Devanagari
श्रीभगवानुवाच
ब्रह्मबन्धुर्न हन्तव्य आततायी वधार्हण: ।
मयैवोभयमाम्नातं परिपाह्यनुशासनम् ॥ ५३ ॥
कुरु प्रतिश्रुतं सत्यं यत्तत्सान्त्वयता प्रियाम् ।
प्रियं च भीमसेनस्य पाञ्चाल्या मह्यमेव च ॥ ५४ ॥
Verse text
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
brahma-bandhur na hantavya
ātatāyī vadhārhaṇaḥ
mayaivobhayam āmnātaṁ
paripāhy anuśāsanam
kuru pratiśrutaṁ satyaṁ
yat tat sāntvayatā priyām
priyaṁ ca bhīmasenasya
pāṣcālyā mahyam eva ca
Synonyms
śrī
—
bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead
;
uvāca
—
said
;
brahma
—
bandhuḥ — the relative of a brāhmaṇa
;
na
—
not
;
hantavyaḥ
—
to be killed
;
ātatāyī
—
the aggressor
;
vadha
—
arhaṇaḥ — is due to be killed
;
mayā
—
by Me
;
eva
—
certainly
;
ubhayam
—
both
;
āmnātam
—
described according to rulings of the authority
;
paripāhi
—
carry out
;
anuśāsanam
—
rulings
;
kuru
—
abide by
;
pratiśrutam
—
as promised by
;
satyam
—
truth
;
yat tat
—
that which
;
sāntvayatā
—
while pacifying
;
priyām
—
dear wife
;
priyam
—
satisfaction
;
ca
—
also
;
bhīmasenasya
—
of Śrī Bhīmasena
;
pāṣcālyāḥ
—
of Draupadī
;
mahyam
—
unto Me also
;
eva
—
certainly
;
ca
—
and .
Translation
The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: A friend of a brāhmaṇa 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 Bhīmasena and Me.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Lord said: One should not kill a fallen brāhmaṇa. But an aggressor should be killed. Please follow both of these instructions established in scripture made by me.
Purport
Arjuna was perplexed because Aśvatthāmā 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
brāhmaṇa,
Aśvatthāmā 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
brāhmaṇa
(and what to speak of an unworthy son of a
brāhmaṇa
), is to be killed. Droṇācārya was certainly a
brāhmaṇa
in the true sense of the term, but because he stood in the battlefield he was killed. But although Aśvatthāmā 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 Draupadī just to pacify her. And he also had to satisfy both Bhīma and Kṛṣṇa, who advised killing him. This dilemma was present before Arjuna, and the solution was awarded by Kṛṣṇa.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
No brāhmaṇa should be killed. But Manu has said that if an aggressor approaches with the desire to kill, he can be killed, even if he is learned in Vedānta. Follow both of these instructions ordered by me, the maker of scriptures. Since Aśvatthāmā is still considered a brāhmaṇa, and since he is not an aggressor since he does not have a weapon in his hands, he should not be killed. That is my opinion. I told you previously to kill the fallen brāhmaṇa, but that was only to test you. Therefore, do not kill the fallen brāhmaṇa, but free him. Then I have said that the knower of dharma does not kill the enemy who is frightened or without a chariot, and also I have said it is best to kill him. But do not be the cause of killing him. His killing should take the form of being bound up. That is the real meaning of my words.