srimadbhagavatham-kandha1-chapter7-End of war

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chapter7- End of the War

 

As an introduction to the narration of Bhagavatha Sootha told the rshis

about the events that took place after the Mahabharatha war leading to

the prayOpavEsa of Parikshith.After the war When DhuryOdhana fell down

with his thigh broken by Bhima, AsvatthAma, the son of acharya DhrOna

wishing to please DuryOdhana killed all the children of Dhroupadhi while

they were sleeping which act was repugnant even to DhuryOdhana. Arjuna

wishing to take revenge pursued Asvatthama with Krishna acting as his

charioteer.He defeated AsvatthAma and bound him and brought him to their

camp.Krishna urged Arjuna to kill him because he committed a grievious

sin in killing young sons of Dhroupadhi and said that one should not

kill those who are not in their senses, sleeping , unconscious , a woman

or a child.But Arjuna did not want to kill the son of his acharya and

brought him to Dhroupadhi.

 

But Droupadhi was moved with pity and said as he is the son of the guru

he should not be killed.Droupadhi was described as vAmasvabhava, of

right conduct and as such sho did want to do adharma even when she has

lost her sons. She said that Krpi, the mother of Asvatthama should not

undergo the same sorrow like herself by losing her only son, for which

she was praised by Dharmaputhraa.But Bhima out of anger wanted to kill

AasvatthAma and Krishna intervened and told Arjuna to use his

discretion. First when Krishna told him that Asvatthama was a sinner and

has to be killed it was only to test the sense of dharma in Arjuna which

is confirmed by his words at this juncture.Krishna said 'brahmabanDHurna

hanthavyah AthathAyee vaDHArhaNah,mayAiva ubhayam AmnAtham paripAhi

anuSAsanam.' A man even if he is low minded and sinner should not be

killed as he is a relative of a brahmin( brahmabanDhu is usually used to

denote a brahmin who has fallen low in the sense that he is only related

to a brahmin and not real brahmin) but a sinner AthathAyee should be

killed. 'Both was ordained by Me only,' says Krishna, meaning the Lord

Narayana, synonymous with Brahman who has given out the vedas by "Me"

and not the Devaki sutha , and asks Arjuna to use his discretion and do

the right thing.

 

AthathAyee is the one who sete fire,gives poison,kills one who is

without defence, confiscates property and appropriates another man's

wife.

 

Arjuna understood Krishna's implication and acted in a manner as to

satisfy both Dhroupadhi and Bhima. He cut off the shikha of AsvatthAma

along with its gem and drove him away.AsvatthAma who lost his lustre due

to sisuhatthi now lost his brahmathejas with the tuft of hair as well

and the gem which adorned it. It is said in the dharmasasthras that

shaving the head, confiscating the possessions and demoting from his

position are equivalent to killing a brahmin and not physical killing

which is prohibited. AsvatthAma lived to repent his sins.