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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.55
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A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 55
- sūta uvāca
- arjunaḥ sahasājñāya
- harer hārdam athāsinā
- maṇiṁ jahāra mūrdhanyaṁ
- dvijasya saha-mūrdhajam
sūtaḥSūta Gosvāmī — Sūta Gosvāmī; uvācasaid — said; arjunaḥArjuna — Arjuna; sahasājust at that time — just at that time; ājñāyaknowing it — knowing it; hareḥof the Lord — of the Lord; hārdammotive — motive; athathus — thus; asināby the sword — by the sword; maṇimthe jewel — the jewel; jahāraseparated — separated; mūrdhanyamon the head — on the head; dvijasyaof the twice-born — of the twice-born; sahawith — with; mūrdhajamhairs — hairs.
Just then Arjuna could understand the motive of the Lord by His equivocal orders, and thus with his sword he severed both hair and jewel from the head of Aśvatthāmā.
Contradictory orders of different persons are impossible to carry out. Therefore a compromise was selected by Arjuna by his sharp intelligence, and he separated the jewel from the head of Aśvatthāmā. This was as good as cutting off his head, and yet his life was saved for all practical purposes. Here Aśvatthāmā is indicated as twice-born. Certainly he was twice-born, but he fell down from his position, and therefore he was properly punished.