Gurus & Bhargavas
Ashwatthama: Drona’s Son
Drona’s son. The night slaughter. The astra at Uttara’s womb. Cursed to wander wounded.
Also called Dronaputra
Who Ashwatthama is
Ashwatthama is Drona and Kripi’s son. He is a warrior in the day-army and something else at night. His name, spoken over a dead elephant, is how his father is made to lay the bow down.
After Duryodhana falls he goes with Kripa and Kritavarma into the sleeping camp. He kills Dhrishtadyumna and the five sons of Draupadi. He looses a brahmashiras at Uttara’s womb. Krishna curses him to wander with the wound in his head unhealed.
Names and spellings
Canonical name in this graph: Ashwatthama. Common Mahabharat spellings and titles stay in the aliases rather than being repeated in every heading.
In the recitation
- Drona — the lie about the elephant named Ashwatthama
- Kripa — with him in the night raid
- Kritavarma — the third man of Sauptika
- Draupadi — her five sons murdered in their sleep
- Dhrishtadyumna — the night beheading
- Uttara — the astra aimed at the womb
Narrative role
Day 15 Bhima kills an elephant named Ashwatthama. Yudhishthira says the name. Drona dies. The son hears how.
Sauptika Parva Three men, one night. The camp that won the war is murdered in its sleep. Draupadi asks for the jewel in his head, not another pyre of the same size.
The womb The astra is meant to end Parikshit before birth. Krishna turns the weapon and curses the shooter. The Kuru line continues by that turning.
How Ashwatthama is related
How is Ashwatthama related to Drona? Father. The lie about the elephant is the hinge between the teacher’s death and the night raid. Drona
How is Ashwatthama related to Draupadi? He murders her five sons. That is the last named cruelty of the war-books. Draupadi
How is Ashwatthama related to Dhrishtadyumna? Fire-born killer of Drona, beheaded in his sleep by Drona’s son. Dhrishtadyumna
Source notes
Mahabharata text (Drona, Sauptika, Ashvamedhika), Ganguli. Last reviewed 12 September 2026.
See the methodology for how foster, niyoga, divine, and story-bonds are labelled. Send a correction via About.