यदाशरणमात्मानमैक्षत श्रान्तवाजिनम् अस्त्रं ब्रह्मशिरो मेने आत्मत्राणं द्विजात्मजः
yadāśaraṇam ātmānam aikṣata śrānta-vājinam astraṁ brahma-śiro mene ātma-trāṇaṁ dvijātma-jaḥ
Synonyms
yadā—when; aśaraṇam—without being alternatively protected; ātmānam—his own self; aikṣata—saw; śrānta-vājinam—the horses being tired; astram—weapon; brahma-śiraḥ—the topmost or ultimate (nuclear); mene—applied; ātma-trāṇam—just to save himself; dvija-ātma-jaḥ—the son of a brāhmaṇa..
Translation
When the son of the brāhmaṇa [Aśvatthāmā] saw that his horses were tired, he considered that there was no alternative for protection outside his using the ultimate weapon, the brahmāstra [nuclear weapon].
Purport
In the ultimate issue only, when there is no other alternative, the nuclear weapon called the brahmāstra is applied. The word dvijātma-jaḥ is significant here because Aśvatthāmā, although the son of Droṇācārya, was not exactly a qualified brāhmaṇa. The most intelligent man is called a brāhmaṇa, and it is not an hereditary title. Aśvatthāmā was also formerly called the brahma-bandhu or the friend of a brāhmaṇa. Being a friend of a brāhmaṇa does not mean that one is brāhmaṇa by qualification. A friend or son of a brāhmaṇa, when fully qualified, can be called a brāhmaṇa and not otherwise. Since Aśvatthāmā's decision is immature, he is purposely called herein the son of a brāhmaṇa.