Shloka 336
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
नैवात्मनो5थ लघुतां जामदग्न्यो5ध्यगच्छत । यद्यपि अश्वमेध यज्ञ समस्त प्राणियोंको पवित्र करनेवाला तथा तेज और कान्तिको बढ़ानेवाला है तथापि उसके फलसे तेजस्वी परशुरामजी सर्वथा पापमुक्त न हो सके। इससे उन्होंने अपनी लघुताका अनुभव किया
naivātmano ’tha laghutāṃ jāmadagnyo ’dhyagacchat | yady api aśvamedha-yajñaḥ samasta-prāṇināṃ pāvanaḥ tathā tejaḥ-kānti-vardhanaḥ, tathāpi tasya phalena tejasvī paraśurāmaḥ sarvathā pāpa-mukto na babhūva | tasmād asau svāṃ laghutām anubabhāva |
Bhishma berkata: Putra Jamadagni, Parasurama, tidak mencapai kelapangan batin yang sejati. Walau kurban Aśvamedha termasyhur menyucikan semua makhluk serta menambah kemilau dan wibawa, buahnya pun tidak mampu membebaskan Parasurama sepenuhnya dari dosa; dari situlah ia menyadari kecilnya dirinya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit, even from exalted sacrifices like the Aśvamedha, is not a mechanical guarantee of complete moral purification; inner fault and past wrongdoing require deeper ethical transformation, leading the wise to humility rather than pride.
Bhishma comments on Parashurama’s experience: despite performing or relying upon the famed purificatory power of the Aśvamedha, Parashurama does not become wholly sinless, and this failure makes him recognize his own moral limitation (laghutā).