Text 17] The Son of Drona Punished 339

graded brahmana; sirah— head; atatayinah— of the aggressor; gandiva-
muktaih—shot by the bow named G§ndiva; visikhaih—by the arrows;
upahare—shall present to you; tvd—yourself; dkramya—riding on it; yat—
which; snasyasi—take your bath; dagdha-putra— after burning the sons.

TRANSLATION

O gentle lady, when I present you with the head of that brahmana,
after beheading him with arrows from my Gandiva 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 brahmana or a so-called son of a brahmana, has to be punished in
all circumstances. When Arjuna promised to behead the aggressor named
Aégvatthama, he knew well that Aévatthama was the son of a brahmana,
but because the so-called brahmana acted like a butcher, he was taken as
such, and there was no question of sin in killing such a bréhmana’s son
who proved to be a villain.

TEXT 17

@  arafacarqatrra: |
HAART =| - TTT
atest get | Aa IR
iti priyam valgu-vicitra-jalpaih
sa santvayitvdcyuta-mitra-sitah

anvadravad daméita ugra-dhanva
kapi-dhvajo guru-putram rathena

iti_thus; priyam—unto the dear; valgu—sweet; vicitra—variegated; jalpaih
—by statements; sah—he; santvayitva—satisfying; acyuta-mitra-sitah—
Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as a friend and driver;
