Shloka 1.74.18
परशुरामप्रादुर्भावः — The Appearance of Parasurama on the Return from Mithila
तस्मिंस्तमसि घोरे तु भस्मच्छन्नेव सा चमू:।।1.74.17।।ददर्श भीमसङ्काशं जटामण्डलधारिणम्। भार्गवं जामदग्न्यं तं राजराजविमर्दिनम्।।1.74.18।।कैलासमिव दुर्धर्षं कालाग्निमिव दुस्सहम्। ज्वलंतमिव तेजोभिर्दुर्निरीक्ष्यं पृथग्जनै:।।1.74.19।।स्कन्धे चासज्य परशुं धनुर्विद्युद्गणोपमम् । प्रगृह्य शरमुख्यं च त्रिपुरघ्नं यथा शिवम्।।1.74.20।।
tasmiṃs tamasi ghore tu bhasmacchannā iva sā camūḥ | dadarśa bhīmasaṅkāśaṃ jaṭāmaṇḍaladhāriṇam | bhārgavaṃ jāmadagnyaṃ taṃ rājarāja-vimardinam ||
kailāsam iva durdharṣaṃ kālāgnim iva dussaham | jvalantam iva tejobhir durnirīkṣyaṃ pṛthagjanaiḥ ||
skandhe cāsajya paraśuṃ dhanur vidyudgaṇopamam | pragṛhya śaramukhyaṃ ca tripuraghnaṃ yathā śivam ||
In that dreadful darkness, when the host seemed as if covered in ash, the king beheld Bhārgava Paraśurāma, son of Jamadagni—crusher of kings: terrible in aspect, wearing a crown of matted locks; unassailable like Mount Kailāsa and unbearable like the fire of dissolution. Blazing with radiance, he was hard for ordinary people to look upon. With an axe slung on his shoulder, holding a bow like a cluster of lightning and grasping a foremost arrow, he stood like Śiva when he destroyed Tripura.
In that dreadful darkness while the army looked as if covered with ashes, king Dasaratha encountered the repressor of kings, descendant of Bhrugu and son of Jamadagni with a terrible crown of matted hair, inaccessible like Kailasa mountain and unendurable like the fire at the time of dissolution. The laymen gazing at his blazing energy,hanging an axe on his shoulder and holding a bow in his hand which flashed like lighning and the principal arrow he looked like Siva at the time of slaying of Tripura.
Power must be aligned with dharma: Paraśurāma embodies overwhelming ascetic-heroic force, reminding rulers that unrighteous kingship invites correction and that true authority is accountable to higher moral order.
On the return from Mithilā, amid terrifying portents, Paraśurāma appears suddenly—setting the stage for a tense encounter that will test the Kṣatriya spirit and restraint of the royal line.
Awe-inspiring tapas (ascetic potency) and uncompromising justice associated with Paraśurāma, contrasted with the needed steadiness of the righteous king and sages in facing such force.