Shloka 17
Kārtavīrya–Samudra Saṃvāda and the Jāmadagnya Precedent (आश्वमेधिक पर्व, अध्याय २९)
ततश्न हतवीरासु क्षत्रियासु पुन: पुनः । द्विजैरुत्पादितं क्षत्रं जामदग्न्यो न्यकृन्तत,तत्पश्चात् क्षत्रियवीरोंके मारे जानेपर ब्राह्मणोंने उनकी स्त्रियोंसे नियोगकी विधिके अनुसार पुत्र उत्पन्न किये, किंतु उन्हें भी बड़े होनेपर परशुरामजीने फरसेसे काट डाला
tataś ca hatavīrāsu kṣatriyāsu punaḥ punaḥ | dvijair utpāditaṃ kṣatraṃ jāmadagnyo nyakṛntata ||
Then, when the Kshatriya line had again and again been left without its warriors, the Brahmins generated new Kshatriya offspring; but Jamadagni’s son (Paraśurāma) cut them down as well. The passage underscores the grim cycle of vengeance: even attempts to restore social order through sanctioned means are overwhelmed by retaliatory violence, raising ethical questions about the limits of retribution and the collapse of dharma when anger becomes hereditary policy.
समुद्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked vengeance can override attempts to restore dharma and social continuity. Even when society tries to regenerate the Kshatriya order, retaliatory wrath perpetuates destruction, suggesting that violence, once normalized, becomes self-renewing and ethically corrosive.
After repeated slaughters that leave the Kshatriyas without warriors, Brahmins produce new Kshatriya progeny to re-establish the warrior line; however, Paraśurāma (Jāmadagnya) again kills them, continuing the annihilation of Kshatriya warriors.