Week 11 Storytelling: The Jewel of Power (Part 2)

Author's Note:This is part two to how Ashwatthaman got the jewel in his head. The jewel that is embedded in his head pretty much makes him immortal. It gives him power, makes him invulnerable to weapons, and he can live without food and water. In part one Ashwatthaman is found sleeping against a tree after being gone for two moon cycles (two months). When he is found he has no memory of what happened and spends the next years of his life having nightmares of his dreadful time in the cave. This story starts three years after he remembers everything and tells his dad what happened to him in the cave.


I begin my story. "On the night of my disappearance you know how I was training with Arjuna all day until nightfall? Well... we ventured off near the forbidden forest and ran into a rakshasa. He wasn't trying to attack us. Instead he was motioning us to come closer. We proceeded carefully but he gained our trust quickly. He was an old rakshasa and told us about a god stuck in some well that would reward whoever came to rescue him with eternal life. Arjuna being the heroic man he is asked more about this god and where to find the well."

(Arjuna.

Source: Web)

At this point in the story I can already see confusion in my father face. I pause for a moment and let him speak. "You're saying Arjuna was with you that night at the edge of the forbidden forest and didn't tell anybody?"

I reply, "Well, he actually went into the forest with me. We followed the rakshasa to where the well was. I was a bit surprised that there was actually a well out in the middle of the forest. Arjuna asked what we had to do to save the god and get the reward. The rakshasa told us that many have tried to save the god but none have been successful. Arjuna came up with a plan to save the god. His plan was to unstring our bows at one end and tie the strings together to make a fairly long makeshift rope. He would hold onto his end of the bow on the surface and lower me down into the well while I'm holding my end."

My father interrupts me, "Why on earth would you ever let Arjuna talk you into going into that well? Why the hell did he not tell me anything about this?"

I try to ease my father's frustration, "Father, let me finish my story and then you can ask all your questions."

I continue the story, "As Arjuna was lowering me down into the well the rakshasa we were with interfered and did something to Arjuna. I'm not sure what happened but the next thing I know I'm at the bottom of well and Arjuna is nowhere to be found. This must have been a very old well because there was no water in it, only dry dirt and some rocks. The rakshasa peeked over the side of the well and said he sent my brother home and he wouldn't remember any of this night. Next he placed a cover over the well so that no light was present in the well. I was scared and didn't know what to do. I trembled in fear and go no rest that night."

(The well in the story.

Source: Web)

"The next morning something must have blown or pushed the cover over the well off. When I was finally able to see my surroundings I noticed a hole in the side of the well. At first I wasn't small enough to go through the hole but I was able to make the entrance bigger so I could  fit. I had to crawl on my hands and knees through this hole but when I finally got to the other side it opened into an enormous cave. There were thousands of pointy rocks hanging from the ceiling and coming up from the ground. This large cave was very illuminated, for there was a huge open lava pit in the middle of this cavern."

"I must have been lost in a sense of awe at the sight of this cave because once I finally gathered myself I noticed a man standing right next to me. He had a magnificent looking stone in his hand. This is where things are still fuzzy to me though. I believe he was the great God Shiva and he sent that man to lure me to this cave so he could give me this stone. The reason my memory is still a little fuzzy at this part is because he jammed the stone right into my head and I flinched. As he took his hand off my head he said, "You are now reborn, my son. You will have the power to conquer all. If you so choose so you can even destroy the world.""

(Pointy rocks hanging from the ceiling.

Source: Web)

"When I opened my eyes he was gone. The entrance to the cave was gone. I was stuck in this cave and had to find my own way out. This stone is definitely the reason I survived though. I was never tired or hungry. There were times the lighting in the cave was really dim so I fell onto the pointy rocks on the ground. Instead of ripping right through my body, my body crushed them. It felt like I was in there forever wandering around trying to find my way out."

"After countless days and nights being trapped in this cave I was desperate to escape. The thought of ending it all and jumping in the lava pit became more appealing the more I thought about it. On the evening where I woke up next to the tree was the same night I jumped into the lava pit. I don't know how but I remember jumping into the lava but when my eyes opened again I was leaning against the tree with you and your pupils surrounding me. I have no clue what happened but it seems that maybe when I jumped into the lava is when my memory was taken from me. There's parts that are still fuzzy and I'm still trying to figure out what happened. At least everything isn't a mystery now."

Author's note: I found a source that said Ashwatthaman got his jewel from Shiva when he was born. So in my story he encountered a man he thought was Shiva and he heard him say, "You are now reborn, my son." This is how I follow the actual story of Ashwatthaman gaining his jewel while at the same time having a crazy story behind it.


Bibliography - Online Mahabharata, Story titled "Ashwatthaman's Jewel"
Author: Donald A. Mackenzie