Shloka 28
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 116: Jamadagni–Reṇukā Narrative and the Kārtavīrya Conflict
Akṛtavraṇa’s Account
पीडयित्वा शरैर्जग्मुर्यथागतमरिंदमा: । अफफक्रान्तेषु वै तेषु जमदग्नौ तथा गते,युधिष्ठिर! वे महर्षि अनाथकी भाँति “राम! राम!!” की रट लगा रहे थे, उसी अवस्थामें कार्तवीर्य अर्जुनके पुत्रोंने उन्हें बाणोंसे घायल करके मार डाला। इस प्रकार मुनिकी हत्या करके वे शत्रुसंहारक क्षत्रिय जैसे आये थे, उसी प्रकार लौट गये। जमदग्निके इस तरह मारे जानेके बाद जब वे कार्तवीर्य-पुत्र भाग गये, तब भृगुनन्दन परशुरामजी हाथोंमें समिधा लिये आश्रममें आये। वहाँ अपने पिताको इस प्रकार दुर्दशापूर्वक मरा देख उन्हें बड़ा दुःख हुआ। उनके पिता इस प्रकार मारे जानेके योग्य कदापि नहीं थे, परशुरामजी उन्हें याद करके विलाप करने लगे
pīḍayitvā śarair jagmur yathāgatam arindamāḥ | abhyakrānteṣu vai teṣu jamadagnau tathā gate yudhiṣṭhira |
Akṛtavraṇa said: “Having wounded him with arrows, those foe-subduers departed, returning the way they had come. When the sons of Kārtavīrya had fled and Jamadagni had thus fallen, O Yudhiṣṭhira, Paraśurāma, Bhṛgu’s descendant, arrived at the hermitage with fuel-sticks in his hands. Seeing his father lying dead in such a pitiable state, he was overwhelmed with grief and began to lament—remembering that his father, who had done no wrong, was never fit to be killed.”
अकृतव्रण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical collapse that occurs when martial power targets the defenseless: violence against a blameless ascetic is portrayed as adharma, and it sets in motion grief and the demand for accountability. It also underscores filial responsibility—Paraśurāma’s sorrow and response arise from the perceived injustice done to his father.
The sons of Kārtavīrya Arjuna attack Jamadagni with arrows and then withdraw the way they came. After they flee, Paraśurāma arrives at the hermitage carrying fuel-sticks, finds his father slain, and laments in deep grief, regarding the killing as wholly undeserved.