Shloka 19
तद्रक्तेन नदीं घोरामब्रह्मण्यभयावहाम् । हेतुं कृत्वा पितृवधं क्षत्रेऽमङ्गलकारिणि ॥ १८ ॥ त्रि:सप्तकृत्व: पृथिवीं कृत्वा नि:क्षत्रियां प्रभु: । समन्तपञ्चके चक्रे शोणितोदान् ह्रदान् नव ॥ १९ ॥
tad-raktena nadīṁ ghorām abrahmaṇya-bhayāvahām hetuṁ kṛtvā pitṛ-vadhaṁ kṣatre ’maṅgala-kāriṇi
With the blood of those sons, Lord Paraśurāma created a ghastly river that struck terror into kings who disrespected brahminical culture. On the plea of avenging his father’s murder, the Lord eradicated the sinful kṣatriyas from the earth twenty-one times, and at Samanta-pañcaka He formed nine lakes filled with their blood.
Paraśurāma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his eternal mission is paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām — to protect the devotees and annihilate the miscreants. To kill all the sinful men is one among the tasks of the incarnation of Godhead. Lord Paraśurāma killed all the kṣatriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were disobedient to the brahminical culture. That the kṣatriyas had killed his father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the kṣatriyas, the ruling class, had become polluted, their position was inauspicious. Brahminical culture is enjoined in the śāstra, especially in Bhagavad-gītā ( cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ). According to the laws of nature, whether at the time of Paraśurāma or at the present, if the government becomes irresponsible and sinful, not caring for brahminical culture, there will certainly be an incarnation of God like Paraśurāma to create a devastation by fire, famine, pestilence or some other calamity. Whenever the government disrespects the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead and fails to protect the institution of varṇāśrama-dharma, it will certainly have to face such catastrophes as formerly brought about by Lord Paraśurāma.
FAQs
This verse states that Paraśurāma used his father’s murder as the cause for a fearful, inauspicious devastation of the kṣatriya order, portrayed as a terrifying river of blood for the impious.
Because Jamadagni’s killing is presented as the direct cause (hetu) that provoked Paraśurāma’s retaliatory campaign against the kṣatriyas responsible for such adharma.
The verse highlights how vengeance can become dreadful and inauspicious; it urges seekers to uphold dharma without letting anger expand into widespread harm.