Vṛddhakshatra the Paurava
Vṛddhakshatra the Paurava was a king of the Paurava line who fought on the Pāṇḍava side at Kurukshetra. Aśvatthāmā killed him on the fifteenth day of the war, in the fierce fighting after the Nārāyaṇāstra episode.
The Droṇa Parva names him “paurava rāja vṛddhakshatra”, the Paurava king Vṛddhakshatra. He is a different king from Vṛddhakshatra, the father of Jayadratha, who was on the Kaurava side.
His death
Aśvatthāmā killed him on the fifteenth day. Aśvatthāmā cut off his head with a bhalla (a broad-headed arrow).
In the same stretch of fighting, Sudarśana of Mālava and the Cedi Yuvarāja also fell to Aśvatthāmā. The great Pāṇḍava mahāratha-s Dhṛshṭadyumna, Sātyaki and Bhīmasena were driven back.
Two kings named Vṛddhakshatra
The Mahābhārata names two kings Vṛddhakshatra.
- Vṛddhakshatra, the father of Jayadratha. He was a Kaurava-side king.
- Vṛddhakshatra the Paurava. He was a Pāṇḍava-side king, killed by Aśvatthāmā on the fifteenth day.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapter 200