Shloka 54
Vyāsa’s Vision, the Power of Bhāgavatam, and the Arrest of Aśvatthāmā
श्रीभगवानुवाच ब्रह्मबन्धुर्न हन्तव्य आततायी वधार्हण: । मयैवोभयमाम्नातं परिपाह्यनुशासनम् ॥ ५३ ॥ कुरु प्रतिश्रुतं सत्यं यत्तत्सान्त्वयता प्रियाम् । प्रियं च भीमसेनस्य पाञ्चाल्या मह्यमेव च ॥ ५४ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca brahma-bandhur na hantavya ātatāyī vadhārhaṇaḥ mayaivobhayam āmnātaṁ paripāhy anuśāsanam
Die Höchste Persönlichkeit Gottes, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, sprach: Ein Freund eines Brāhmaṇa darf nicht getötet werden, aber wenn er ein Angreifer ist, muss er getötet werden. All diese Regeln stehen in den Schriften, und du solltest dementsprechend handeln. Du musst dein Versprechen gegenüber deiner Frau erfüllen und auch zur Zufriedenheit von Bhīmasena und Mir handeln.
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.
FAQs
In this verse, Krishna says a brahma-bandhu should not be killed, even if he is an aggressor deserving death, and instructs that both dharmic principles be honored.
It arises during the Ashvatthama episode, where competing dharmas—punishing an aggressor and respecting brahminical status—must be harmonized under Krishna’s guidance.
Punish wrongdoing appropriately while avoiding cruelty—seek solutions that uphold law and ethics without abandoning mercy and restraint.