Kaurava army. But as warrior after warrior collapses back to defend Jayadratha, it becomes clear that Arjuna couldn't reach him before sunset. At a climactic moment, with the sun nearly set and thousands of warriors still between Arjuna and Jayadratha, Krishna sends his Sudarshana Chakra in order to mask the sun and create an illusion of sunset. The Kaurava warriors rejoice over Arjuna's defeat and look forward to his imminent suicide. Jayadratha is relieved that he was saved and comes out of the formation to mock Arjuna. Suddenly, the sun is free from the eclipse and Krishna points at the hiding Jayadratha, telling Arjuna to sever his head and shoot it into the lap of Jayadratha's father. Arjuna quickly shoots a divine weapon at Jayadratha, decapitating him. Jayadratha's head is taken with the arrow far from the battlefield, finally landing on the lap of his father, Vridhakshatra. His father had been granted a boon that whosoever would be responsible for his son's severed head falling onto the ground would have his own head burst into a hundred pieces. Therefore, when Vridhakshatra, horrified at having his son's head fall in his lap hurriedly got up, it fell to the ground, killing Vridhakshatra himself at that very moment. Succession Jayadratha is succeeded by his infant son Suratha. However, a few years later, after Yudhishthira becomes the king, he performs the ashvamedha yagna. He sends an army to guard the horse, with Arjuna as the commander-in-chief. Arjuna soon marches towards Sindhu Kingdom, and when this news reaches the now-grown Suratha, he ends his life fearing that it will be impossible for him to face Arjuna. When Arjuna reaches Sindhu, he hears of what happened, and feeling bad for Dushshala, he installs Suratha's infant son as the next king of Sindhu and returns without a battle. References Characters in the Mahabharata