ORIENTAL SERIES.

ASWA-MUKHA.
l
ASWA-PATL
ASWA-MUKHAASWINS. 29
'
Horse faced. '
See Kinnara.
Lord of horses.' An appellation of many kings.
ASWATTHAMAK Son of Drona and Kripa, and one of
the generals of the Kauravas. Also called hy his patronymic
Draiwayana. After the last
great battle, in which Dur-yodhana
was mortally wounded, Aswatthaman with two other warriors,
Kripa and Knta-varman, were the sole survivors of the Kaurava
host that were left effective. Aswatthaman was made the com-
mander. He was fierce in his hostility to the Paw^avas, and
craved for revenge upon Dhnshtfa-dyumna, who had slain his
father, Dro^a, These three surviving
Kauravas entered the
Pawrfava camp at night. They found Dhnshtfa-dyumna asleep,
and Aswa^haman stamped him to death as he lay. He then killed
$ikhandin, the other son of Drupada, and he also killed the five
young sons of the PaWavas and carried their heads to the dying
Dur-yodhana. He killed Parikshit, while yet unborn in the
womh of his mother, with his celestial weapon Brahmastra, by
which he incurred the curse of Knslwa, who restored Parikshit
to life. On the next morning he and his comrades fled, but
Draupadi clamoured for revenge upon
the murderer of her
children. Yudhi-sh^hira represented that Aswatthaman was a
Brahman, and pleaded
for his life. She then consented to
forego her demand for his blood if the precious and protective
jewel which he wore on his head were brought to her. Bhlma,
Arjuna, and Krishna then went in pursuit of him, Arjuna and
Krishna overtook him, and compelled him to give up the jewel
They carried it to Draupadi, and she gave it to Yudhi-sh&ira,
who afterwards wore it on his head.
ASWINS, ASWINAU (dual), ASWINl KUMAEAS,
*
Horsemen.' Dioskouroi. Two Vedic deities, twin sons of the
sun or the sky. They are ever young and handsome, bright,
and of golden brilliancy, agile, swift as falcons, and possessed of
many forms ; and they ride in a golden car drawn by
horses or
birds, as harbingers of "
Ushas, the dawn. They are the earliest
bringers of light in the morning sky, who in their chariot hasten
onwards before the dawn and prepare the way for her.' 7
Both.
As personifications of the morning twilight, they are said to be
children of the sun by a nymph who concealed herself in the
form of a mare; hence she was called Aswini and her sons
Aswins, But inasmuch as they precede the rise of the sun,