,

after [Droṇa fought] for five days, and after Karṇa [fought] for two days,

and after Śalya, having fought for one day, met his death,

on the eighteenth day in that battle, O twice-born,

when Duryodhana, best of kings, fell with his thighs shattered by Bhīma's club,

all the kings, O brahmins, hastened to make camp.

Those kings who survived went with joyful minds,

Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍin and the others, and indeed all the Sṛñjayas.

And other rulers of the earth also departed to their own camps.

Then the heroic sons of Pṛthā, accompanied by Kṛṣṇa and Sātyaki,

entered Duryodhana's deserted camp, O twice-born.

By the elderly ministers present there, and by the eunuchs guarding the women,

who had their hands folded in reverence, bowing low, clad in ochre and soiled garments,

the sons of Pṛthā were saluted in the palace of the Kuru king.

Taking possession of the various wealth situated there, those mighty ones

dwelt happily in the camp of Suyodhana.

Then glorious Kṛṣṇa, as if pleasing them, spoke to those sons of Pṛthā:

"For the sake of auspiciousness, we should stay outside the camp."

Thus addressed by Vāsudeva, saying "So be it," the Pāṇḍavas,

accompanied by Kṛṣṇa and Sātyaki, went outside the camp.

Together with Vāsudeva, indeed for the sake of auspiciousness, the Pāṇḍavas,

those best of men, having reached the bank of the Oghavatī river,

spent that night there pleasantly, having slain the hosts of their enemies.

Kṛtavarman, Kṛpa, and the son of Droṇa [went] into the presence of Duryodhana;

they arrived in the late afternoon before the setting of the sun.

Then, seeing Suyodhana smeared with the dust of battle,

with his thigh-bones shattered by Bhīmasena's terrible mace,

his entire body drenched in blood, writhing on the surface of the earth,

the three, Droṇa's son and the others, grieved there at that time.

And King Duryodhana, seeing them, also grieved on the battlefield.

Seeing the king in such a state, his eyes blurred with tears,

Aśvatthāman, blazing with anger then like a great fire,

wringing hand with hand, his eyes wide with rage,

spoke to Duryodhana in a voice choking with tears:

“My father was brought down on the battlefield by vile men through sheer deceit.

I do not grieve so much for that as I do for you being brought low.

Hear my words today, O king, as I speak the truth.

I swear by my meritorious deeds, O noble Suyodhana:

Tonight I will slaughter the Pāṇḍavas along with the Sṛñjayas,

before the very eyes of Vāsudeva! Grant me your permission!”

Hearing those words of his, the king then said to Droṇa's son,

“So be it!” And again, O best of brahmins, the king said to Kṛpa:

“O teacher, consecrate this son of Droṇa with water from a jar

to the supreme command of the army!” And he did so.

Droṇa's son, having been consecrated, embraced the best of kings,

and, accompanied by Kṛtavarman and Kṛpa, departed swiftly.

Then those three heroes set out heading south.

Before sunset, they approached the vicinity of the camp.

Hearing the dreadful roar of the Pārthas who desired victory there,

pursued by the Pāṇḍavas and terrified, the three led by Droṇa's son

fled facing east for some distance in fear, exhausted with fatigue.

Having gone on for a moment, overcome by wrath and indignation,

afflicted by Duryodhana's fall, they halted there for a while.

Then they saw a forest filled with various trees and creepers,

teeming with numerous deer and crowded with flocks of fierce birds,

adorned with ponds brimming with abundant water,

crowded with hundreds of lakes of lotuses, blue water-lilies, and white water-lilies.

Having drunk water there and having watered their horses,

they then beheld a banyan tree dense with many branches.

Reaching that great banyan tree, the three then

dismounted from their chariots, unharnessed the horses,

sipped water there, and performed the evening twilight worship.

And then the sun, devoid of luster, reached the setting mountain,

and a dreadful night shrouded in darkness arose.

Creatures of the night roamed here and there,

while creatures of the day fell under the sway of sleep.

Kṛtavarman, Kṛpa, and Droṇa's son, at the time of nightfall,

sat near the banyan tree, emaciated by sorrow.

Kṛpa and the Bhoja [Kṛtavarman] then fell asleep, overcome with great fatigue;

accustomed to comfort, undeserving of suffering, they lay on the bare earth.

Droṇa's son, however, his mind defiled by rage,

found no sleep, O best of brahmins, hissing like a serpent.

Then he looked around at that terrible forest,

and then saw the banyan tree crowded with many crows.

Flocks of crows had come to roost there for the night;

they were sleeping peacefully on different branches, each by itself.

While those crows slept trustfully on all sides,

Droṇa's son then saw a terrifying owl approaching,

making a cruel sound, having a cruel form and a tawny-brown body.

That owl, making a loud screech, hid in the tree.

Leaping upon a branch of that banyan tree, the bird,

the destroyer of crows, slaughtered numerous sleeping crows.

The bird broke the wings of some of the crows;

and with its claws as weapons, the legs and heads of others

that powerful owl severed in an instant, O brahmins.

Then, with the many severed limbs of the bodies of the crows,

the entire perimeter of the banyan tree was covered all around.

Having slain those crows, that owl then rejoiced.

Droṇa's son, however, seeing that deed performed thus by the owl at night,

"I too shall bring about the destruction of my enemies at night in this very way."

Thus he thought, being alone, remembering this teaching:

"The sons of Pṛthā cannot indeed be conquered by one fighting in a straightforward manner.

Therefore, they who vaunt their victory must now be slain by me through deceit.

And their slaughter was promised by me in Suyodhana's presence.

In a straightforward fight, the loss of my life will occur;

but for one fighting with trickery, victory and the destruction of his enemies [will result].

Even an action that may be condemned in the world by all people

is indeed to be performed by one who adheres to the duty of the warrior class.

By the sons of Pṛthā, too, action was taken against Suyodhana solely through deceit.

On this matter, there are indeed verses uttered by knowers of ancient lore:

'When the enemy's army is exhausted, broken, and eating,

and during departure and entry, one should strike without doubt.

Oppressed by sleep at midnight, and likewise having abandoned weapons in battle,

an entire force whose warriors are divided should be struck down by its enemies.'"

Having thus made a resolve regarding the act of slaughtering the sleeping,

that daring warrior awakened the Bhoja and Kṛpa, who were asleep at night.

The son of Droṇa, having reflected for a moment, addressed them both:

Aśvatthāman said:

"King Suyodhana, of great strength and prowess, is dead;

[he of] pure deeds was slain by many sons of Pṛthā of vile deeds.

The king's head was struck with a foot by the exceedingly cruel Bhīma.

Therefore, having gone together tonight to the tent pavilion of the sons of Pṛthā,

we shall slay them while they sleep peacefully, with various kinds of weapons."

Having heard this, O best of the twice-born, Kṛpa spoke there to his friend:

Kṛpa said:

"The killing of those who are asleep is not righteousness in the world, nor is it praised;

likewise of those who have cast aside their weapons, and of those who have abandoned their chariots and horses.

Listen to my word, dear child: let rashness be abandoned by you.

Let us ask Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the devoted wife Gāndhārī,

and also Vidura; let us do what is spoken by them."

Having been spoken to in this way, the son of Droṇa then replied to Kṛpa:

Aśvatthāman said:

"The fact that my father was previously slain by the Pāṇḍavas in battle through deceit,

that cuts into all my vital spots, O maternal uncle!

These words of Dhṛṣṭadyumna: 'I am the slayer of Droṇa'—

how can I listen to such a statement in the presence of people?

By those very Pāṇḍavas was the barrier of righteousness shattered earlier.

Right before the eyes of you all, and indeed of all the kings,

my father, who had laid down his weapons, was brought down by Dhṛṣṭadyumna.

Likewise Bhīṣma, the son of Śaṃtanu, having cast down his bow and devoid of weapons,

was struck down by Savyasācin, who placed Śikhaṇḍin in front.

In this way, other rulers of the earth too were slain by them solely through deceit.

In that very manner I shall bring about the slaughter of the sleeping at night."

Having spoken thus, the son of Droṇa then [mounted] a chariot with horses yoked,

and having mounted it, blazing with rage, set forth towards the enemies.

Both Kṛtavarman and Kṛpa followed him as he went;

and they came then to their camp, where the people were fast asleep.

Having reached the entrance of the camp, the son of Droṇa stood there.

Having propitiated Mahādeva, the treasure of compassion, there at night,

he received a spotless sword from Mahādeva, the granter of boons.

Then the son of Droṇa, having stationed both Kṛtavarman and Kṛpa

at the region of the gateway, entered the interior of the camp, a great hero.

When the son of Droṇa had entered the camp, both Kṛtavarman and Kṛpa,

supreme archers, stood on guard at the entrance.

Then the son of Droṇa, utterly enraged, blazing as it were with splendour,

taking up the spotless sword, roamed the camp at night.

Then he slowly approached the camp of Dhṛṣṭadyumna.

There, Dhṛṣṭadyumna and the others, exhausted by the great battle,

slept at night, feeling secure, surrounded by their respective troops.

Having entered Dhṛṣṭadyumna's camp, the son of Droṇa, skilled in weapons,

saw nearby that mighty warrior sleeping upon a splendid couch.

In fury, Droṇa's son kicked the sleeping warrior with his foot.

Awakened by the kick and rising up from the couch,

the hero then beheld Droṇa's son standing before him.

As he sprang up from the couch, the powerful son of the master Droṇa,

dragging him by the hair with both arms, crushed him down onto the ground.

Then Dhṛṣṭadyumna, crushed by him, stricken with fear,

blinded by sleep and afflicted by the blows of his foot, was unable to struggle.

Droṇa's son, stepping upon his chest and binding his neck with bowstrings,

killed him as one slaughters a sacrificial beast, while he groaned and writhed.

And he likewise slaughtered all his forces,

as well as the exceedingly valiant Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujas,

and likewise the sons of Draupadī and the remaining Somakas.

He killed many others with his sword, foremost among them Śikhaṇḍin.

And all the soldiers who fled out of the gate in terror of him

were brought to their deaths by both Kṛtavarman and Kṛpa.

Thus, its forces slain by those mighty warriors,

the camp instantly became desolate, as the three worlds do in the dissolution.

Having slain them all in this manner, the three, headed by Droṇa's son,

went forth from that camp, terrified of Pārtha and stricken with fear.

Swiftly fleeing, they all dispersed to different regions.

Then, O brahmins, Droṇa's son went to the charming bank of the Revā.

There indeed, many thousands of ṛṣis who proclaimed the Vedas,

recounting sacred tales, were performing unsurpassed austerity.

There this son of Droṇa went to the hermitages of the ṛṣis.

Yet the moment he entered, the sages who expounded Brahman,

knowing the wicked deed of Droṇa's son through the power of yoga, said to him:

“O son of Droṇa, you are a sinner who murders the sleeping, the vilest of brahmins!

By the very sight of you, degradation certainly falls upon us.

By merely conversing with you, ten thousand sins of killing a brahmin would arise.

Therefore depart from our hermitages, you vilest of men!”

Thus the twice-born sages dwelling there spoke to the son of Droṇa.

Addressed in this manner by the sages who expounded Brahman,

Droṇa's son departed, ashamed, from that hermitage frequented by sages.

Thus he went to sacred tīrthas, beginning with Kāśī.

Rebuked at every place by all the high-souled twice-born,

he sought refuge with Vyāsa, desiring to perform an expiation.

Then, approaching the great sage Dvaipāyana

who was seated in the forest of Badarī, he bowed down with devotion.

Then the sage Vyāsa spoke to him, the son of the master Droṇa: