Paraśurāma Avenges Jamadagni; Restoration Through Sacrifice; Viśvāmitra’s Line and Devarāta (Śunaḥśepha)
एवं कौशिकगोत्रं तु विश्वामित्रै: पृथग्विधम् । प्रवरान्तरमापन्नं तद्धि चैवं प्रकल्पितम् ॥ ३७ ॥
evaṁ kauśika-gotraṁ tu viśvāmitraiḥ pṛthag-vidham pravarāntaram āpannaṁ tad dhi caivaṁ prakalpitam
So verfluchte Viśvāmitra einige seiner Söhne, segnete andere und nahm zudem einen Sohn als Adoptivsohn an. Dadurch entstanden verschiedene Zweige im Kauśika-Geschlecht; doch Devarāta galt unter allen als der Älteste.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Ninth Canto, Sixteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Paraśurāma Destroys the World’s Ruling Class.”
This verse explains that the Kauśika lineage became diversified through Viśvāmitra, and that it came to have a distinct pravara—an established Vedic ancestral invocation—arranged in this way by tradition.
Pravara identifies the ancestral ṛṣis invoked in Vedic rites and helps distinguish branches within a gotra; here it clarifies how Viśvāmitra’s line developed distinct ritual-identities within the Kauśika lineage.
It highlights the importance of honoring authentic spiritual heritage—staying connected to a bona fide tradition, teachers, and practices—while remembering that true worth is shown by character and devotion.