SB 1.7.53-54

श्रीभगवानुवाच
ब्रह्मबन्धुर्न हन्तव्य आततायी वधार्हणः ।
मयैवोभयमाम्नातं परिपाह्यनुशासनम् ॥५३॥
कुरु प्रतिश्रुतं सत्यं यत्तत्सान्त्वयता प्रियाम् ।
प्रियं च भीमसेनस्य पाञ्चाल्या मह्यमेव च ॥५४॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
brahma-bandhur na hantavya
ātatāyī vadhārhaṇaḥ
mayaivobhayam āmnātaṁ
paripāhy anuśāsanam

kuru pratiśrutaṁ satyaṁ
yat tat sāntvayatā priyām
priyaṁ ca bhīmasenasya
pāñcālyā mahyam eva ca

śrīplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsri

and opulence; beautiful; beauty; fortune; Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune; named śrī; opulence or beauty; opulences; the affluent; the goddess of fortune; the goddess of fortune, or a beautiful calf; the treasury houses; transcendental; with opulence.-bhagavānplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhagavan

my dear Lord; my lord; O exalted sage; O godly personality; O great brāhmaṇa; O great sage (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); O great sage; O great saint; O great soul; O Lord; O Lord, Supreme Personality of Godhead; O most powerful; O most powerful devotee; O most powerful sage; O my Lord; O my lord, O great one; O Personality of Godhead; O possessor of all opulences; O powerful one; O Supreme; O Supreme Lord; O Supreme Lord, O Personality of Godhead; O Supreme Personality of Godhead; O supremely powerful one; O worshipful sage; O Your Lordship; the Personality of Godhead.—the Personality of Godhead; uvācaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biguvāca

answered; described; explained; he recited; he said; inquired; prayed; replied; said; she said; she spoke; spoke; talked with them.—said; brahmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbrahma

brahma; brāhmaṇas; mantras beginning with oṁ (such as oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ); Veda; Vedas; absolute; Absolute Truth; all my brahminical qualifications; all the Vedas; all the Vedas with their different branches of knowledge; all the Vedas; all transcendental literatures; and brahma; Being; brahma; Brahmaloka; Brahman; brahminical civilization; brahminical culture; by Lord Brahmā; called by the name Brahman; from the activities of Brahman realization or austerity; Gāyatrī hymns; impersonal Brahman; impersonal Brahman realization; is the brāhmaṇas; knowledge of Brahman; Kṛṣṇa; Lord Brahmā; of a brāhmaṇa; of impersonal Brahman; of impersonal Brahman, or the Absolute Truth; of Lord Brahmā; of the brāhmaṇas; of the impersonal effulgence; spirit; spiritual; spiritual kingdom; spiritual knowledge; spiritual nature; spiritual power; Supreme; the brāhmaṇas; the Vedas; the Absolute; the Absolute Truth; the all-pervading Absolute Truth; the brahminical culture; the greatest; the Gāyatrī mantra; the impersonal Brahman (which is an emanation from Kṛṣṇa); the impersonal Brahman; the impersonal Brahman effulgence; the impersonal feature; the Parabrahman, Kṛṣṇa; the personified Vedas; the Supreme; the Supreme Absolute Truth; the Supreme Brahman; the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the supreme spirit; the supreme truth, the Absolute Truth, Brahman; the Vedic knowledge; the Vedic literatures; the Vedic wisdom; Transcendence; transcendental; truth; unlimited; Vedic; Vedic knowledge; Vedic sound; without change; You are known as Brahman.-bandhuḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbandhuḥ

friend.—the relative of a brāhmaṇa; naplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigna

never; not; are not; but not; cannot; certainly not; could not; did not; do not; does it not; does not; is not; it is not; it is not so; may not; neither; never; never does; never to be; no; no one; none; nor; not; not like that; not preceded by oṁ; not suitable; nothing; or not; shall not; should never; there is none; there is not; there should not be; was not; whether; without.—not; hantavyaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bighantavyaḥ

must be killed; to be killed.—to be killed; ātatāyīplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigātatāyī

assaulter; the aggressor.—the aggressor; vadhaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvadha

by the death; from the killing; killing.-arhaṇaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigarhanah

all the paraphernalia for worship; worshipable paraphernalia.—is due to be killed; mayāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmaya

consisting of; made of; O Maya.—by Me; evaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigeva

alone; also; also the word eva; although; as; as it is; as it were; as much as; as they are; at all; at that time; certainly; certainly,; certainty; completely; definitely; even; ever; exactly; exactly like; factually; Himself; immediately; in fact; in this way; indeed; it is all like that; just; just so; like; like that; like this; of course; on the very; only; quite; simply; so; surely; the word eva; they are; thus; truly; undoubtedly; very; without doubt.—certainly; ubhayamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigubhayam

both (manifestation and annihilation); both (the material world of material elements and the living entity); both (the misconceptions of I and mine); both; both of them; both types of consciousness (sleep and wakefulness); or both.—both; āmnātamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigāmnātam

described according to rulings of the authority.—described according to rulings of the authority; paripāhiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigparipāhi

carry out.—carry out; anuśāsanamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biganuśāsanam

because it is Your order; ruling over the citizens; rulings; the order; the worship; traditional discipline; under your rule.—rulings; kuruplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkuru

abide by; designate; do; do it; just do it; just execute; just perform; kindly do; Kuru; make; perform; please make; the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.—abide by; pratiśrutamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpratiśrutam

as promised by; it is promised; promised; promised to be paid; what had been promised; what has been promised; what was duly promised.—as promised by; satyamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsatyam

Absolute Truth; actually; certainly; highest truth; indeed; it is true; it is truth; now the boys decided that it was in fact a living python; of the name Satya; speaking the truth without distortion or deviation; take as truth; the Absolute Truth; the correct thing; the eternal supreme truth; the factual truth; the Lord is the original truth; the planet Satyaloka; the Supreme Truth; the topmost planetary system; the truth; the truth is; the ultimate truth; true; truly; truth; truthful; truthfully; truthfulness.—truth; yatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyat

which; about whom; all these; all those; although; and as; and whichever; anything; as; as a matter of fact; as it is; as its; as much as; as they are; because; because of; because of which; because of whom; by the result of which; by the Supreme Lord; by which; by which way; by whom (the Supreme Lord); by whom; by whose; by whose merciful; even though; everything that was required; fixed under Your direction; for; for which; from both of whom; from him; from which; from whom; from whose; from Yuyudha; he whose; his; His eternal form which; his son; if; in which; in whom; inasmuch as; Kṛṣṇa; now further; of him (Somāpi); of him; of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune; of the fire-gods; of the Lord; of the Supreme Lord; of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; of which (the intermediate space); of which; of whom (of the Supreme Lord); who; who is; whom; whose; whose form; Your. tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—that which; sāntvayatāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsāntvayatā

while pacifying.—while pacifying; priyāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpriyam

agreeable; beloved; dear; easily; of the dear wife; pleasant; pleasing; pleasing activities; pleasure; satisfaction; something very beneficial; the beloved or husband; the counterpart of love; the dearmost Personality of Godhead; the pleasure; the welfare; very dear; who is dear.—dear wife; priyamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpriyam

agreeable; beloved; dear; easily; of the dear wife; pleasant; pleasing; pleasing activities; pleasure; satisfaction; something very beneficial; the beloved or husband; the counterpart of love; the dearmost Personality of Godhead; the pleasure; the welfare; very dear; who is dear.—satisfaction; 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.—also; bhīmasenasyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhīmasenasya

of Śrī Bhīmasena.—of Śrī Bhīmasena; pāñcālyāḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpāñcālyāḥ

of Draupadī.—of Draupadī; mahyamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmahyam

for me; in my; me; My; of me; of mine; to me; unto me; unto Me also; upon me.—unto Me also; evaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigeva

alone; also; also the word eva; although; as; as it is; as it were; as much as; as they are; at all; at that time; certainly; certainly,; certainty; completely; definitely; even; ever; exactly; exactly like; factually; Himself; immediately; in fact; in this way; indeed; it is all like that; just; just so; like; like that; like this; of course; on the very; only; quite; simply; so; surely; the word eva; they are; thus; truly; undoubtedly; very; without doubt.—certainly; 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. ¶

The Personality of Godhead Sri Kṛṣṇa said: A friend of a brāhmaṇa 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 Bhīmasena and Me. ¶

Arjuna was perplexed because Aśvatthāmā 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 brāhmaṇa, Aśvatthāmā 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 brāhmaṇa (and what to speak of an unworthy son of a brāhmaṇa), is to be killed. Droṇācārya was certainly a brāhmaṇa in the true sense of the term, but because he stood in the battlefield he was killed. But although Aśvatthāmā 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 Draupadī just to pacify her. And he also had to satisfy both Bhīma and Kṛṣṇa, who advised killing him. This dilemma was present before Arjuna, and the solution was awarded by Kṛṣṇa. ¶