Shloka 3
Rāma–Jāmadagnya-janma-kāraṇa and Kṣatra-kṣaya
Paraśurāma’s origins and the depletion/restoration of kṣatriya lineages
जल्लोरजस्तु तनयो बलाकाश्चस्तु तत्सुत: । कुशिको नाम धर्मज्ञस्तस्य पुत्रो महीपते
Jahnor ajas tu tanayo Balākāśvaś ca tat-sutaḥ | Kuśiko nāma dharmajñas tasya putro mahīpate ||
Wahai raja, pada masa silam ada raja bernama Jahnu; putranya bernama Aja, dan putra Aja ialah Balākāśva. Balākāśva pun memiliki putra bernama Kuśika, termasyhur sebagai orang yang mengetahui dharma.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses genealogy to foreground a value: among royal descendants, the one singled out for praise is the dharmajña—suggesting that ethical discernment and adherence to dharma are the true marks of greatness, not merely lineage.
Vāyu continues recounting an ancestral line: Jahnu → Aja → Balākāśva → Kuśika, and pauses to characterize Kuśika as a knower of dharma, preparing the ground for further discussion connected to righteous conduct and exemplary figures.