श्रीभगवानुवाच
ब्रह्मबन्धुर्न हन्तव्य आततायी वधार्हणः ।
मयैवोभयमाम्नातं परिपाह्यनुशासनम् ॥५३॥

कुरु प्रतिश्रुतं सत्यं यत्तत्सान्त्वयता प्रियाम् ।
प्रियं च भीमसेनस्य पाञ्चाल्या मह्यमेव च ॥५४॥

Å›rÄ«-bhagavÄn uvÄca
brahma-bandhur na hantavya
ÄtatÄyÄ« vadhÄrhaṇaḥ
mayaivobhayam ÄmnÄtaá¹
paripÄhy anuÅ›Äsanam
kuru pratiÅ›rutaá¹ satyaá¹
yat tat sÄntvayatÄ priyÄm
priyaṠca bhīmasenasya
pÄñcÄlyÄ mahyam eva ca

 Å›rÄ«-bhagavÄn - the Personality of Godhead; uvÄca - said; brahma-bandhuḥ - the relative of a brÄhmaṇa; na - not; hantavyaḥ - to be killed; ÄtatÄyÄ« - the aggressor; vadha-arhaṇaḥ - is due to be killed; mayÄ - by Me; eva - certainly; ubhayam - both; ÄmnÄtam - described according to rulings of the authority; paripÄhi - carry out; anuÅ›Äsanam - rulings; kuru - abide by; pratiÅ›rutam - as promised by; satyam - truth; yat tat - that which; sÄntvayatÄ - while pacifying; priyÄm - dear wife; priyam - satisfaction; ca - also; bhÄ«masenasya - of ÅšrÄ« BhÄ«masena; pÄñcÄlyÄḥ - of DraupadÄ«; mahyam - unto Me also; eva - certainly; ca - and.


Text

The Personality of Godhead, ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa said: A friend of a brÄhmaṇa is not to be killed, but if he is an aggressor he must be killed. All these rulings are in the scriptures, and you should act accordingly. You have to fulfill your promise to your wife, and you must also act to the satisfaction of BhÄ«masena and Me.

Purport

Arjuna was perplexed because AÅ›vatthÄmÄ was to be killed as well as spared according to different scriptures cited by different persons. As a brahma-bandhu, or a worthless son of a brÄhmaṇa, AÅ›vatthÄmÄ was not to be killed, but he was at the same time an aggressor also. And according to the rulings of Manu, an aggressor, even though he be a brÄhmaṇa (and what to speak of an unworthy son of a brÄhmaṇa), is to be killed. DroṇÄcÄrya was certainly a brÄhmaṇa in the true sense of the term, but because he stood in the battlefield he was killed. But although AÅ›vatthÄmÄ was an aggressor, he stood without any fighting weapons. The ruling is that an aggressor, when he is without weapon or chariot, cannot be killed. All these were certainly perplexities. Besides that, Arjuna had to keep the promise he had made before DraupadÄ« just to pacify her. And he also had to satisfy both BhÄ«ma and Kṛṣṇa, who advised killing him. This dilemma was present before Arjuna, and the solution was awarded by Kṛṣṇa.