Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 12
Paraśurāma Avenges Jamadagni; Restoration Through Sacrifice; Viśvāmitra’s Line and Devarāta (Śunaḥśepha)
याच्यमाना: कृपणया राममात्रातिदारुणा: । प्रसह्य शिर उत्कृत्य निन्युस्ते क्षत्रबन्धव: ॥ १२ ॥
yācyamānāḥ kṛpaṇayā rāma-mātrātidāruṇāḥ prasahya śira utkṛtya ninyus te kṣatra-bandhavaḥ
With pitiable prayers, Reṇukā, the mother of Paraśurāma and wife of Jamadagni, begged for the life of her husband. But the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna, being devoid of the qualities of kṣatriyas, were so cruel that despite her prayers they forcibly cut off his head and took it away.
FAQs
This verse describes degenerate kṣatriyas acting with extreme cruelty—ignoring a mother’s pleas, beheading Rāma, and taking the head—illustrating adharma and the moral collapse that triggers divine/saintly retribution in the narrative.
In the episode, they are portrayed as ‘kṣatra-bandhavaḥ’—kṣatriyas in name only—driven by brutality and disregard for righteousness, thus committing an outrage that sets the stage for Paraśurāma’s response.
Power without dharma becomes cruelty: the verse warns that status or identity is meaningless without compassion and moral restraint, and that ignoring righteous pleas leads to grave consequences.