srimadbhagavatham-skandha1-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.