Shloka 12
द्रोण–धृष्टद्युम्नयुद्धवर्णनम्
Drona–Dhrishtadyumna Battle Description
अड़वड़कलिड्रांश्न विदेहांस्ताम्रनलिप्तकान् | रक्षोवाहान् वीतिहोत्रांस्त्रिगर्तान् मार्तिकावतान्,तदनन्तर प्रतापी परशुरामने काश्मीर, दरद, कुन्ति, क्षुद्रक, मालव, अंग, वंग, कलिंग, विदेह, ताम्रलिप्त, रक्षोवाह, वीतिहोत्र, त्रिगर्त, मार्तिकावत, शिबि तथा अन्य सहसों देशोंके क्षत्रियोंका अपने तीखे बाणोंद्वारा संहार किया
aḍavaḍakalidrāṁś ca videhāṁs tāmrana-liptakān | rakṣovāhān vītihotrāṁs trigartān mārtikāvatān ||
Nārada said: “Thereafter, the mighty Paraśurāma, blazing with prowess, struck down with his keen arrows the Kṣatriyas of many lands—such as the Videhas, the people of Tāmralipta, the Rakṣovāhas, the Vītihotras, the Trigartas, and the Mārtikāvatas—along with countless others.” In this recollection, the epic underscores the terrible cost of unrestrained martial wrath: even when framed as a campaign against Kṣatriya arrogance, violence spreads across regions and lineages, leaving a moral warning about anger, power, and the limits of righteous punishment.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage functions as a moral caution: when martial power is driven by wrath or punitive zeal, it can expand into widespread devastation across many peoples. Even actions presented as ‘just retribution’ demand restraint and ethical scrutiny.
Nārada recounts Paraśurāma’s campaign in which he kills Kṣatriyas from numerous regions and clans—listing groups such as the Videhas, Tāmraliptas, Rakṣovāhas, Vītihotras, Trigartas, and Mārtikāvatas—emphasizing the breadth of the destruction.