Text 17]
The Son of Droṇa Punished
339
graded  brāhmaṇa ;  śiraḥ —head;  ātatāyinaḥ —of the aggressor;  gāṇḍīva-muktaiḥ —shot by the bow named  Gāṇḍīva ;  viśikhaiḥ —by the arrows;  upāhare —shall present to you;  tvā —yourself;  ākramya —riding on it;  yat —which;  snāsyasi —take your bath;  dagdha-putrā —after burning the sons.
TRANSLATION
O gentle lady, when I present you with the head of that  brāhmaṇa , after beheading him with arrows from my  Gāṇḍīva  bow, I shall then wipe the tears from your eyes and pacify you. Then, after burning your sons' bodies, you can take your bath standing on his head.
PURPORT
An enemy who sets fire to the house, administers poison, attacks all of a sudden with deadly weapons, plunders wealth or usurps agricultural fields, or entices one's wife is called an aggressor. Such an aggressor, though he be a  brāhmaṇa  or a so-called son of a  brāhmaṇa , has to be punished in all circumstances. When Arjuna promised to behead the aggressor named Aśvatthāmā, he knew well that Aśvatthāmā was the son of a  brāhmaṇa , but because the so-called  brāhmaṇa  acted like a butcher, he was taken as such, and there was no question of sin in killing such a  brāhmaṇa 's son who proved to be a villain.
TEXT 17
इति प्रियां वल्गुविचित्रजल्पैः
स सान्त्वयित्वाच्युतमित्रसूतः ।
अन्वाद्रवददंशित
उग्रधन्वा
कपिध्वजो
गुरुपुत्रं
रथेन ॥१७॥
iti priyām valgu-vicitra-jalpaiḥ
sa sāntvayitvācyuta-mitra-sūtaḥ
anvādravad damśita ugra-dhanvā
kapi-dhvajo guru-putram rathena
iti —thus;  priyām —unto the dear;  valgu —sweet;  vicitra —variegated;  jalpaiḥ —by statements;  saḥ —he;  sāntvayitvā —satisfying;  acyuta-mitra-sūtaḥ —Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as a friend and driver;