Shloka 15
Rāma–Jāmadagnya-janma-kāraṇa and Kṣatra-kṣaya
Paraśurāma’s origins and the depletion/restoration of kṣatriya lineages
माता तु तस्या: कौन्तेय दुहित्रे स्वं चरुं ददौ । तस्याक्षरुमथाज्ञानादात्मसंस्थं चकार ह
mātā tu tasyāḥ kaunteya duhitrē svaṃ caruṃ dadau | tasyākṣaruṃ athājñānād ātmasaṃsthaṃ cakāra ha ||
Vāyu said: “O son of Kuntī, the mother of that girl gave her own consecrated oblation (caru) to her daughter. Then, through ignorance, she took the daughter’s portion and made it enter and abide within herself by eating it.” The episode underscores how a lapse in discernment regarding sacred rites can redirect their intended fruit, showing that ritual acts, when mishandled, can yield unintended moral and familial consequences.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred acts require right understanding (jñāna) and careful execution; ignorance in ritual matters can invert intended outcomes, bringing unforeseen ethical and familial consequences.
Vāyu narrates that a mother mistakenly gives her own consecrated caru to her daughter and then, not realizing the exchange, consumes the daughter’s portion herself—thereby internalizing the rite’s intended effect.