Shloka 32
अलर्कोपाख्यानम् — Indriya-Nigraha and Yogic Victory
Mahābhārata 14.30
इति त्वमनुजानीहि राम मा क्षत्रियान् जहि । तपो घोरमुपातिष्ठ ततः श्रेयोडभिपत्स्यसे,(पितामहोंने कहा--) बेटा परशुराम! इन सब बातोंको अच्छी तरह समझकर तुम क्षत्रियोंका नाश न करो। घोर तपस्यामें लग जाओ, उसीसे तुम्हें कल्याण प्राप्त होगा
iti tvam anujānīhi rāma mā kṣatriyān jahi | tapo ghoram upātiṣṭha tataḥ śreyo 'bhipatsyase ||
Thus, O Rama, accept this counsel: do not slay the Kshatriyas. Take up severe austerity; through that discipline you will attain the highest good. The elder’s admonition redirects Parashurama from retaliatory violence toward self-restraint and spiritual merit, presenting tapas as the ethical remedy for wrath and the path to lasting welfare.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Anger-driven vengeance is to be restrained; instead of destroying an entire social order (the Kshatriyas), one should pursue intense tapas, because inner discipline and expiation lead to śreyas (true welfare) more reliably than violence.
A Brahmin elder (identified in the Hindi gloss as Pitamaha) addresses Rama—i.e., Parashurama—urging him to desist from killing Kshatriyas and to turn toward severe austerities, reframing his response to conflict from retribution to spiritual practice.