Until now, we have discussed various topics on this blog, including investment and finance related to AI, among other things. But today, we will talk about an interesting subject, or rather, an interesting person mentioned in Hindu mythology. This person has also been portrayed in a recently released Bollywood movie.
Now let’s talk about the seven-foot-tall warriors of the ancient world, who are so powerful that they can stop a car coming from several kilometers away with just one hand, and can break multiple concrete walls at once with a single jump. Ashwatthama is so powerful that he can destroy the world with his weapon alone. Surprisingly, Ashwatthama is not the only one who is so powerful. There are a total of seven immortal beings who have been present on Earth for billions of years. Can such powerful beings really exist?
And finally, where did Ashwatthama get such immense powers? So for that we have to go deep into the past.
During the Cretaceous period, which occurred between 145 to 66 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth, whose fossil records are still found today. They were as tall as 120 feet, equivalent to a 12-story building, and among them were some gentle and some fierce creatures, but they too met their end. However, some of their descendants survived, such as chickens and birds, whose heights are nothing compared to dinosaurs.
While dinosaurs were once capable of annihilating entire human armies, today their descendants like chickens are raised on human farms to feed us and alleviate our hunger. Not only that, but in 1911, several skeletons were found in the Giant Cave of Lovelock, Nevada, which were reported to be between 7 to 9 feet tall. Such tall skeletons have been found in many places around the world, some dating back 3,000 years or more.
We also know that before using modern technology, there were several civilizations on Earth that were highly advanced in engineering and technology. Whether it was the Indus Valley Civilization or the Egyptian civilization, their engineering feats are still acknowledged today. However, despite their advancements, these civilizations eventually declined and much of their knowledge was lost.
Many times, the stories we hear about powerful humans or animals may contain elements of truth. Scientifically, we know that when the Earth had higher oxygen levels, there were larger creatures and plants. So, is it not possible that characters, events, and technologies described in ancient texts like the Ramayana seem fascinating and unbelievable to us today because they were based on real beings and occurrences? Perhaps figures like Ashwatthama evolved into powerful humans resembling giants, much stronger than ordinary humans and standing over 10 feet tall, during ancient times.
Now, we will delve into the story of Mahabharata and characters like Ashwatthama , and understand why they are portrayed as so powerful, as depicted in the Kalki movie. What is the significance of the mark on Ashwatthama forehead, and why are the other immortal beings waiting for the downfall of the world?
According to the Mahabharata, Ashwatthama has been living on Earth for thousands of years as one of the seven immortals (chiranjeevis). These beings do not follow the normal cycle of birth and death like ordinary humans, allowing them to witness the rise and fall of advanced human civilizations over time. However, immortality of Ashwatthama is not a blessing but a curse given by Lord Shiva, in the form of a serpent curse.
Many people asks that who were the parents of Ashwatthama so answer is – Ashwatthama was the son of Dronacharya, who possessed divine powers. Dronacharya, thousands of years ago in ancient India, was the chief guru of the Kauravas and Pandavas in the kingdom of Hastinapur, located in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He imparted knowledge of warfare and destructive weapons to them. It was here that Ashwatthama learned many divine powers and astras—weapons that could control the elements of sky, air, water, fire, and earth. These imparted such immense power to Ashwatthama that overcoming him was nearly impossible for anyone. Additionally, he possessed a gem on his forehead which is depicted as crucial in the Kalki movie.
According to the Mahabharata, before Ashwatthama birth, Dronacharya was quite poor and did not want his children to face poverty after coming into the world, nor did he want them to suffer from hunger. Therefore, before Ashwatthama births, Dronacharya performed severe penance to Lord Shiva and wished that his son would have a firm resolve like Lord Shiva. Due to Lord Shiva’s blessing, when Ashwatthama was born, he had a divine gem on his forehead. This gem endowed him with much more power than all living beings, protecting him from hunger, thirst, fatigue, and aging. The combination of divine power and knowledge of weapons made Ashwatthama a formidable force, nearly impossible to defeat.
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The eldest of the Kauravas, who had trained with Ashwatthama since childhood, had learned about this situation early on. Therefore, he quickly formed a friendship with Ashwatthama and treated him like a brother. When the war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas began, Ashwatthama, one of the greatest warriors, sided with Duryodhana.
In the Mahabharata, which is the biggest war in the Indian subcontinent, Duryodhana gained an advantage. The Pandavas had Arjuna, the greatest archer in the world, and Duryodhana had Ashwatthama, who, after Karna, was the only one capable of stopping Arjuna and could potentially destroy the entire Pandava army. At one point, Ashwatthama did cause significant damage to the Pandava forces. When Dronacharya was leading the Kaurava army, Krishna knew that it was very difficult to inflict damage on the army while Dronacharya was present, and killing Dronacharya was nearly impossible. So, Krishna devised a strategy where they falsely announced the death of Ashwatthama. Upon hearing the news of his son’s death, Dronacharya laid down his weapons, after which the Pandavas killed him. Ashwatthama, enraged by this false news, used powerful weapons like the Narayanastra and Agni Astra, causing considerable harm to the Pandavas. However, due to Krishna’s intervention, Arjuna and the Pandavas were able to avoid the worst of Ashwatthama attacks. Realizing that victory was impossible with Krishna on the opposing side, Ashwatthama sought to negotiate peace with Duryodhana with caution and wisdom. But Duryodhana, according to his nature, did not heed Ashwatthama’s advice and continued the war, leading to its inevitable consequences. Shortly thereafter, Duryodhana’s entire army was destroyed, and only three warriors survived in the Mahabharata: Kripa, Kritavarma, and Ashwatthama.
During this period, there was a battle between Duryodhana and Bhima, in which Duryodhana was so severely wounded that he began to think of his last rites. He vowed to Ashwatthama to avenge his defeat. Ashwatthama, having lost everything in the war, decided to break all rules and laws by planning a night raid on the Pandavas’ camp. This turned out to be his greatest mistake, as the Pandavas were not present in the camp at that time. Instead, their children were there, and in his rage, Ashwatthama killed all of them.
Ashwatthama had been severely injured in the battle of Kurukshetra, so before going to the camp, he had worshipped Lord Shiva. When he entered the camp with the power granted by Shiva, no one could stand against him. With the divine sword given by Lord Shiva, he methodically killed everyone one by one. Among the victims was a brave commander, who begged Ashwatthama to allow him to die with honor, sword in hand, but Ashwatthama ignored his plea and killed him.
In this way, Ashwatthama accomplished what the Kaurava army could not: he annihilated the entire future lineage of the Pandavas, except for Abhimanyu’s unborn child who was still in his wife’s womb. This child would later become the curse.
After Ashwatthama committed this sin, Lord Krishna and the Pandavas learned about it. Yudhishthira, Arjuna, and the other Pandavas, furious, began searching for Ashwatthama. Sage Vyasa, who was present by the Ganges, witnessed this. When Ashwatthama saw the Pandavas approaching the ashram, he panicked and immediately released the most powerful weapon, the Brahmastra. In response, Arjuna also launched his Brahmastra to counter Ashwatthama attack.
Seeing this, Krishna realized that two Brahmastras colliding could be catastrophic for the Earth. He intervened and persuaded both warriors to retract their Brahmastras. Arjuna complied with Krishna’s advice and withdrew his Brahmastra, but Ashwatthama did not know how to recall his weapon. Instead, he directed his Brahmastra towards Uttara, Abhimanyu’s wife. Krishna managed to protect Uttara from the Brahmastra’s effects, but Abhimanyu’s unborn child and the Pandavas’ last lineage could not be saved. Thus, Ashwatthama caused the extinction of this last lineage.
Krishna was deeply enraged by the death of the child and took Ashwatthama the most powerful possession, the gem from his forehead, as a punishment. Krishna cursed Ashwatthama to wander the Earth until the end of the Kali Yuga, suffering so much that he would wish for death but would never be able to die. In this way, Ashwatthama became an immortal, not by boon but by curse.
However, Ashwatthama is not the only immortal mentioned in the scriptures. Combining the Ramayana, Puranas, and Mahabharata, there are seven such immortals: Ashwatthama, Bali from the Ramayana, Vedavyasa who composed the Mantras, Hanuman from the Ramayana, Vibhishana, Ravana’s brother and the ruler of Lanka, Kripacharya, one of the three surviving commanders of the Kaurava army, and finally Parshuram, who is considered the sixth avatar of Vishnu.
Today, we wonder if these Hindu deities still exist on Earth. The answer can be found in the Kalki Purana, on which a recent movie has been released named kalki 2898 AD.
According to the Kalki Purana, at the end of the Kali Yuga, when truth and falsehood reach their extremes, Lord Vishnu will incarnate as Kalki, the tenth avatar, born in the house of Sumati and Vishnu or Shaad. This concept is also depicted in the movie “Kalki,” where Deepika Padukone plays the role of Sumati, from whom Kalki will be born. In the film, Amitabh Bachchan plays Ashwatthama, who is shown as being punished for the sins of killing Uttara’s children. Alongside Ashwatthama, other immortals are also waiting for Kalki’s birth to fight against the forces of Kali and restore the Satya Yuga.
The movie “Kalki” is set in a futuristic world, approximately 700 years ahead, and introduces concepts like space exploration and advanced AI technology. In this futuristic world, humans have exhausted all resources on Earth but have advanced science to the extent that they can colonize other planets. According to the film, the villains representing Kali will be astronauts who have acquired technology and power making them nearly immortal, leading to a situation where the concept of gods has faded and people now revere these powerful beings.
The film explores how an ordinary human has become so powerful that even the Chiranjeevi and Kalki are coming to Earth to confront them. The movie will showcase how the powers of immortals and the concept of Kalki are depicted, highlighting the extent of their abilities.
