Text 1: Śaunaka said: O Sūta! When Nārada departed, what did the powerful Vyāsa do, having heard the advice of Nārada?

Text 2: Sūta said: There is a hermitage for sages called Śamyāprāsa, favorable for many sacrifices, situated on the west bank of the Sarasvatī River where brāhmaṇas take shelter.

Text 3: In his hermitage surrounded by a grove of badari trees Vyāsa sat down, performed ācamana, and began to reflect using his mind.

Text 4: In that mind which was undisturbed because it was pure from the performance of bhakti, he saw Lord Kṛṣṇa, complete with all his energies and spiritual expansions, and also saw māyā who took shelter behind the Lord.

Text 5: Bewildered by that māyā, the jīva, though separate from the three guṇas, considers himself made of the three guṇas and takes on material existence created by the guṇas.

Text 6: And Vyāsa saw bhakti-yoga to the Lord which effectively destroys jīva’s saṁsāra. Learned Vyāsa then wrote the Bhāgavatam for ignorant people.

Text 7: By hearing Bhāgavatam, bhakti for the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa appears. Hearing it also destroys lamentation, illusion and fear in the human being.

Text 8: Having already made the Bhāgavatam, the sage Vyāsa revised it and taught it to his son Śukadeva who had realized brahman.

Text 9: Śaunaka said: Śukadeva was fixed in the brahman, indifferent to everything, and enjoying in the self. Why did he study this elaborate work?

Text 10: Sūta said; Some sages who are ātmārāmas, beyond the scriptures, false ego and rules, also practice unmotivated, pure bhakti to the master of pure bhakti, Kṛṣṇa, since he possesses qualities attractive to even them.

Text 11: Śukadeva, the son of Vyāsa, whose mind became distracted from trance by the qualities of Kṛṣṇa, and who became attracted to the Vaiṣṇavas, studied this great Bhāgavatam.

Text 12: I will speak about the birth, activities and death of King Parīkṣit, and the death march of the Pāṇḍavas, which will give rise to discussions about Kṛṣṇa.

Text 13-14: After the warriors of both sides had met their end on the battlefield, and Duryodhana had his thigh broken by a blow from the club of Bhīma; when Aśvatthāmā, thinking that Duryodhana would be pleased, presented him with the severed heads of the sleeping sons of Draupadī, everyone condemned the horrible act, even Duryodhana.

Text 15: At that time their mother hearing of the terrible death of her youthful sons, pained, eyes full of tears, began to lament. Arjuna spoke to pacify her.

Text 16: O gracious woman! I will remove your sorrows when I bring the head of that lowest brāhmaṇa murderer using arrows released from my Gāṇḍiva bow and when you sit upon it, and bathe yourself after burning the bodies of your sons.

Text 17: Thus pacifying her with many sweet words, Arjuna, whose friend and charioteer was Kṛṣṇa, holding his terrifying bow, with Hanumān on his flag, put on his armor and pursued Aśvatthāmā on his chariot.

Text 18: Seeing Arjuna pursuing on his chariot from far off, the killer of children became disturbed in mind. Desiring to save his life, he fled as fast as he could over the ground, just as Brahmā fled out of fear of Śiva.

Text 19: When he understood he had no one to protect him and his horses were exhausted, the son of a brāhmaṇa considered using the brahmāstra to protect himself.

Text 20: Sipping water and concentrating his mind, he released the weapon without knowing how to withdraw it, because his life was in danger.

Text* 21: Seeing that the fierce fire manifesting in all directions was a danger to life, Arjuna spoke to Kṛṣṇa.

Text 22: Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa! Mighty-armed Lord! Bestower of fearlessness in your devotees! You alone are the deliverer of all those who are burning in the fire of material existence.

Text 23: You are the original Lord, the controller, beyond material energy. You are situated in your spiritual form, being one with your spiritual energy, and separate from the material energy.

Text 24: Though you are non-different from your spiritual energy, you benefit all the jīvas bewildered by māyā through your power by giving them dharma, artha, and kāma.

Text 25: You appear in this world in this way, in your spiritual form, with a desire to relieve the burden of the earth and to give continuous happiness to your dedicated devotees by letting them worship you.

Text 26: O Supreme Lord! What is this? I do not know where it has come from. This most ferocious fire is spread out in all directions.

Text 27: The Lord said: You know that what is displayed here by Aśvatthāmā is the brahmāstra. Seeing danger to his life, he has released it, though he does not know how to withdraw it.

Text 28: No other weapon can counteract this weapon. O knower of weapons! Destroy the profuse fire of this weapon with the fire of your brahmāstra.

Text 29: Sūta said: Hearing the words of the Lord, Arjuna the slayer of hostile warriors, performing ācamana, circumabulated Kṛṣṇa and aimed his brahmāstra in order to counteract Aśvatthāmā’s weapon.

Text 30: Surrounded by arrows, the fires of both weapons, combining together like the sun in the sky and the fire emanating from Saṅkarṣaṇa’s mouth at the time of final destruction, increased in strength, covering heaven, earth and the space between.

Text 31: Seeing the great fire of their two weapons burning up the three worlds, all the citizens, afflicted by the heat, thought that this was the fire of final destruction.

Text 32: Seeing the danger to the inhabitants of the universe and the destruction of the planets, and understanding the will of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna withdrew the two weapons.

Text 33: Eyes burning with anger, Arjuna quickly caught cruel Aśvatthāmā, and tied him up with rope like a beast.

Text 34: Seeing that Arjuna, who having forcibly bound him with ropes, wanted to bring him back to the camp, lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa became angry and spoke to Arjuna.

Text* 35: Arjuna! You should not release this friend of a brāhmaṇa who murdered innocent, sleeping children in the night. Kill him!

Text 36: The knower of dharma does not kill an enemy who is a drunkard, or who is inattentive, insane, sleeping, young, a female, immobilized, surrendered, without chariot, or afraid.

Text 37: The merciless, cruel person who nourishes his own life by taking other lives should be killed; otherwise that man goes to hell from that sin.

Text 38-39: I have heard that you promised to Draupadī “O noble woman! I will present you with the head of the killer of your sons.”

Text 40: Sūta Gosvāmī said: Although Kṛṣṇa, who was examining Arjuna in religion, encouraged Arjuna to kill the son of Droṇācārya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not want to kill him, although Aśvatthāmā was a murderer of Arjuna’s family members.

Text 41: Arriving at his camp, Arjuna, whose friend and driver was Kṛṣṇa, offered Aśvatthāmā to his wife who was lamenting for her killed sons.

Text 42: Draupadī, of noble nature, looked with compassion upon wicked Aśvatthāmā, son of a guru, brought before her tied up like an animal, with downcast face because of his shameful crime, and also offered him her respects.

Text 43: Unable to tolerate him being brought in a bonded state, the noble Draupadī said, “Release him! Release him! The brāhmaṇa is always our guru.”

Text 44-45: By the mercy of Droṇa you learned the military arts with secret mantras, the method of throwing and withdrawing all weapons. Droṇa is standing before you in the form of his son. The other half of Droṇa, his wife Kṛpī, did not follow her husband when he died, but remains alive, because she has a son.

Text 46: O knower of dharma! Man of good character! You should not cause suffering to the family of your guru, because they are always praiseworthy and worthy of worship.

Text 47: Do not make Kṛpī, the mother of Aśvatthāmā and devoted to her husband, cry as I cry constantly with tearful face, pained by the death of my sons.

Text 48: Angered by the uncontrolled warriors, the brāhmaṇas will quickly destroy the warrior class and their associates who then will become full of lamentation.

Text 49: Sūta said: O brāhmaṇas! Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Dharma, agreed with the words of his queen, which were according to scripture, reasonable, merciful, without desire to harm others, desirous of peace and generous.

Text 50: Nakula and Sahadeva, Sātyaki, Arjuna, Kṛsṇa, and the women, were also happy with her words.

Text* 51: At that time angry Bhīma spoke. “He who has killed the sleeping children without purpose, without benefit to his master or to himself, should be killed.”

Text 52: Hearing the words of Bhīma and Draupadī, Kṛṣṇa with four hands looked towards his friend Arjuna while smiling and spoke.

Text 53: The Lord said: One should not kill a fallen brāhmaṇa. But an aggressor should be killed. Please follow both of these instructions established in scripture made by me.

Text 55: Sūta said: Suddenly understanding Kṛṣṇa’s intention, Arjuna cut off the jewel on Aśvatthāmā’s head along with his hair.

Text* 56: Aśvatthāmā, who had lost his effulgence by killing the children, was further deprived of his jewel and energy. Arjuna released him from the bondage of the ropes and led him from the camp.

Text 57: The method of killing the fallen brāhmaṇa is by shaving his head, taking away his wealth, and taking away his living place. One should not physically kill him.

Text 58: Then all the Pāṇdavas and Draupadī, lamenting for their sons, performed the death rites for their dead relatives and carried them for burning.