The Love of Arjuna

Chapter 7

Having answered the first query, Suta Goswami now turned his attention to the second question of the sages: “How was Sukadeva Goswami viewed by others, and how did his meeting with Maharaja Pariksit transpire?” Before directly addressing this, Suta Goswami narrated the events which transpired at the conclusion of the Kuruksetra battle, which is when Maharaja Pariksit was born.

When Asvatthama was being chased by Arjuna due to his heinous act of killing the sleeping sons of Draupadi, he released a deadly brahmastra weapon in a frenzy of panic. Arjuna was startled and confused, unsure of what his next move should be. Since surrendered devotees see the Lord as their only protector, Arjuna instinctively approached Krishna in his time of need and sought counsel. Though in the most intense of situations, Arjuna lovingly glorified Krishna and expressed his full dependence upon Him.

Taking Krishna’s advice, Arjuna counteracted Asvatthama’s weapon with his own brahmastra and thus captured the ruthless warrior. There were conflicting proposals as to what Asvatthama’s fate should be – some called for his death while others wanted to spare him. Arjuna ingeniously cut the jewel and hair from Asvatthama’s head. The warrior was utterly humiliated but still alive, and Arjuna successfully reconciled all the different opinions by simultaneously ‘killing’ him and sparing his life.