SB 1.7.42

तथाहृतं पशुवत्पाशबद्धमवाङ्मुखं कर्मजुगुप्सितेन ।
निरीक्ष्य कृष्णापकृतं गुरोः सुतं वामस्वभावा कृपया ननाम च ॥४२॥

tathāhṛtaṁ paśuvat pāśa-baddham
avāṅ-mukhaṁ karma-jugupsitena
nirīkṣya kṛṣṇāpakṛtaṁ guroḥ sutaṁ
vāma-svabhāvā kṛpayā nanāma ca

tathāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtatha

so.—thus; āhṛtamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigahrtam

brought in; stolen.—brought in; paśuplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpaśu

an animal; animals; horses and elephants; of animals (cows, elephants and other household animals); of the animals.-vatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvat

as if; exactly like; like.—like an animal; pāśaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpāśa

addressed to him; before; by the rope; from; from entanglement; near; rope; the net; the noose; with.-baddhamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbaddham

arrested; bound; bound hand and foot; who was so arrested.—tied with ropes; avākplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigavāk

downward.-mukhamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmukham

a mouth; countenance; directions; face; faces; happiness; mouth; the face; the mouth; the mouth through which the Supreme Personality of Godhead eats; your face.—without a word in his mouth; karmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkarma

karma; according to work; act; action; actions; activities (to support the Daityas); activities; activities being dedicated to You; activities of service to You; activity; activity of life; acts; and activities; and fruitive activities; and work; another activity; by actions; by activities; by fruitive activities; by predestined resultant actions; by wonderful activities, pious activities; by work; duties; duty; fruitive action; fruitive activities; fruitive activity; fruitive desires; fruitive work; in activities; material activities; my deeds; of activities; of fruitive activities; of the activities; one's prescribed activities; pastimes; pastimes, activities; prescribed duties; prescribed duty; reaction of the past; reactionary work; story; such service to the master; the accomplishment; the act; the activities; the activity; the business; the fate of the living entity; the fruits of action; the fruits of activities; the interaction; the objective; the sacrifice; these activities; to such activities; transcendental activity; uncommon deeds; whose transcendental activities; work.—activities; jugupsitenaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigjugupsitena

being heinous.—being heinous; nirīkṣyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bignirīkṣya

after observing; after seeing; and seeing; by looking; by looking upon; by observing; by seeing; by seeing these activities; by seeing this; looking at; observing; seeing.—by seeing; kṛṣṇāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrsna

kṛṣ-ṇa; about Kṛṣṇa; and Kṛṣṇa; black; Hare Kṛṣṇa; in Kṛṣṇa; is Lord Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa is now present; Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Lord Kṛṣṇa; Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself; Lord Kṛṣṇa's; Lord Kṛṣṇa's holy name; Lord Kṛṣṇa's name; Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; My dear Kṛṣṇa; O Kṛṣṇa; O Lord Kṛṣṇa; O my Lord Kṛṣṇa; of Kṛṣṇa; of Lord Kṛṣṇa; of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; of the mode of ignorance; the Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa; the holy name Kṛṣṇa; the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; the Lord; the name of Kṛṣṇa; the Personality of Godhead; the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa; the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa; the Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa; the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa; to Lord Kṛṣṇa; unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; Śrī Kṛṣṇa.—Draupadī; apakṛtamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigapakṛtam

misbehaved; the doer of the degrading.—the doer of the degrading; guroḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigguroḥ

from the spiritual master; from your teachers; master; of his father; of his spiritual master; of the guru; of the father or spiritual master; of the spiritual master; the spiritual master; the teacher; your spiritual master.—the teacher; sutamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsutam

a son; as her son; as his son; for her son; her son; his son; son; the son (Vasudeva's son); the son; to a son; to his son; unto his son.—son; vāmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvama

beautiful; O my dear Lord Śiva; pleasing.—beautiful; svabhāvāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsvabhava

by nature; by spiritual nature; characteristic; feature; features; natural; natural emotion; natural inclination; natural instinct; nature; of natures; original form; own nature; practice; the nature; the natures.—nature; kṛpayāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrpaya

being merciful; by being merciful to all other living entities; by causeless mercy; by causeless mercy upon them; by compassion; by His causeless mercy; by His causeless mercy upon His devotee and mother; by mercy; by the mercy; by your mercy; graciously; mercifully; out of causeless mercy; out of compassion; out of full compassion; out of great mercy; out of heartfelt sympathy; out of His causeless mercy; out of mercy; with compassion; with mercy.—out of compassion; nanāmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bignanāma

bent down; bowed down; he bowed; he offered obeisances; offered obeisances; offered respectful obeisances.—offered obeisances; caplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigca

ca; all these; also; also other bodily forms; also that I have not been able to ask; and (the five gross material elements and the ten acting and knowledge-gathering senses); and; and also; and Devahūti; and for all; and the paraphernalia; as also; as much as; as well; as well as; but; certainly; either; however; indeed; only; or; over and above; respectively; the word ca; this word ca; thus; totally; unlimitedly; verily.—and. ¶

Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Draupadī then saw Aśvatthāmā, who was bound with ropes like an animal and silent for having enacted the most inglorious murder. Due to her female nature, and due to her being naturally good and well-behaved, she showed him due respects as a brāhmaṇa. ¶

Aśvatthāmā was condemned by the Lord Himself, and he was treated by Arjuna just like a culprit, not like the son of a brāhmaṇa or teacher. But when he was brought before Śrīmatī Draupadī, she, although begrieved for the murder of her sons, and although the murderer was present before her, could not withdraw the due respect generally offered to a brāhmaṇa or to the son of a brāhmaṇa. This is due to her mild nature as a woman. Women as a class are no better than boys, and therefore they have no discriminatory power like that of a man. Aśvatthāmā proved himself to be an unworthy son of Droṇācārya or of a brāhmaṇa, and for this reason he was condemned by the greatest authority, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and yet a mild woman could not withdraw her natural courtesy for a brāhmaṇa. ¶

Even to date, in a Hindu family a woman shows proper respect to the brāhmaṇa caste, however fallen and heinous a brahma-bandhu may be. But the men have begun to protest against brahma-bandhus who are born in families of good brāhmaṇas but by action are less than śūdras. ¶

The specific words used in this śloka are vāma-svabhāvā, “mild and gentle by nature.” A good man or woman accepts anything very easily, but a man of average intelligence does not do so. But, anyway, we should not give up our reason and discriminatory power just to be gentle. One must have good discriminatory power to judge a thing on its merit. We should not follow the mild nature of a woman and thereby accept that which is not genuine. Aśvatthāmā may be respected by a good-natured woman, but that does not mean that he is as good as a genuine brāhmaṇa. ¶