Mahabharata 3.116.28 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 116, Shloka 28
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 116: Jamadagni–Reṇukā Narrative and the Kārtavīrya Conflict
Akṛtavraṇa’s Account
पीडयित्वा शरैर्जग्मुर्यथागतमरिंदमा: । अफफक्रान्तेषु वै तेषु जमदग्नौ तथा गते
pīḍayitvā śarair jagmur yathāgatam arindamāḥ | abhyakrānteṣu vai teṣu jamadagnau tathā gate yudhiṣṭhira |
قال أَكْرِتَفْرَنَة: «بعد أن آذوه بالسهام، انصرف أولئك القاهرون للأعداء عائدين من حيث أتوا. فلما كان أبناء كارتافيرْيا قد فرّوا، وكان جمدغني قد سقط على تلك الحال، يا يُدْهِشْتِهيرا، أقبل باراشوراما، من نسل بهريغو، إلى الأشرم وفي يديه عيدان الحطب. فلما رأى أباه مطروحًا قتيلًا في هيئة تُفْجِع القلب، غمره الأسى وشرع ينوح—ذاكرًا أن أباه البريء لم يكن قط جديرًا بأن يُقتل.»
अकृतव्रण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical collapse that occurs when martial power targets the defenseless: violence against a blameless ascetic is portrayed as adharma, and it sets in motion grief and the demand for accountability. It also underscores filial responsibility—Paraśurāma’s sorrow and response arise from the perceived injustice done to his father.
The sons of Kārtavīrya Arjuna attack Jamadagni with arrows and then withdraw the way they came. After they flee, Paraśurāma arrives at the hermitage carrying fuel-sticks, finds his father slain, and laments in deep grief, regarding the killing as wholly undeserved.
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