Text 34]
The Son of Droṇa Punished
353
once. Similarly, there are many agents of the all-powerful Lord, and by His will only can one execute what He desires.
TEXT 33
तत आसाद्य तरसा दारुणं गौतमीसुतम् । वचन्धामर्षताम्राक्षः पशुं रशनया यथा ॥३३॥
tata āsādya tarasā   dāruṇam gautamī-sutam   babandhāmarṣa-tāmrākṣaḥ   paśum raśanayā yathā
tataḥ —thereupon;  āsādya —arrested;  tarasā —dexterously;  dāruṇam —dangerous;  gautamī-sutam —the son of Gautamī;  babandha —bound up;  amarṣa —angry;  tāmra-akṣaḥ —with copper-red eyes;  paśum —animal;  raśanayā —by ropes;  yathā —as it were.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna, his eyes blazing in anger like two red balls of copper, dexterously arrested the son of Gautamī and bound him with ropes like an animal.
PURPORT
Aśvatthāmā's mother, Kṛpī, was born in the family of Gautama. The significant point in this  śloka  is that Aśvatthāmā was caught and bound up with ropes like an animal. According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, Arjuna was bound to catch this son of a  brāhmaṇa  like an animal as a part of his duty ( dharma ). This suggestion by Śrīdhara Svāmī is also confirmed in the later statement of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Aśvatthāmā was a bona fide son of Droṇācārya and Kṛpī, but because he had degraded himself to a lower status of life, it was proper to treat him as an animal and not as a  brāhmaṇa .
TEXT 34
शिविराय निनीषन्तं रज्जवाबद्ध्वा रिपुं बलात्। ग्राहार्जुनं प्रकुपितो भगवानम्बुजेक्षणः ॥३४॥
śibirāya ninīṣantam   rajjavā baddhvā ripum balāt   prāhārjunam prakupito   bhagavān ambujekṣaṇaḥ