Shloka 18
Paraśurāma Avenges Jamadagni; Restoration Through Sacrifice; Viśvāmitra’s Line and Devarāta (Śunaḥśepha)
तद्रक्तेन नदीं घोरामब्रह्मण्यभयावहाम् । हेतुं कृत्वा पितृवधं क्षत्रेऽमङ्गलकारिणि ॥ १८ ॥ त्रि:सप्तकृत्व: पृथिवीं कृत्वा नि:क्षत्रियां प्रभु: । समन्तपञ्चके चक्रे शोणितोदान् ह्रदान् नव ॥ १९ ॥
tad-raktena nadīṁ ghorām abrahmaṇya-bhayāvahām hetuṁ kṛtvā pitṛ-vadhaṁ kṣatre ’maṅgala-kāriṇi
അവരുടെ ശരീരരക്തംകൊണ്ട് പരശുരാമൻ ഭീകരമായ ഒരു നദി സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു; ബ്രാഹ്മണ്യധർമ്മത്തെ ആദരിക്കാത്ത രാജാക്കന്മാർക്ക് അതു മഹാഭയം വരുത്തി. പിതൃവധത്തിന് പ്രതികാരം എന്ന നിമിത്തം എടുത്ത്, പാപപ്രവൃത്തികളിലായിരുന്ന ക്ഷത്രിയരെ പ്രഭു ഇരുപത്തൊന്നു പ്രാവശ്യം ഭൂമിയിൽ നിന്ന് നീക്കി; സമന്തപഞ്ചകത്തിൽ അവരുടെ രക്തം നിറഞ്ഞ ഒമ്പത് തടാകങ്ങളും ഉണ്ടാക്കി।
Paraśurāma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his eternal mission is paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām — to protect the devotees and annihilate the miscreants. To kill all the sinful men is one among the tasks of the incarnation of Godhead. Lord Paraśurāma killed all the kṣatriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were disobedient to the brahminical culture. That the kṣatriyas had killed his father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the kṣatriyas, the ruling class, had become polluted, their position was inauspicious. Brahminical culture is enjoined in the śāstra, especially in Bhagavad-gītā ( cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ). According to the laws of nature, whether at the time of Paraśurāma or at the present, if the government becomes irresponsible and sinful, not caring for brahminical culture, there will certainly be an incarnation of God like Paraśurāma to create a devastation by fire, famine, pestilence or some other calamity. Whenever the government disrespects the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead and fails to protect the institution of varṇāśrama-dharma, it will certainly have to face such catastrophes as formerly brought about by Lord Paraśurāma.
FAQs
This verse depicts that those who are abrahmaṇya—opposed to brāhmaṇas and brahminical principles—invite fearsome consequences, as Paraśurāma’s retaliation becomes a terror to such offenders.
Because the murder of his father, Jamadagni, became the immediate cause (hetu) for Paraśurāma’s campaign; the text frames it as retribution that brought calamity upon the kṣatriya order.
The takeaway is to honor sacred learning, ethical leadership, and spiritual culture, and to recognize that abuse of power and contempt for dharma create destructive reactions—personally and socially.