Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Seven

SB1.7.31

TEXT 31

drstvastra-tejas tu tayos

tril lokan pradahan mahat

dahyamanah prajah sarvah

samvartakam amamsata

SYNONYMS

drstva—thus seeing; astra—weapon; tejah—heat; tu—but; tayoh—of both; trin—three; lokan—planets; pradahat—blazing; mahat—severely; dahyamanah—burning; prajah—population; sarvah—all over; samvartakam—the name of the fire which devastates during the annihilation of the universe; amamsata—began to think.

TRANSLATION

All the population of the three worlds was scorched by the combined heat of the weapons. Everyone was reminded of the samvartaka fire which takes place at the time of annihilation.

PURPORT

The three worlds are the upper, lower and intermediate planets of the universe. Although the brahmastra was released on this earth, the heat produced by the combination of both weapons covered all the universe, and all the populations on all the different planets began to feel the heat excessively and compared it to that of the samvartaka fire. No planet, therefore, is without living beings, as less intelligent materialistic men think.

SB1.7.32

TEXT 32

prajopadravam alaksya

loka-vyatikaram ca tam

matam ca vasudevasya

sanjahararjuno dvayam

SYNONYMS

praja—the people in general; upadravam—disturbance; alaksya—having seen it; loka—the planets; vyatikaram—destruction; ca—also; tam—that; matam ca—and the opinion; vasudevasya—of Vasudeva, Sri Krsna; sanjahara—retracted; arjunah—Arjuna; dvayam—both the weapons.

TRANSLATION

Thus seeing the disturbance of the general populace and the imminent destruction of the planets, Arjuna at once retracted both brahmastra weapons, as Lord Sri Krsna desired.

PURPORT

The theory that the modern atomic bomb explosions can annihilate the world is childish imagination. First of all, the atomic energy is not powerful enough to destroy the world. And secondly, ultimately it all rests on the supreme will of the Supreme Lord because without His will or sanction nothing can be built up or destroyed. It is foolish also to think that natural laws are ultimately powerful. Material nature’s law works under the direction of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. The Lord says there that natural laws work under His supervision. The world can be destroyed only by the will of the Lord and not by the whims of tiny politicians. Lord Sri Krsna desired that the weapons released by both Drauni and Arjuna be withdrawn, and it was carried out by Arjuna at once. Similarly, there are many agents of the all-powerful Lord, and by His will only can one execute what He desires.

SB1.7.33

TEXT 33

tata asadya tarasa

darunam gautami-sutam

babandhamarsa-tamraksah

pasum rasanaya yatha

SYNONYMS

tatah—thereupon; asadya—arrested; tarasa—dexterously; darunam—dangerous; gautami-sutam—the son of Gautami; babandha—bound up; amarsa—angry; tamra-aksah—with copper-red eyes; pasum—animal; rasanaya—by ropes; yatha—as it were.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna, his eyes blazing in anger like two red balls of copper, dexterously arrested the son of Gautami and bound him with ropes like an animal.

PURPORT

Asvatthama’s mother, Krpi, was born in the family of Gautama. The significant point in this sloka is that Asvatthama was caught and bound up with ropes like an animal. According to Sridhara Svami, Arjuna was obliged to catch this son of a brahmana like an animal as a part of his duty (dharma). This suggestion by Sridhara Svami is also confirmed in the later statement of Sri Krsna. Asvatthama was a bona fide son of Dronacarya and Krpi, but because he had degraded himself to a lower status of life, it was proper to treat him as an animal and not as a brahmana.

SB1.7.34

TEXT 34

sibiraya ninisantam

rajjva baddhva ripum balat

praharjunam prakupito

bhagavan ambujeksanah

SYNONYMS

sibiraya—on the way to the military camp; ninisantam—while bringing him; rajjva—by the ropes; baddhva—bound up; ripum—the enemy; balat—by force; praha—said; arjunam—unto Arjuna; prakupitah—in an angry mood; bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; ambuja-iksanah—who looks with His lotus eyes.

TRANSLATION

After binding Asvatthama, Arjuna wanted to take him to the military camp. The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, looking on with His lotus eyes, spoke to angry Arjuna.

PURPORT

Both Arjuna and Lord Sri Krsna are described here in an angry mood, but Arjuna’s eyes were like balls of red copper whereas the eyes of the Lord were like lotuses. This means that the angry mood of Arjuna and that of the Lord are not on the same level. The Lord is Transcendence, and thus He is absolute in any stage. His anger is not like the anger of a conditioned living being within the modes of qualitative material nature. Because He is absolute, both His anger and pleasure are the same. His anger is not exhibited in the three modes of material nature. It is only a sign of His bent of mind towards the cause of His devotee because that is His transcendental nature. Therefore, even if He is angry, the object of anger is blessed. He is unchanged in all circumstances.

SB1.7.35

TEXT 35

mainam partharhasi tratum

brahma-bandhum imam jahi

yo ’sav anagasah suptan

avadhin nisi balakan

SYNONYMS

ma enam—never unto him; partha—O Arjuna; arhasi—ought to; tratum—give release; brahma-bandhum—a relative of a brahmana; imam—him; jahi—kill; yah—he (who has); asau—those; anagasah—faultless; suptan—while sleeping; avadhit—killed; nisi—at night; balakan—the boys.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna said: O Arjuna, you should not show mercy by releasing this relative of a brahmana [brahma-bandhu], for he has killed innocent boys in their sleep.

PURPORT

The word brahma-bandhu is significant. A person who happens to take birth in the family of a brahmana but is not qualified to be called a brahmana is addressed as the relative of a brahmana, and not as a brahmana. The son of a high court judge is not virtually a high court judge, but there is no harm in addressing a high court judge’s son as a relative of the Honorable Justice. Therefore, as by birth only one does not become a high court judge, so also one does not become a brahmana simply by birthright but by acquiring the necessary qualifications of a brahmana. As the high court judgeship is a post for the qualified man, so also the post of a brahmana is attainable by qualification only. The sastra enjoins that even if good qualifications are seen in a person born in a family other than that of a brahmana, the qualified man has to be accepted as a brahmana, and similarly if a person born in the family of a brahmana is void of brahminical qualification, then he must be treated as a non-brahmana or, in better terms, a relative of a brahmana. Lord Sri Krsna, the supreme authority of all religious principles, the Vedas, has personally pointed out these differences, and He is about to explain the reason for this in the following slokas.

SB1.7.36

TEXT 36

mattam pramattam unmattam

suptam balam striyam jadam

prapannam viratham bhitam

na ripum hanti dharma-vit

SYNONYMS

mattam—careless; pramattam—intoxicated; unmattam—insane; suptam—asleep; balam—boy; striyam—woman; jadam—foolish; prapannam—surrendered; viratham—one who has lost his chariot; bhitam—afraid; na—not; ripum—enemy; hanti—kill; dharma-vit—one who knows the principles of religion.

TRANSLATION

A person who knows the principles of religion does not kill an enemy who is careless, intoxicated, insane, asleep, afraid or devoid of his chariot. Nor does he kill a boy, a woman, a foolish creature or a surrendered soul.

PURPORT

An enemy who does not resist is never killed by a warrior who knows the principles of religion. Formerly battles were fought on the principles of religion and not for the sake of sense gratification. If the enemy happened to be intoxicated, asleep, etc., as above mentioned, he was never to be killed. These are some of the codes of religious war. Formerly war was never declared by the whims of selfish political leaders; it was carried out on religious principles free from all vices. Violence carried out on religious principles is far superior to so-called nonviolence.

SB1.7.37

TEXT 37

sva-pranan yah para-pranaih

prapusnaty aghrnah khalah

tad-vadhas tasya hi sreyo

yad-dosad yaty adhah puman

SYNONYMS

sva-pranan—one’s own life; yah—one who; para-pranaih—at the cost of others’ lives; prapusnati—maintains properly; aghrnah—shameless; khalah—wretched; tat-vadhah—killing of him; tasya—his; hi—certainly; sreyah—well-being; yat—by which; dosat—by the fault; yati—goes; adhah—downwards; puman—a person.

TRANSLATION

A cruel and wretched person who maintains his existence at the cost of others’ lives deserves to be killed for his own well-being, otherwise he will go down by his own actions.

PURPORT

A life for a life is just punishment for a person who cruelly and shamelessly lives at the cost of another’s life. Political morality is to punish a person by a death sentence in order to save a cruel person from going to hell. That a murderer is condemned to a death sentence by the state is good for the culprit because in his next life he will not have to suffer for his act of murder. Such a death sentence for the murderer is the lowest possible punishment offered to him, and it is said in the smrti-sastras that men who are punished by the king on the principle of a life for a life are purified of all their sins, so much so that they may be eligible for being promoted to the planets of heaven. According to Manu, the great author of civic codes and religious principles, even the killer of an animal is to be considered a murderer because animal food is never meant for the civilized man, whose prime duty is to prepare himself for going back to Godhead. He says that in the act of killing an animal, there is a regular conspiracy by the party of sinners, and all of them are liable to be punished as murderers exactly like a party of conspirators who kill a human being combinedly. He who gives permission, he who kills the animal, he who sells the slaughtered animal, he who cooks the animal, he who administers distribution of the foodstuff, and at last he who eats such cooked animal food are all murderers, and all of them are liable to be punished by the laws of nature. No one can create a living being despite all advancement of material science, and therefore no one has the right to kill a living being by one’s independent whims. For the animal-eaters, the scriptures have sanctioned restricted animal sacrifices only, and such sanctions are there just to restrict the opening of slaughterhouses and not to encourage animal-killing. The procedure under which animal sacrifice is allowed in the scriptures is good both for the animal sacrificed and the animal-eaters. It is good for the animal in the sense that the sacrificed animal is at once promoted to the human form of life after being sacrificed at the altar, and the animal-eater is saved from grosser types of sins (eating meats supplied by organized slaughterhouses which are ghastly places for breeding all kinds of material afflictions to society, country and the people in general). The material world is itself a place always full of anxieties, and by encouraging animal slaughter the whole atmosphere becomes polluted more and more by war, pestilence, famine and many other unwanted calamities.

SB1.7.38

TEXT 38

pratisrutam ca bhavata

pancalyai srnvato mama

aharisye siras tasya

yas te manini putra-ha

SYNONYMS

pratisrutam—it is promised; ca—and; bhavata—by you; pancalyai—unto the daughter of the King of Pancala (Draupadi); srnvatah—which was heard; mama—by Me personally; aharisye—must I bring; sirah—the head; tasya—of him; yah—whom; te—your; manini—consider; putra-ha—the killer of your sons.

TRANSLATION

Furthermore, I have personally heard you promise Draupadi that you would bring forth the head of the killer of her sons.

SB1.7.39

TEXT 39

tad asau vadhyatam papa

atatayy atma-bandhu-ha

bhartus ca vipriyam vira

krtavan kula-pamsanah

SYNONYMS

tat—therefore; asau—this man; vadhyatam—will be killed; papah—the sinner; atatayi—assaulter; atma—own; bandhu-ha—killer of sons; bhartuh—of the master; ca—also; vipriyam—having not satisfied; vira—O warrior; krtavan—one who has done it; kula-pamsanah—the burnt remnants of the family.

TRANSLATION

This man is an assassin and murderer of your own family members. Not only that, but he has also dissatisfied his master. He is but the burnt remnants of his family. Kill him immediately.

PURPORT

The son of Dronacarya is condemned here as the burnt remnants of his family. The good name of Dronacarya was very much respected. Although he joined the enemy camp, the Pandavas held him always in respect, and Arjuna saluted him before beginning the fight. There was nothing wrong in that way. But the son of Dronacarya degraded himself by committing acts which are never done by the dvijas, or the twice-born higher castes. Asvatthama, the son of Dronacarya, committed murder by killing the five sleeping sons of Draupadi, by which he dissatisfied his master Duryodhana, who never approved of the heinous act of killing the five sleeping sons of the Pandavas. This means that Asvatthama became an assaulter of Arjuna’s own family members, and thus he was liable to be punished by him. In the sastras, he who attacks without notice or kills from behind or sets fire to another’s house or kidnaps one’s wife is condemned to death. Krsna reminded Arjuna of these facts so that he might take notice of them and do the needful.

SB1.7.40

TEXT 40

suta uvaca

evam pariksata dharmam

parthah krsnena coditah

naicchad dhantum guru-sutam

yadyapy atma-hanam mahan

SYNONYMS

sutah—Suta Gosvami; uvaca—said; evam—this; pariksata—being examined; dharmam—in the matter of duty; parthah—Sri Arjuna; krsnena—by Lord Krsna; coditah—being encouraged; na aicchat—did not like; hantum—to kill; guru-sutam—the son of his teacher; yadyapi—although; atma-hanam—murderer of sons; mahan—very great.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Although Krsna, who was examining Arjuna in religion, encouraged Arjuna to kill the son of Dronacarya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not like the idea of killing him, although Asvatthama was a heinous murderer of Arjuna’s family members.

PURPORT

Arjuna was a great soul undoubtedly, which is proved here also. He is encouraged herein personally by the Lord to kill the son of Drona, but Arjuna considers that the son of his great teacher should be spared, for he happens to be the son of Dronacarya, even though he is an unworthy son, having done all sorts of heinous acts whimsically for no one’s benefit.

Lord Sri Krsna encouraged Arjuna outwardly just to test Arjuna’s sense of duty. It is not that Arjuna was incomplete in the sense of his duty, nor was Lord Sri Krsna unaware of Arjuna’s sense of duty. But Lord Sri Krsna put to test many of His pure devotees just to magnify the sense of duty. The gopis were put to such tests as well. Prahlada Maharaja also was put to such a test. All pure devotees come out successful in the respective tests by the Lord.

SB1.7.41

TEXT 41

athopetya sva-sibiram

govinda-priya-sarathih

nyavedayat tam priyayai

socantya atma-jan hatan

SYNONYMS

atha—thereafter; upetya—having reached; sva—own; sibiram—camp; govinda—one who enlivens the senses (Lord Sri Krsna); priya—dear; sarathih—the charioteer; nyavedayat—entrusted to; tam—him; priyayai—unto the dear; socantyai—lamenting for; atma-jan—own sons; hatan—murdered.

TRANSLATION

After reaching his own camp, Arjuna, along with his dear friend and charioteer [Sri Krsna], entrusted the murderer unto his dear wife, who was lamenting for her murdered sons.

PURPORT

The transcendental relation of Arjuna with Krsna is of the dearmost friendship. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord Himself has claimed Arjuna as His dearmost friend. Every living being is thus related with the Supreme Lord by some sort of affectionate relation, either as servant or as friend or as parent or as an object of conjugal love. Everyone thus can enjoy the company of the Lord in the spiritual realm if he at all desires and sincerely tries for it by the process of bhakti-yoga.

SB1.7.42

TEXT 42

tathahrtam pasuvat pasa-baddham

avan-mukham karma-jugupsitena

niriksya krsnapakrtam guroh sutam

vama-svabhava krpaya nanama ca

SYNONYMS

tatha—thus; ahrtam—brought in; pasu-vat—like an animal; pasa-baddham—tied with ropes; avak-mukham—without a word in his mouth; karma—activities; jugupsitena—being heinous; niriksya—by seeing; krsna—Draupadi; apakrtam—the doer of the degrading; guroh—the teacher; sutam—son; vama—beautiful; svabhava—nature; krpaya—out of compassion; nanama—offered obeisances; ca—and.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: Draupadi then saw Asvatthama, who was bound with ropes like an animal and silent for having enacted the most inglorious murder. Due to her female nature, and due to her being naturally good and well-behaved, she showed him due respects as a brahmana.

PURPORT

Asvatthama was condemned by the Lord Himself, and he was treated by Arjuna just like a culprit, not like the son of a brahmana or teacher. But when he was brought before Srimati Draupadi, she, although begrieved for the murder of her sons, and although the murderer was present before her, could not withdraw the due respect generally offered to a brahmana or to the son of a brahmana. This is due to her mild nature as a woman. Women as a class are no better than boys, and therefore they have no discriminatory power like that of a man. Asvatthama proved himself to be an unworthy son of Dronacarya or of a brahmana, and for this reason he was condemned by the greatest authority, Lord Sri Krsna, and yet a mild woman could not withdraw her natural courtesy for a brahmana.

Even to date, in a Hindu family a woman shows proper respect to the brahmana caste, however fallen and heinous a brahma-bandhu may be. But the men have begun to protest against brahma-bandhus who are born in families of good brahmanas but by action are less than sudras.

The specific words used in this sloka are vama-svabhava, “mild and gentle by nature.” A good man or woman accepts anything very easily, but a man of average intelligence does not do so. But, anyway, we should not give up our reason and discriminatory power just to be gentle. One must have good discriminatory power to judge a thing on its merit. We should not follow the mild nature of a woman and thereby accept that which is not genuine. Asvatthama may be respected by a good-natured woman, but that does not mean that he is as good as a genuine brahmana.

SB1.7.43

TEXT 43

uvaca casahanty asya

bandhananayanam sati

mucyatam mucyatam esa

brahmano nitaram guruh

SYNONYMS

uvaca—said; ca—and; asahanti—being unbearable for her; asya—his; bandhana—being bound; anayanam—bringing him; sati—the devoted; mucyatam mucyatam—just get him released; esah—this; brahmanah—a brahmana; nitaram—our; guruh—teacher.

TRANSLATION

She could not tolerate Asvatthama’s being bound by ropes, and being a devoted lady, she said: Release him, for he is a brahmana, our spiritual master.

PURPORT

As soon as Asvatthama was brought before Draupadi, she thought it intolerable that a brahmana should be arrested like a culprit and brought before her in that condition, especially when the brahmana happened to be a teacher’s son.

Arjuna arrested Asvatthama knowing perfectly well that he was the son of Dronacarya. Krsna also knew him to be so, but both of them condemned the murderer without consideration of his being the son of a brahmana. According to revealed scriptures, a teacher or spiritual master is liable to be rejected if he proves himself unworthy of the position of a guru or spiritual master. A guru is called also an acarya, or a person who has personally assimilated all the essence of sastras and has helped his disciples to adopt the ways. Asvatthama failed to discharge the duties of a brahmana or teacher, and therefore he was liable to be rejected from the exalted position of a brahmana. On this consideration, both Lord Sri Krsna and Arjuna were right in condemning Asvatthama. But to a good lady like Draupadi, the matter was considered not from the angle of sastric vision, but as a matter of custom. By custom, Asvatthama was offered the same respect as offered to his father. It was so because generally the people accept the son of a brahmana as a real brahmana, by sentiment only. Factually the matter is different. A brahmana is accepted on the merit of qualification and not on the merit of simply being the son of a brahmana.

But in spite of all this, Draupadi desired that Asvatthama be at once released, and it was all the same a good sentiment for her. This means that a devotee of the Lord can tolerate all sorts of tribulation personally, but still such devotees are never unkind to others, even to the enemy. These are the characteristics of one who is a pure devotee of the Lord.

SB1.7.44

TEXT 44

sarahasyo dhanur-vedah

savisargopasamyamah

astra-gramas ca bhavata

siksito yad-anugrahat

SYNONYMS

sa-rahasyah—confidential; dhanuh-vedah—knowledge in the art of manipulating bows and arrows; sa-visarga—releasing; upasamyamah—controlling; astra—weapons; gramah—all kinds of; ca—and; bhavata—by yourself; siksitah—learned; yat—by whose; anugrahat—mercy of.

TRANSLATION

It was by Dronacarya’s mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.

PURPORT

Dhanur-veda, or military science, was taught by Dronacarya with all its confidential secrets of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns. Gross military science is dependent on material weapons, but finer than that is the art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns, which act more effectively than gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs. The control is by Vedic mantras, or the transcendental science of sound. It is said in the Ramayana that Maharaja Dasaratha, the father of Lord Sri Rama, used to control arrows by sound only. He could pierce his target with his arrow by only hearing the sound, without seeing the object. So this is a finer military science than that of the gross material military weapons used nowadays. Arjuna was taught all this, and therefore Draupadi wished that Arjuna feel obliged to Acarya Drona for all these benefits. And in the absence of Dronacarya, his son was his representative. That was the opinion of the good lady Draupadi. It may be argued why Dronacarya, a rigid brahmana, should be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a brahmana should become a teacher, regardless of what his department of knowledge is. A learned brahmana should become a teacher, a priest and a recipient of charity. A bona fide brahmana is authorized to accept such professions.

SB1.7.45

TEXT 45

sa esa bhagavan dronah

praja-rupena vartate

tasyatmano ’rdham patny aste

nanvagad virasuh krpi

SYNONYMS

sah—he; esah—certainly; bhagavan—lord; dronah—Dronacarya; praja-rupena—in the form of his son Asvatthama; vartate—is existing; tasya—his; atmanah—of the body; ardham—half; patni—wife; aste—living; na—not; anvagat—undertook; virasuh—having the son present; krpi—the sister of Krpacarya.

TRANSLATION

He [Dronacarya] is certainly still existing, being represented by his son. His wife Krpi did not undergo a sati with him because she had a son.

PURPORT

The wife of Dronacarya, Krpi, is the sister of Krpacarya. A devoted wife, who is according to revealed scripture the better half of her husband, is justified in embracing voluntary death along with her husband if she is without issue. But in the case of the wife of Dronacarya, she did not undergo such a trial because she had her son, the representative of her husband. A widow is a widow only in name if there is a son of her husband existing. So in either case Asvatthama was the representative of Dronacarya, and therefore killing Asvatthama would be like killing Dronacarya. That was the argument of Draupadi against the killing of Asvatthama.

SB1.7.46

TEXT 46

tad dharmajna maha-bhaga

bhavadbhir gauravam kulam

vrjinam narhati praptum

pujyam vandyam abhiksnasah

SYNONYMS

tat—therefore; dharma-jna—one who is aware of the principles of religion; maha-bhaga—the most fortunate; bhavadbhih—by your good self; gauravam—glorified; kulam—the family; vrjinam—that which is painful; na—not; arhati—does deserve; praptum—for obtaining; pujyam—the worshipable; vandyam—respectable; abhiksnasah—constantly.

TRANSLATION

O most fortunate one who knows the principles of religion, it is not good for you to cause grief to glorious family members who are always respectable and worshipful.

PURPORT

A slight insult for a respectable family is sufficient to invoke grief. Therefore, a cultured man should always be careful in dealing with worshipful family members.

SB1.7.47

TEXT 47

ma rodid asya janani

gautami pati-devata

yathaham mrta-vatsarta

rodimy asru-mukhi muhuh

SYNONYMS

ma—do not; rodit—make cry; asya—his; janani—mother; gautami—the wife of Drona; pati-devata—chaste; yatha—as has; aham—myself; mrta-vatsa—one whose child is dead; arta—distressed; rodimi—crying; asru-mukhi—tears in the eyes; muhuh—constantly.

TRANSLATION

My lord, do not make the wife of Dronacarya cry like me. I am aggrieved for the death of my sons. She need not cry constantly like me.

PURPORT

Sympathetic good lady as she was, Srimati Draupadi did not want to put the wife of Dronacarya in the same position of childlessness, both from the point of motherly feelings and from the respectable position held by the wife of Dronacarya.

SB1.7.48

TEXT 48

yaih kopitam brahma-kulam

rajanyair ajitatmabhih

tat kulam pradahaty asu

sanubandham sucarpitam

SYNONYMS

yaih—by those; kopitam—enraged; brahma-kulam—the order of the brahmanas; rajanyaih—by the administrative order; ajita—unrestricted; atmabhih—by oneself; tat—that; kulam—family; pradahati—is burnt up; asu—within no time; sa-anubandham—together with family members; suca-arpitam—being put into grief.

TRANSLATION

If the kingly administrative order, being unrestricted in sense control, offends the brahmana order and enrages them, then the fire of that rage burns up the whole body of the royal family and brings grief upon all.

PURPORT

The brahmana order of society, or the spiritually advanced caste or community, and the members of such highly elevated families, were always held in great esteem by the other, subordinate castes, namely the administrative kingly order, the mercantile order and the laborers.

SB1.7.49

TEXT 49

suta uvaca

dharmyam nyayyam sakarunam

nirvyalikam samam mahat

raja dharma-suto rajnyah

pratyanandad vaco dvijah

SYNONYMS

sutah uvaca—Suta Gosvami said; dharmyam—in accordance with the principles of religion; nyayyam—justice; sa-karunam—full of mercy; nirvyalikam—without duplicity in dharma; samam—equity; mahat—glorious; raja—the King; dharma-sutah—son; rajnyah—by the Queen; pratyanandat—supported; vacah—statements; dvijah—O brahmanas.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: O brahmanas, King Yudhisthira fully supported the statements of the Queen, which were in accordance with the principles of religion and were justified, glorious, full of mercy and equity, and without duplicity.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira, who was the son of Dharmaraja, or Yamaraja, fully supported the words of Queen Draupadi in asking Arjuna to release Asvatthama. One should not tolerate the humiliation of a member of a great family. Arjuna and his family were indebted to the family of Dronacarya because of Arjuna’s learning the military science from him. If ingratitude were shown to such a benevolent family, it would not be at all justified from the moral standpoint. The wife of Dronacarya, who was the half body of the great soul, must be treated with compassion, and she should not be put into grief because of her son’s death. That is compassion. Such statements by Draupadi are without duplicity because actions should be taken with full knowledge. The feeling of equality was there because Draupadi spoke out of her personal experience. A barren woman cannot understand the grief of a mother. Draupadi was herself a mother, and therefore her calculation of the depth of Krpi’s grief was quite to the point. And it was glorious because she wanted to show proper respect to a great family.

SB1.7.50

TEXT 50

nakulah sahadevas ca

yuyudhano dhananjayah

bhagavan devaki-putro

ye canye yas ca yositah

SYNONYMS

nakulah—Nakula; sahadevah—Sahadeva; ca—and; yuyudhanah—Satyaki; dhananjayah—Arjuna; bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; devaki-putrah—the son of Devaki, Lord Sri Krsna; ye—those; ca—and; anye—others; yah—those; ca—and; yositah—ladies.

TRANSLATION

Nakula and Sahadeva [the younger brothers of the King] and also Satyaki, Arjuna, the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna, son of Devaki, and the ladies and others all unanimously agreed with the King.

SB1.7.51

TEXT 51

tatrahamarsito bhimas

tasya sreyan vadhah smrtah

na bhartur natmanas carthe

yo ’han suptan sisun vrtha

SYNONYMS

tatra—thereupon; aha—said; amarsitah—in an angry mood; bhimah—Bhima; tasya—his; sreyan—ultimate good; vadhah—killing; smrtah—recorded; na—not; bhartuh—of the master; na—nor; atmanah—of his own self; ca—and; arthe—for the sake of; yah—one who; ahan—killed; suptan—sleeping; sisun—children; vrtha—without purpose.

TRANSLATION

Bhima, however, disagreed with them and recommended killing this culprit who, in an angry mood, had murdered sleeping children for no purpose and for neither his nor his master’s interest.

SB1.7.52

TEXT 52

nisamya bhima-gaditam

draupadyas ca catur-bhujah

alokya vadanam sakhyur

idam aha hasann iva

SYNONYMS

nisamya—just after hearing; bhima—Bhima; gaditam—spoken by; draupadyah—of Draupadi; ca—and; catuh-bhujah—the four-handed (Personality of Godhead); alokya—having seen; vadanam—the face; sakhyuh—of His friend; idam—this; aha—said; hasan—smiling; iva—as it.

TRANSLATION

Caturbhuja [the four-armed one], or the Personality of Godhead, after hearing the words of Bhima, Draupadi and others, saw the face of His dear friend Arjuna, and He began to speak as if smiling.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna had two arms, and why He is designated as four-armed is explained by Sridhara Svami. Both Bhima and Draupadi held opposite views about killing Asvatthama. Bhima wanted him to be immediately killed, whereas Draupadi wanted to save him. We can imagine Bhima ready to kill while Draupadi is obstructing him. And in order to prevent both of them, the Lord discovered another two arms. Originally, the primeval Lord Sri Krsna displays only two arms, but in His Narayana feature He exhibits four. In His Narayana feature He resides with His devotees in the Vaikuntha planets, while in His original Sri Krsna feature He resides in the Krsnaloka planet far, far above the Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky. Therefore, if Sri Krsna is called caturbhujah, there is no contradiction. If need be He can display hundreds of arms, as He exhibited in His visva-rupa shown to Arjuna. Therefore, one who can display hundreds and thousands of arms can also manifest four whenever needed.

When Arjuna was perplexed about what to do with Asvatthama, Lord Sri Krsna, as the very dear friend of Arjuna, voluntarily took up the matter just to make a solution. And He was smiling also.

SB1.7.53-54

TEXTS 53–54

sri-bhagavan uvaca

brahma-bandhur na hantavya

atatayi vadharhanah

mayaivobhayam amnatam

paripahy anusasanam

kuru pratisrutam satyam

yat tat santvayata priyam

priyam ca bhimasenasya

pancalya mahyam eva ca

SYNONYMS

sri-bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; uvaca—said; brahma-bandhuh—the relative of a brahmana; na—not; hantavyah—to be killed; atatayi—the aggressor; vadha-arhanah—is due to be killed; maya—by Me; eva—certainly; ubhayam—both; amnatam—described according to rulings of the authority; paripahi—carry out; anusasanam—rulings; kuru—abide by; pratisrutam—as promised by; satyam—truth; yat tat—that which; santvayata—while pacifying; priyam—dear wife; priyam—satisfaction; ca—also; bhimasenasya—of Sri Bhimasena; pancalyah—of Draupadi; mahyam—unto Me also; eva—certainly; ca—and.

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna said: A friend of a brahmana is not to be killed, but if he is an aggressor he must be killed. All these rulings are in the scriptures, and you should act accordingly. You have to fulfill your promise to your wife, and you must also act to the satisfaction of Bhimasena and Me.

PURPORT

Arjuna was perplexed because Asvatthama was to be killed as well as spared according to different scriptures cited by different persons. As a brahma-bandhu, or a worthless son of a brahmana, Asvatthama was not to be killed, but he was at the same time an aggressor also. And according to the rulings of Manu, an aggressor, even though he be a brahmana (and what to speak of an unworthy son of a brahmana), is to be killed. Dronacarya was certainly a brahmana in the true sense of the term, but because he stood in the battlefield he was killed. But although Asvatthama was an aggressor, he stood without any fighting weapons. The ruling is that an aggressor, when he is without weapon or chariot, cannot be killed. All these were certainly perplexities. Besides that, Arjuna had to keep the promise he had made before Draupadi just to pacify her. And he also had to satisfy both Bhima and Krsna, who advised killing him. This dilemma was present before Arjuna, and the solution was awarded by Krsna.

SB1.7.55

TEXT 55

suta uvaca

arjunah sahasajnaya

harer hardam athasina

manim jahara murdhanyam

dvijasya saha-murdhajam

SYNONYMS

sutah—Suta Gosvami; uvaca—said; arjunah—Arjuna; sahasa—just at that time; ajnaya—knowing it; hareh—of the Lord; hardam—motive; atha—thus; asina—by the sword; manim—the jewel; jahara—separated; murdhanyam—on the head; dvijasya—of the twice-born; saha—with; murdhajam—hairs.

TRANSLATION

Just then Arjuna could understand the motive of the Lord by His equivocal orders, and thus with his sword he severed both hair and jewel from the head of Asvatthama.

PURPORT

Contradictory orders of different persons are impossible to carry out. Therefore a compromise was selected by Arjuna by his sharp intelligence, and he separated the jewel from the head of Asvatthama. This was as good as cutting off his head, and yet his life was saved for all practical purposes. Here Asvatthama is indicated as twice-born. Certainly he was twice-born, but he fell down from his position, and therefore he was properly punished.

SB1.7.56

TEXT 56

vimucya rasana-baddham

bala-hatya-hata-prabham

tejasa manina hinam

sibiran nirayapayat

SYNONYMS

vimucya—after releasing him; rasana-baddham—from the bondage of ropes; bala-hatya—infanticide; hata-prabham—loss of bodily luster; tejasa—of the strength of; manina—by the jewel; hinam—being deprived of; sibirat—from the camp; nirayapayat—drove him out.

TRANSLATION

He [Asvatthama] had already lost his bodily luster due to infanticide, and now, moreover, having lost the jewel from his head, he lost even more strength. Thus he was unbound and driven out of the camp.

PURPORT

Thus being insulted, the humiliated Asvatthama was simultaneously killed and not killed by the intelligence of Lord Krsna and Arjuna.

SB1.7.57

TEXT 57

vapanam dravinadanam

sthanan niryapanam tatha

esa hi brahma-bandhunam

vadho nanyo ’sti daihikah

SYNONYMS

vapanam—cleaving the hairs from the head; dravina—wealth; adanam—forfeiting; sthanat—from the residence; niryapanam—driving away; tatha—also; esah—all these; hi—certainly; brahma-bandhunam—of the relatives of a brahmana; vadhah—killing; na—not; anyah—any other method; asti—there is; daihikah—in the matter of the body.

TRANSLATION

Cutting the hair from his head, depriving him of his wealth and driving him from his residence are the prescribed punishments for the relative of a brahmana. There is no injunction for killing the body.

SB1.7.58

TEXT 58

putra-sokaturah sarve

pandavah saha krsnaya

svanam mrtanam yat krtyam

cakrur nirharanadikam

SYNONYMS

putra—son; soka—bereavement; aturah—overwhelmed with; sarve—all of them; pandavah—the sons of Pandu; saha—along with; krsnaya—with Draupadi; svanam—of the kinsmen; mrtanam—of the dead; yat—what; krtyam—ought to be done; cakruh—did perform; nirharana-adikam—undertakable.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, the sons of Pandu and Draupadi, overwhelmed with grief, performed the proper rituals for the dead bodies of their relatives.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Son of Drona Punished.”

Next chapter (SB 1.8)