Hearing Draupadī’s grief, Arjuna turned to her with deep compassion and spoke gently, “O noble lady, I will wipe away your sorrow. By the arrows of my Gāṇḍīva, I will bring you the head of that brahma-bandhu, the aggressor who slew your sons, so that you may bathe after their cremation.” Thus, with words both sweet and comforting, Arjuna sought to console his beloved. Yet, beneath his tenderness burned a fierce resolve. Mounting his chariot, adorned with Hanumān’s banner and guided by the friendship of Acyuta, Arjuna set out in anger, pursuing the mighty-armed son of his own teacher. Ashvatthāmā, the son of Droṇa, saw Arjuna’s approach from afar. Fear seized his agitated mind, and, desperate to save his life, he fled across the earth in his chariot, as one flees the blazing sun in dread of Rudra. Exhausted and without refuge, his horses spent, Ashvatthāmā saw no means of escape. In his desperation, he resolved to use the Brahmāstra, the divine weapon, as his only hope of survival. He purified himself with water, focused his mind, and invoked the Brahmāstra, though he did not know how to withdraw it—a sign that death was drawing near. Instantly, a fierce and blazing energy burst forth in all directions, threatening all life. Seeing this terrible power, Arjuna turned to Lord Viṣṇu and prayed, “O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, mighty-armed one, you alone remove the fear of your devotees. You are the deliverer from the burning suffering of birth and death. You are the original person, the Supreme Lord, ever transcendent, casting aside illusion through your own consciousness, established in the Self, in oneness. By your strength you bestow the highest good—dharma and virtue—upon those deluded by your māyā. Your incarnation has appeared on earth to relieve its burden and to be constantly meditated upon by your devotees. O God of gods, what is this terrible, blazing energy approaching from all sides? I do not know its source.” The Blessed Lord replied, “This is the Brahmāstra weapon, unleashed by the son of Droṇa. He does not know how to withdraw it, for death is near him. No other weapon can counter it; only another Brahmāstra can neutralize its force. Only one skilled in weapons can subdue the energy of a weapon with another.” Hearing this, Arjuna, destroyer of enemy heroes, circumambulated the Lord, touched water for purification, and invoked his own Brahmāstra to counter the one released by Ashvatthāmā. The energies of both weapons, enveloped by Arjuna’s arrows, collided and grew, covering earth and sky, blazing like the fire of the sun. The burning power of the weapons scorched the three worlds, and all beings, terrified, thought it was the fire of cosmic destruction. Seeing the turmoil among the people and the disturbance in the worlds, Arjuna remembered the instructions of Vāsudeva. With great effort, he withdrew both weapons, restoring peace. Then, his eyes red with anger, Arjuna swiftly approached Ashvatthāmā, the fierce son of Gautamī, and bound him with ropes as one binds a wild animal. As Arjuna dragged the bound enemy toward the camp, the lotus-eyed Lord, enraged, addressed him: “O Pārtha, do not spare this one! Kill this so-called brāhmaṇa, who, though a brāhmaṇa in name, slew innocent, sleeping children at night. One who truly knows dharma does not kill an enemy who is intoxicated, distracted, insane, asleep, a child, a woman, helpless, surrendered, unarmed, or afraid. But a wicked man, devoid of compassion, who sustains his life by destroying the lives of others—his death is better, for such sin leads a man to ruin. You promised Draupadī, in my presence, ‘I will bring the head of that arrogant slayer of your sons.’ Therefore, let this sinful one be slain—he is an aggressor, a killer of kin, and has committed a vile act displeasing to his master, bringing disgrace to his lineage.” Yet, though urged by Kṛṣṇa and pondering the demands of dharma, Arjuna hesitated. For Ashvatthāmā was the son of his own teacher, and Arjuna’s heart was unwilling to kill him, despite his great offense. Returning to the camp, Arjuna reported to Draupadī, who still mourned her slain sons. When Kṛpī, Ashvatthāmā’s gentle mother, saw her son brought in like an animal, bound and shamed, deprived of his glory by Kṛṣṇa, her heart was filled with compassion. Unable to bear the sight, she pleaded, “Release him, release him! He is a brāhmaṇa, truly a guru. The secret science of archery, with its use and withdrawal, and the array of weapons—all this you learned from his father by his favor. That same venerable Droṇa now exists in the form of his son; half of himself remains in Kṛpī, the mother who bore this heroic child. O knower of dharma, O great one, your noble family, honored and revered, should not incur infamy through such an act. Let his mother Gautamī, devoted to her husband, not weep as I, with a face wet with tears, have wept again and again for my dead sons. If the brāhmaṇa lineage is angered by unruly kṣatriyas, that lineage quickly destroys them and their kin, even if they are pure.” The king, Yudhiṣṭhira, accepted the queen’s words, recognizing their righteousness, justice, compassion, honesty, and impartiality. Nakula, Sahadeva, Yuyudhāna, Dhanañjaya, the divine son of Devakī, and many others, both men and women, were present. Yet Bhīma, enraged, declared that death was the only proper fate for one who, without cause, kills sleeping children—not for the sake of his master or himself. Hearing both Bhīma and Draupadī, the four-armed Lord, looking kindly upon his friend, spoke with a gentle smile: “A brāhmaṇa, even if an aggressor, should not be killed; yet an aggressor deserves death. I have taught both sides—uphold my instruction. Fulfill the promise you made to the Kuru queen, to comfort your beloved, and what is dear to Bhīmasena, to Draupadī, and to me as well.” Suddenly understanding Hari’s intention, Arjuna drew his sword and, instead of taking Ashvatthāmā’s life, cut off the jewel along with the hair from the head of the twice-born one, thus fulfilling his vow and the demands of dharma.