Indravarma of Mālava

Indravarma was a king of the Mālava country. He brought his army to fight on the Pāṇḍava side in the Kurukshetra war. He is remembered for his war-elephant, which was named Aśvatthāmā, the same name as the son of Droṇācārya.

The elephant

Indravarma had a great war-elephant of unusual size. The Mahābhārata compares it to Airāvata, the elephant of Indra. This elephant bore the name Aśvatthāmā, the same as the name of Droṇācārya’s son, the great Kaurava warrior.

The fifteenth day

On the fifteenth day of the war, Śrī Kṛshṇa told the Pāṇḍavas how to stop the terrible attack of Droṇācārya. They had to make him believe that his son was dead.

Bhīmasena then went to Indravarma’s elephant, which was in the Pāṇḍava army, and killed it with his gadā (mace). The text says he did this lajjamānaḥ, with shame. He went to Droṇa and said loudly, “Aśvatthāmā is dead!” He meant the elephant, but the words sounded like the death of the warrior.

Droṇa heard the words first from Bhīma and then from Yudhishṭhira. Yudhishṭhira spoke his famous half-statement: Aśvatthāmā hataḥ… naro vā kuñjaro vā (“Aśvatthāmā is dead, whether man or elephant”). Droṇa believed that his son had fallen and laid down his arms. This led to his disarming and death.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapters 164–192