Shloka 21
Rāma–Jāmadagnya-janma-kāraṇa and Kṣatra-kṣaya
Paraśurāma’s origins and the depletion/restoration of kṣatriya lineages
मातुस्ते ब्राह्मणो भूयात् तव च क्षत्रिय: सुतः । परंतु तुम्हारा भाई ब्राह्मणस्वरूप एवं तपस्यापरायण होगा। तुम्हारे चरुमें मैंने सम्पूर्ण महान् तेज ब्रह्मकी प्रतिष्ठा की थी और तुम्हारी माताके लिये जो चरु था
mātus te brāhmaṇo bhūyāt tava ca kṣatriyaḥ sutaḥ |
“Let your mother’s son be a brāhmaṇa, and let your own son be a kṣatriya. Yet your brother will be Brahmin-like and devoted to austerity. Into the chāru meant for you I had established the full greatness of brahma-tejas, and into the chāru meant for your mother I had infused the complete strength and valor proper to a kṣatriya. But, O auspicious lady, because the chāru was exchanged, it will not be so: your mother’s son will be a brāhmaṇa, and your son will be a kṣatriya.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that sacred intentions and ritual allocations carry moral and causal force: altering or exchanging what is consecrated (through deceit or error) leads to outcomes that diverge from what was originally intended. Dharma here is tied to truthfulness and fidelity to ritual order.
Vāyudeva declares the resulting destinies of two sons—one to be brāhmaṇa-like and the other kṣatriya-like—after a disruption in the intended distribution of spiritual radiance and warrior power associated with consecrated offerings. The statement functions as a divine verdict on the consequences of the exchange.