Text 40]
The Son of Droṇa Punished
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joined the enemy camp, he was still held always in respect, for the Pāṇḍavas and Arjuna saluted him before beginning the fight. There was nothing wrong in that way. But the son of Droṇācārya degraded himself by committing acts which are never done by the  dvijas  or the twice-born higher castes. Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇācārya, committed murder by killing the five sleeping sons of Draupadī, by which he dissatisfied his master Duryodhana, who never approved of the heinous act of killing the five sleeping sons of the Pāṇḍavas. This means that Aśvatthāmā became as assaulter of Arjuna's own family members, and thus he was liable to be punished by him. In the  śāstras , he who attacks without notice or kills from behind or sets fire to another's house or kidnaps one's wife is condemned to death. These facts are reminded by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna so that he might take notice of them and do the needful.
TEXT 40
सूत उवाच
एवं परीक्षता धर्मं पार्थः कृष्णेन चोदितः ।
नैच्छद्धन्तं गुरुसुतं यद्यप्यात्महनं महान् ॥४०॥
sūta uvāca  
 evam parīkṣatā dharmam  
 pārthaḥ kṛṣṇena coditaḥ  
 naicchadd hantum guru-sutam  
 yadyapy ātma-hanam mahān
sūtaḥ —Sūta Gosvāmī;  uvāca —said;  evam —this;  parīkṣatā —being examined;  darmam —in the matter of duty;  pārthaḥ —Śrī Arjuna;  kṛṣṇena —by Lord Kṛṣṇa;  coditaḥ —being encouraged;  na aicchat —did not like;  hantum —to kill;  guru-sutam —the son of his teacher;  yadyapi —although;  ātma-hanam —murderer of sons;  mahān —very great.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī  said: Despite being instructed in his duty and encouraged to kill the son of Droṇācārya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not like the idea of killing him, although he was a heinous murderer of his family members.