Text 12]
Prayers by Queen Kuntī
385
this;  kartum —in order to do it;  drauṇeḥ —of the son of Droṇācārya;  astram —weapon;  abudhyata —understood it.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always very much affectionate to His devotees, having patiently heard her words, could at once understand that Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇācārya, had thrown the brahmāstra to finish the last life in the Pāṇḍava family.
PURPORT
The Lord is impartial in every respect, but still He is inclined towards His devotees because there is a great necessity of this for everyone's well-being. The Pāṇḍava family is a family of devotees, and therefore the Lord wanted them to rule the world. That was the reason that He vanquished the rule of the company of Duryodhana and established the rule of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Therefore, He wanted to protect Mahārāja Parīkṣit also, who was lying in embryo. He did not like the idea that the world should be without the Pāṇḍavas, the ideal family of devotees.
TEXT 12
तर्हेवाथ मुनिश्रेष्ठ पाण्डवाः पञ्च सायकान् । आत्मनोऽभिमुखान्दीप्तानालक्ष्यास्त्राण्युपाददुः॥१२॥
tarhy evātha muni-śreṣṭha pāṇḍavāḥ pañca sāyakān ātmano'bhimukhān dīptān ālakṣyāstrāṇy upādaduḥ
tarhi —for that;  eva —also;  atha —therefore;  muni-śreṣṭha —O chief amongst the  munis ;  pāṇḍavāḥ —all the sons of Pāṇḍu;  pañca —five;  sāyakān —weapons;  ātmanaḥ —own selves;  abhimukhān —towards;  dīptān —glaring;  ālakṣya —seeing it;  astrāṇi —weapon;  upādaduḥ —took up.
TRANSLATION
O foremost amongst the great thinkers [ munis ] [Śaunaka], seeing the glaring brahmāstra proceeding towards them, the Pāṇḍavas took up their five respective weapons.