Ashwadhama was the powerful warrior born to Dronacharya and Krupi. Aswathama means one who can stop a horse. As we all know hors is a lot powerful animal, so Aswathama ahould have been a lot powerful. Aswathama was born with a diamond on his forhead. He lived a pious life and was respected by both Kauravas and Pandavas.
In a way Aswadhama is responsible for pandavas getting education from Drona. It is due to Aswadhama that the great Drona, who never thought of earning money, started out from home in search of a cow. When Aswadhama was a child, Drona did not have a cow and so Aswadhama was not given enough milk to drink. This prompted Krupi, Drona’s wife, to remind Drona of a childhood promise that king Drupada has made to him. Drona and Drupada both studied at the same gurukul and were close friends. At the peak of this friendship, Drupada promised Drona that he would handover half of his kingdom if Drona meets him once he became the king of Panchala kingdom. So Drona thought of meeting Drupada and asking him for a cow.
Drupada disrespected Drona and said that he was ready to give Drona a cow in alms but not as a friend. A disrested Drona then reached Hastinapur and met the playing kids of kuru dynasty. Rest was all as you know. Aswadhama too grew up in the same gurukul. Aswadhama was jealous of his father’s special attention to Arjuna. So one day he asked his father why Arjuna was considered the best archer. It was due to this question that Drona put fortht he famous test by placing a wooden bird on a tree branch. But Aswadhama was decent enough to accept Arjuna’s supremacy over him in terms of archery after this test.
Aswadhama was a bit upset that Drona chose to send Pandavas to fight Drupada instead of sending him. Once Arjuna captured Drupada, Panchala kingdom was partitioned into 2 parts. Drona kept one part with himself and the second part was handed over to Drupada. Before handing over, Drona took the best cow from Drupada’s half, so as to relieve him of the sin Drupada commited by disrespecting Drona. Since that day, Aswadhama was made king of the part of Panchala. When Draupadi’s swayamvara was conducted, Aswadhama refused to participate saying that Draupadi was like a sister to him, since Drona and Drupada were close friends and were like brothers.
Then again, when Draupadi was being disrobed, Aswadhama protested. He was ready to defeat Duryodhana along with his whole army to save Draupadi. He had to recede only because Drona reminded him that they were dependants of Hastinapur and so should not act against crown prince Duryodhana. He initially wanted to join the Pandavas camp, but when he came to know that his father and uncle Krupacharya were fighting from Kauravas side, he had to join Kauravas. He did not like the idea of fighting against His own dad and uncle and possible having to kill one of them.
He did not like the way Arjuna riddled Bheeshma with arrows and considered it as cheating. When Drona was killed in a brutal way, he became totally against Pandavas. He did not even let the Pandavas visit the dead drona’s ceremony, saying they lost their respect by heinously killing Drona. But Aswadhama’s inclination towards dharma should be noted, because even in such a situation, he asked Duryodhana to try negotiating peace with Pandavas.
When Duryodhana too was killed, Aswadhama thought of killing Pandavas in the night. He went into their camp and started the killing spree by first chopping off the head of Dustadyumna. Then he chopped off Shikhandi’s head, since Shikhandi was responsible for Bheeshma’s death. Then he went on to chop off 5 more heads, those he thought were of Pandavas. He later knew they were Draupadi’s sons through Pandavas. This made him hate himself, because Aswadhama knew those 5 as children. Those 5 were very dear to him. Unable to bear the guilt, Aswadhama decided to take sanyasa. He went to ashram of vyasa. But Pandavas came there searching for him.
Once he saw Pandavas, his rage grew again. He took a grass blade, sent the power of brahmastra into it and used it against pandavas. Arjuna had to use his own brahmastra in self protection. Vyasa intervened and ordered both to retrieve their weapons. But Aswadhama did not know how to take it back. So he rerouted the weapon towards Uttara’s womb, where Abhimanyu’s unborn child was ready to be delivered. So a dead child was born. Krishna got angered by this. He gave the child a new life. Then he cursed Aswadhama, for no one should have enimity with an unborn child. Aswadhama has crossed all limits with that deed. So he did not deserve the diamond that was on his forehead. Krishna ordered Yudhistir to remove that from his forehead. Aswadhama voluntarily removed it and gave it to yudhistir. Krishna then cursed him saying the wound from removing the diamond will never heal. It will get more fussy, puss will keep coming out of it and it will cause Aswadhama a lot of pain. The wound will get unbearable smelly. Aswadhama will roam around for medication, but will never recive it. Aswadhama will await death eagerly, but he will remain chiranjivi, with out death.
It is said that if Parikshith was born normally at the right time, his race would never have ended and would have ruled india forever, Which meant India would have remainded a bright nation still. So in a way, Aswadhama ruined the future of India too. That’s why Krishna got so enraged and gave him such a strong curse.