Śrutakīrti, Son of Sahadeva

Śrutakīrti was the son of Sahadeva by Draupadī. He was the fifth and youngest of the five upa-Pāṇḍavas, the sons born to Draupadī by each of her five husbands. Aśvatthāmā killed him in the night attack of the Sauptika Parva, when Aśvatthāmā entered the sleeping Pāñcāla camp.

This Śrutakīrti is a different person from Śrutakīrti, the wife of Śatrughna, who belongs to the Rāmāyaṇa.

Who he was

Śrutakīrti was the youngest of the five sons of Draupadī, and Sahadeva was his father. He grew up among the great Pāñcāla warriors, was trained in weapons, and fought on the Pāṇḍava side at Kurukṣetra.

His four brothers were:

  • Prativindhya, son of Yudhiṣṭhira
  • Sutasoma, son of Bhīmasena
  • Śrutakarmā, son of Arjuna
  • Śatānīka, son of Nakula

These five upa-Pāṇḍavas lived through the hard days at Kurukṣetra under Bhīṣma, Droṇa and Karṇa. Aśvatthāmā killed them together in one night.

His name in other places

The Ādi Parva, in its account of the births of Draupadī’s five sons (Chapter 221), names the fifth son, Sahadeva’s son, Śrutasena. The Sauptika Parva calls this warrior Śrutakīrti at his death.

His death in the Sauptika

On the night after Duryodhana fell in the gadāyuddha (the fight with maces), Aśvatthāmā entered the sleeping Pāñcāla camp. He was filled with the āveśa (the entering power) of Bhagavān Śiva, whom the text also calls Mahādeva, and he carried a divine sword.

The sounds of killing woke the upa-Pāṇḍavas. They took up their weapons quickly and ran to face the intruder. Śrutakīrti was the last of the five brothers to be killed.

He fought Aśvatthāmā with weapons but could not stop him. Aśvatthāmā struck him down. With his death all five sons of Draupadī were gone, killed in a single night.

Of all the losses of the war, these deaths hurt Draupadī most. The news of them made her demand the maṇi (jewel) of Aśvatthāmā, or else her own death by prāyopaveśa (fasting until death).

Sources

  • Mahābhārata, Sauptika Parva, Chapter 8
  • Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapter 221 (the names of the five sons of Draupadī)