EARLY MORNING OF DAY 15 :

AFTER THE DEATH OF DRONA :

Ashwathama , unaware of the entire sequence of events that lead to his Father’s death, came back to Duryodhana after defeating his opponents & finds Duryodhana & Kripa in tearful mood.

While Duryodhana was full of tears & sorrow , unable to speak anything, Kripa narrates the whole events .

Drona's son was filled with grief and rage.

Ashwathama was very upset by the manner in which Drona was killed .

So he takes a terrible oath now that he will vanquish the Pandavas & Panchalas by WHATEVER MEANS POSSIBLE.

Despite the whole army being tired, Aswathama urges Duryodhana to continue the war & singlehandedly takes up the challenge.

He reveals a mighty weapon which he was holding in secret all these years:

Formerly on one occasion, Sri Vishu, assuming the form of a Brahmana, came to my father. Bowing unto him, my father presented his offerings unto him in due form. Taking them himself, He offered to give him a boon. My father then solicited that supreme weapon called Narayana. Sri Vishnu, said, No man shall ever become Ur equal in battle. This weapon, however, should never be used in haste. It never comes back without effecting the destruction of the foe. Therefore, it should not be used without the greatest deliberation.
This mighty weapon, should never be hurled upon persons that abandon their cars or weapons in battle, or upon those that seek for quarter or those that wield themselves up. He who seek to afflict in battle the unslayable with it, is himself exceedingly afflicted by it!

My Father thus received that weapon.

Now I will apply this divine Narayana weapon which will rout and wipe out the entire Pandavas.

Having said those words, Aswathama touched water and invoked the celestial weapon called the Narayana Astra.

When the weapon was invoked, violent winds began to blow with showers of rain, and peals of thunder were heard although the sky was cloudless. The earth trembled, and the seas swelled up in agitation. The rivers began to run in a contrary course. The summits of mountains, began to split.

The gods and the Gandharvas, trembled with fear.