Shloka 32
Rāma–Jāmadagnya-janma-kāraṇa and Kṣatra-kṣaya
Paraśurāma’s origins and the depletion/restoration of kṣatriya lineages
सर्वविद्यान्तगं श्रेष्ठ धनुर्वेदस्य पारगम् । राम॑ क्षत्रियहन्तारं प्रदीप्तमिव पावकम्
sarvavidyāntagaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ dhanurvedasya pāragam | rāmaṁ kṣatriyahantāraṁ pradīptam iva pāvakam ||
Vāsudeva said: “He is the foremost, having reached the culmination of all branches of knowledge; a master who has crossed to the far shore of the science of archery. That Rāma—Paraśurāma—the slayer of kṣatriyas, blazes like a fire fully kindled.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents Paraśurāma as an exemplar of perfected learning and martial mastery, while also highlighting the fearful ethical weight of violence: extraordinary power and knowledge can become ‘fire’—purifying or destructive—depending on how dharma is understood and applied.
Vāsudeva identifies and praises Paraśurāma, describing him as supremely learned and unrivaled in Dhanurveda, and characterizes his formidable, blazing presence through the image of a fully kindled fire, emphasizing his role as a destroyer of kṣatriyas.