Gurudev, is Ashwatthama really alive or is it just a myth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Often, when someone dies, we say, ‘Long live so and so!' For example, we say, ‘Long live Indira Gandhi!’ So, chiranjeevi means one who lives in the hearts and memory of people forever. In that sense, if you read The Mahabharata, no one can forget Ashwatthama. If you read The Ramayana, no one can forget Hanuman. So, the spirit is always eternal or chiranjeevi.