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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 1 · Chapter 7: The Son of Droṇa Punished
1.7.151.7.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.7.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.7.12inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तदा शुचस्ते प्रमृजामि भद्रे

यद्ब्रह्मबन्धो: शिर आततायिन: ।

गाण्डीवमुक्तैर्विशिखैरुपाहरे

त्वाक्रम्य यत्‍स्‍नास्यसि दग्धपुत्रा ॥ १६ ॥

tadā śucas te pramṛjāmi bhadre

yad brahma-bandhoḥ śira ātatāyinaḥ

gāṇḍīva-muktair viśikhair upāhare

tvākramya yat snāsyasi dagdha-putrā

Translation

O gentle lady, when I present you with the head of that brāhmaṇa, after beheading him with arrows from my Gāṇḍīva 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.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Birth Does Not Excuse Harmful Conduct

  1. 1

    Arjuna promised to punish the killer and wipe away Draupadī’s tears. His promise included beheading the aggressor with arrows from his Gāṇḍīva bow.

  2. 2

    The purport identifies grave harmful acts, including arson, poisoning and deadly attack, as aggression. An aggressor’s position as a brāhmaṇa or a brāhmaṇa’s son does not exempt him from punishment.

  3. 3

    Arjuna knew that Aśvatthāmā was a brāhmaṇa’s son, but judged his conduct as that of a butcher. The purport explains that his birth did not excuse his villainous actions.

Key points from the 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 brāhmaṇa or a so-called son of a brāhmaṇa, has to be punished in all circumstances.
  • When Arjuna promised to behead the aggressor named Aśvatthāmā, he knew well that Aśvatthāmā was the son of a brāhmaṇa, but because the so-called brāhmaṇa acted like a butcher, he was taken as such, and there was no question of sin in killing such a brāhmaṇa’s son who proved to be a villain.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Grief → Trust. Violence and bereavement make Kṛṣṇa's protective presence precious.

Chapters 7–9 of Canto 1: Postwar anguish, Kuntī and Bhīṣma. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: The Son of Droṇa Punished

Vyāsadeva compiles Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; Arjuna captures Aśvatthāmā, and Kṛṣṇa addresses the question of his punishment.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tadāat that time only
  2. śucaḥtears in grief
  3. teyour
  4. pramṛjāmishall wipe away
  5. bhadreO gentle lady
  6. yatwhen
  7. brahma-bandhoḥof a degraded brāhmaṇa
  8. śiraḥhead
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I excuse harmful conduct because of someone’s family background or respected position?

Practice

Reflect on one person you respect, distinguishing their family or position from the conduct for which they are responsible.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayBirth Does Not Excuse Harmful ConductThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 1.7.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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