FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.45

स एष भगवान्द्रोण: प्रजारूपेण वर्तते । तस्यात्मनोऽर्धं पत्‍न्‍यास्ते नान्वगाद्वीरसू: कृपी ॥ ४५ ॥
sa eṣa bhagavān droṇaḥ
[sa esha bhagavaan dronah]
prajā-rūpeṇa vartate
[prajaa-roopena vartate]
tasyātmano ’rdhaṁ patny āste
[tasyaatmano ’rdham patny aaste]
nānvagād vīrasūḥ kṛpī
[naanvagaad veerasooh kripee]
Word-for-word
saḥ — he eṣaḥ — certainly bhagavān — lord droṇaḥ — Droṇācārya prajā-rūpeṇa — in the form of his son Aśvatthāmā vartate — is existing tasya — his ātmanaḥ — of the body ardham — half patnī — wife āste — living na — not anvagāt — undertook vīrasūḥ — having the son present kṛpī — the sister of Kṛpācārya.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa eṣa bhagavān droṇaḥ
saḥ
he
eṣaḥ
certainly
bhagavān
lord
droṇaḥ
Droṇācārya
prajā-rūpeṇa vartate
prajā-rūpeṇa
in the form of his son Aśvatthāmā
vartate
is existing
tasyātmano ’rdhaṁ patny āste
tasya
his
ātmanaḥ
of the body
ardham
half
patnī
wife
āste
living
nānvagād vīrasūḥ kṛpī
na
not
anvagāt
undertook
vīrasūḥ
having the son present
kṛpī
the sister of Kṛpācārya.
He [Droṇācārya] is certainly still existing, being represented by his son. His wife Kṛpī did not undergo a satī with him because she had a son.
Purport

The wife of Droṇācārya, Kṛpī, is the sister of Kṛpācārya. A devoted wife, who is according to revealed scripture the better half of her husband, is justified in embracing voluntary death along with her husband if she is without issue. But in the case of the wife of Droṇācārya, she did not undergo such a trial because she had her son, the representative of her husband. A widow is a widow only in name if there is a son of her husband existing. So in either case Aśvatthāmā was the representative of Droṇācārya, and therefore killing Aśvatthāmā would be like killing Droṇācārya. That was the argument of Draupadī against the killing of Aśvatthāmā.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By the mercy of Droṇa you learned the military arts with secret mantras, the method of throwing and withdrawing all weapons. Droṇa is standing before you in the form of his son. The other half of Droṇa, his wife Kṛpī, did not follow her husband when he died, but remains alive, because she has a son.
Commentary

Sa-rahasyaḥ means “with secret mantras.” In mentioning that the father taught how to throw and withdraw the weapon, she implies “If you had not learned how to throw and withdraw the brahmāstra from his father, how could you now bind him up and bring him here?” The son is considered a representative of the father according to the saying ātmā vai jāyate putraḥ: one is born again as one’s son. [Note: This is quoted in CC. Madhya-līlā, 12.56. There is a similar text in SB 10.78.36.] The wife is considered half of the husband according to the śruti text ardho vā eśa ātmano yat-patnī: the wife is half of oneself. (Black Yajur-veda, Baudhāyana-śrauta-sūtra 29.89.381.2) She did not follow her husband to death because she had a son (vīra-sūḥ).

Related values & verses
Related verses
SB 10.78.36
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Droṇa lives on in his son; his wife Kṛpī did not become satī because of this child. The dead live in the living. Killing the son would re-widow the mother. Threads of relationship extend our responsibility.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose life ripples beyond themselves into others I would also wound?
  • What 'threads' am I forgetting when I imagine an action affects only the target?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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