Dear friend: I really apprecaite your curiosity in knowing the truth. It is only curiosity which broadens one's knowledge. The answer to your query whether Ashwathama is still alive is a resounding YES. To prove this I shall now narrate an incident.
In late 14th, early 15th century there lived in Gadag, Karnataka, a poor brahmin called Naranappa. Later, because of the Mahabharata epic "Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari" that he wrote in Kannada, he came to be called as Kumara Vyasa. His greatest desire was to write Mahabharata based on original sources, and to this end he prayed day-in and day-out in the Temple of Veera Narayana, temple of Trikuteshwara. One day the Almighty decided to answer his prayers and appeared in his dream and said: "Attend the forthcoming dwadasi parana (dwadasi feast) in the Veera Narayana Temple. Watch out for one lone brahmin who would leave the feast the earliest. He is none other than Ashwathama of Mahabharata. Fall at his feast and ask him to narrate the Mahabharata as it happened. You can record it in writing claim your share of fame". Promptly Naranappa attended the following Dwadasiparana at the Veera Narayana Temple, and he followed the Brahmin who finished his feast the earliest and started walking out of the Temple. He approached him and fell at his feet saying, "Sir, I know who you are, you are the very same Ashwathama of Mahabharata, please help me". At this Ashwathama was taken aback and asked him how do you know this? Naranappa responded saying "The Veera Narayana Swamy" appeared in his dream and told me so. Ashwathama was mightily pleased hearing this and asked Naranappa, OK, tell me what can I do for you. Naranappa responded saying he would like to write the Mahabharata in Kannada as it happened. To this Ashwathama agreed under two conditions. He said that Naranappa should start writing the Mahabharata everyday after he finished his bath, wearing a wet Veshti (Dhoti). Ashwathama said, you can keep writing till such time your Veshti is wet and the Mahabharata would flow from your pen as it happened. The moment your clothes dry up, the flow would stop. He also put a condition that he should not disclose this secret to anyone failing which the flow would stop forever. Needless to say, our Naranappa, was immensely excited about the project, and he kept his secret till the time he reached the "Gadha Parva" (the time when Duryodhana and Bheema fought the duel of the maze). At this moment it is believed that Ashwathama appeared before Naranappa and he was in tears -- remembering his friend Duryodhana and the adharmic way in which Bhemaa fell Duryodhana. Naranappa overcome with excitement disclosed this scret to his wife, and his writing flow stopped immediately. That is why his Mahabharata ends with Gadha Parva. Later someone might have added up from Vyasa Bharata, but our Kumara Vyasa's Mahabharata ended with the Gadha Parva.
The curse that Ashwathama would roam the world carrying his own dead body, with people shunning him, and suffering the pain of the wound on his forehead from where the "mani" was removed by force, was for 3000 years. 3000 years since Mahabharata is now long passed, and I am sure, Ashwathama is there somewhere in the Himalayas, performing tapasya. I only wish that in his subsequent birth during a subsequent Mahabharata in the next Dwapara Yuga, he should challenge that coward Dhrishtahyumna -- the brother of Droupadi, and the saala of the Pandavas -- to single combat and avenge his illustrious father Dronacharya's death at this coward's hand, right there on the battlefield before the sun sets.
I will be there as Krishna's friend Sudama (and I make a promise to myself that I will not steal Krishna's share of peanuts all for myself and would eat the same after he does). I would be a witness to this victorious single combat of Ashwathama!
Please send your responses to my email address: sraiyer@gmail.com
Jai Krishna! Vasudeva!
