Ashvasena: The Serpent Who Wanted Revenge on Arjuna - Ashwasena and Karna’s Arrow: Revenge That Missed
Ashvasena was a naga, a son of Takshaka, the king of
serpents. His story is told in two places in Mahabharata, first in Adi Parva
and then in Karna Parva. In Adi Parva, we see how his anger is born. In Karna
Parva, we see how that anger comes back to take its revenge. The two parts must
be read together to understand the full meaning.
The Khandava fire, where it started
In Adi Parva, in the section called Khandava Daha Parva,
Agni Deva was suffering from a disease because he had eaten too much of the
ghee of a long sacrifice. He was told that he could be cured only if he burnt
the Khandava forest and the creatures living in it. Indra, who was a friend of
Takshaka, protected the forest with rain every time Agni tried to burn it. So
Agni asked Krishna and Arjuna for help. Arjuna covered the sky with a net of
arrows so that no rain could fall and no creature could escape.
Takshaka was not at home that day, as he was at Kurukshetra.
But his family was in the forest. Ashvasena’s mother tried to save her son by
swallowing him and flying up. Arjuna cut off her head with an arrow. Ashvasena,
however, escaped, because Indra created a storm that confused Arjuna for a
short time. From that day, Ashvasena carried a deep hatred for Arjuna in his
heart.
The revenge in Kurukshetra
Years passed. When the war began, Ashvasena was waiting for
the right chance. In Karna Parva, in the duel between Karna and Arjuna on the
seventeenth day, he entered the arrow of Karna, which Karna had kept safely for
a long time. He told Karna that if Karna released him, he would cut off the
head of Arjuna.
Karna did not know that the arrow had a living being inside
it. He aimed at the head of Arjuna and released it. At that moment, Krishna
pressed the chariot down into the earth with his feet, and the horses went on
their knees. The arrow took away the crown of Arjuna instead of his head. The
crown was a bright and precious ornament, and it fell burnt to the ground.
Karna’s refusal
Ashvasena then returned to Karna and asked him to shoot
again, now with more care. Karna asked who he was. After hearing the story,
Karna refused. He said that he would not use the same arrow a second time, and
that he would win only by his own strength and not by the help of another’s
anger. Ashvasena then went to attack Arjuna himself and was cut down by
Arjuna’s arrows, with Krishna’s guidance.
Here we see something important about Karna. Even though he
was fighting on the side of adharma, his sense of honour did not leave him. He
would not win by repeating a trick.
Teachings and philosophy
The first lesson is about karma. Every action produces a
result, and the result may come back after many years. The destruction of the
Khandava forest, whatever its reason, left behind a survivor who remembered.
Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 4, Verse 17) says that the path of action is deep and
hard to understand. We think an event is over, but its effects continue to
move.
The second lesson is about the role of Bhagavan. Arjuna did
not save himself in that moment. Krishna saved him, and Arjuna did not even
know it happened until later. In Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 18, Verse 66), Krishna
says that he will free the one who surrenders to him from all sins, and the
people who follow him are in his care. The chariot being pressed down is a
plain example of this care.
The third lesson is about hatred. Ashvasena lived only for
revenge, and that was the end of him. Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2, Verse 63)
explains how anger leads to confusion, then to loss of memory, then to the loss
of intelligence, and finally to destruction. His life followed this exact
order.
Symbolism
The arrow with the serpent inside stands for hidden danger,
a threat which does not look like a threat. The crown being lost instead of the
head shows how Bhagavan takes away the biggest loss and leaves only a small
one. Also, Arjuna’s pride and his symbols of status are what get damaged, not
his life.
Relevance today
Even now, people do harm to others and think that it is
finished and forgotten. But the hurt person may be carrying it for years. In
families, in offices, and in society, old injuries return in new forms. A wise
person thinks about the effect of every big action, even when the action is
justified.
The story also warns the person who is hurt. Ashvasena had a
real reason for sorrow, but he chose to burn in it. Holding a grudge for a
whole lifetime harms the one who holds it most.
Life lessons
Act with dharma, and think about those who will be affected.
Do not carry hatred, because it destroys the carrier. Keep a sense of honour
even in a fight, as Karna did. And finally, keep faith in Bhagavan, because the
protection we receive is often not visible to us at the time.