Category:Arjuna and Asvatthama
Theme Analysis
The history of Arjuna and Aśvatthāmā presents a profound study of Vedic justice, morality, and the flawless intelligence of a pure devotee. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the conflict ignited when Aśvatthāmā, the son of the great martial teacher Droṇācārya, committed the unforgivable crime of slaughtering the five sleeping sons of the Pāṇḍavas. In Vedic civilization, anyone who attacks innocent people in their sleep is categorized as an ātatāyī (a lethal aggressor) and is liable to be killed without hesitation. Enraged by this atrocious act, Arjuna armed himself and fiercely pursued the panic-stricken murderer.
The chase escalated to cosmic proportions. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how a desperate Aśvatthāmā released the devastating brahmāstra weapon. To protect Kṛṣṇa and counteract the catastrophic heat that threatened all planetary systems, Arjuna released his own brahmāstra. However, acting as the perfect agent of the Lord, Arjuna immediately withdrew both weapons upon Kṛṣṇa's command and brought the bound culprit back to the military camp. There, a complex moral dilemma emerged. Queen Draupadī and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, displaying extraordinary compassion, requested Aśvatthāmā's release because he was the son of a respected brāhmaṇa. Conversely, Kṛṣṇa actively encouraged Arjuna to kill the murderer, testing Arjuna's understanding of religious principles. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how Arjuna utilized his sharp intelligence to reconcile these contradictory scriptural injunctions. By separating the valuable jewel from Aśvatthāmā's head and driving him out of the camp in disgrace, Arjuna effectively executed a punishment equal to death, thus satisfying Kṛṣṇa's order, delivering justice, and simultaneously sparing the life of a brāhmaṇa's descendant.
- The Aggressor's Crime: By murdering the sleeping princes, Aśvatthāmā acted as an ātatāyī and completely forfeited the respect normally afforded to the son of a brāhmaṇa.
- The Clash of Brahmāstras: The release of the ultimate nuclear weapons created a universal catastrophe, demonstrating the immense destructive power wielded by both warriors.
- The Moral Dilemma: Arjuna was deeply perplexed by conflicting religious duties: the obligation to punish a heinous murderer versus the Vedic injunction never to kill the descendant of a brāhmaṇa.
- The Intelligent Compromise: Arjuna demonstrated his perfect spiritual intelligence by severing Aśvatthāmā's jewel and hair—a supreme humiliation that equated to capital punishment.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Arjuna and Aśvatthāmā - The Punishment of an Aggressor.
Pages in category "Arjuna and Asvatthama"
The following 20 pages are in this category, out of 20 total.
A
- A compromise was selected by Arjuna by his sharp intelligence, and he separated the jewel from the head of Asvatthama. This was as good as cutting off his head, and yet his life was saved for all practical purposes
- A similar example of becoming stunned was visible in Arjuna when he saw that Asvatthama was attempting to release his brahmastra at Krsna
- According to Vedic civilization, a descendant of a brahmana family should never be heavily punished. This was exemplified in Arjuna's treatment of Asvatthama
- After binding Asvatthama, Arjuna wanted to take him to the military camp. The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, looking on with His lotus eyes, spoke to angry Arjuna
- Arjuna was perplexed because Asvatthama was to be killed as well as spared according to different scriptures cited by different persons
- Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as friend and driver, thus satisfied the dear lady by such statements. Then he dressed in armor and armed himself with furious weapons, and getting into his chariot, he set out to follow Asvatthama
- Asvatthama became an assaulter of Arjuna's own family members, and thus he was liable to be punished by him
- Asvatthama was condemned by the Lord (Krsna) Himself, and he was treated by Arjuna just like a culprit, not like the son of a brahmana or teacher
- Asvatthama was the son of a great brahmana, Dronacarya, and in spite of his having committed the great offense of killing all the sleeping sons of the Pandavas, Arjuna excused him by not killing him because he happened to be the son of a brahmana
- Asvatthama, the murderer of the princes, seeing from a great distance Arjuna coming at him with great speed, fled in his chariot, panic stricken, just to save his life, as Brahma fled in fear from Siva
K
- Krsna desired that the weapons released by both Drauni and Arjuna be withdrawn, and it was carried out by Arjuna at once. Similarly, there are many agents of the all-powerful Lord, and by His will only can one execute what He desires
- Krsna is encouraging Arjuna to kill Asvatthama on so many grounds. First of all, he has killed the boys who were sleeping at night. And another very important point is that atatayi. Atatayi means the enemy, aggressor
O
- On the battlefield Arjuna could see all kinds of relatives. He could see brothers like Duryodhana, sons like Laksmana, friends like Asvatthama, well-wishers like Krtavarma, etc. BG 1972 purports
- One weapon was released by Asvatthama, another by Arjuna to counteract, and the heat was so terrible that dahyamanah prajah sarvah: all the inhabitants of different planets, they felt the great heat produced by two brahmastras
S
- So this Asvatthama was an aggressor. Therefore Arjuna decided to kill him
- Suta Gosvami said: Although Krsna, who was examining Arjuna in religion, encouraged Arjuna to kill the son of Dronacarya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not like the idea of killing him, although Asvatthama was a heinous murderer of Arjuna's family members
T
- This (Maharaja Pariksit is miraculously saved in the womb of his mother) was caused by Drauni (Asvatthama), Acarya Drona's son, who killed the five sons of Draupadi while they were asleep, for which he was punished by Arjuna
- Two brahmastra weapons released, one by Asvatthama and by Arjuna, it created a havoc, catastrophe. And the people were suffering