Shloka 51

Devanagari script

समित्कुशार्थ रामस्य निर्यातस्य यशस्विन: । नरेश्वर! अर्जुनके पुत्र बुद्धिहीन और मूर्ख थे। उन्होंने संगठित हो महात्मा जमदग्निके आश्रमपर जाकर भल्लोंके अग्रभागसे उनके मस्तकको धड़से काट गिराया। उस समय यशस्वी परशुरामजी समिधा और कुशा लानेके लिये आश्रमसे दूर चले गये थे || ४९-५० $ई || ततः पितृवधामर्षादू राम: परममन्युमान्‌

Transliteration

samit-kuśārthaṁ rāmasya niryātasya yaśasvinaḥ | nareśvara! arjunakasya putrā buddhihīnā mūrkhāś ca te saṅghāṭena mahātmanaḥ jamadagner āśramaṁ gatvā bhallāgrabhāgena tasya mastakaṁ dharāt pātayām āsuḥ | tasmin kāle yaśasvī paraśurāmo ’pi samidhaḥ kuśāṁś ca ānetuṁ āśramād dūraṁ niryātaḥ || tataḥ pitṛ-vadha-amarṣād rāmaḥ paramam anyumān |

Translation

നരേശ്വരാ! യശസ്വിയായ രാമൻ (പരശുരാമൻ) സമിത്തും കുശയും കൊണ്ടുവരാൻ ആശ്രമത്തിൽ നിന്ന് പുറപ്പെട്ടു ദൂരെയായി പോയിരുന്നു. അപ്പോൾ അർജുനന്റെ ബുദ്ധിഹീന പുത്രന്മാർ കൂട്ടമായി ചേർന്ന് മഹാത്മാവ് ജമദഗ്നിയുടെ ആശ്രമത്തിലെത്തി, ഭല്ലങ്ങളുടെ മൂർച്ചയുള്ള അഗ്രങ്ങളാൽ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ശിരസ്സിനെ ദേഹത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വേർപ്പെടുത്തി താഴെയിട്ടു. തുടർന്ന് പിതൃവധത്തിന്റെ അസഹ്യ ദുഃഖവും കോപവും മൂലം രാമൻ പരമക്രോധത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി।

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'समित् (samit)', 'definition': 'firewood, fuel-sticks used for sacrificial fires'}, {'term': 'कुश (kuśa)', 'definition': 'sacred darbha grass used in Vedic rites'}, {'term': 'अर्थ (artha)', 'definition': 'purpose

• here: ‘for the sake of obtaining’'}, {'term': 'निर्यात (niryāta)', 'definition': 'gone out, departed'}, {'term': 'यशस्विन् (yaśasvin)', 'definition': 'illustrious, renowned'}, {'term': 'नरेश्वर (nareśvara)', 'definition': 'lord of men, king'}, {'term': 'बुद्धिहीन (buddhihīna)', 'definition': 'devoid of discernment, senseless'}, {'term': 'मूर्ख (mūrkha)', 'definition': 'foolish, deluded'}, {'term': 'सङ्घाटेन (saṅghāṭena)', 'definition': 'in a group, in concert'}, {'term': 'महात्मन् (mahātman)', 'definition': 'great-souled

• epithet of a revered sage'}, {'term': 'आश्रम (āśrama)', 'definition': 'hermitage

• a place of ascetic life and study'}, {'term': 'भल्ल (bhalla)', 'definition': 'a kind of arrow (often broad-headed)'}, {'term': 'अग्रभाग (agrabhāga)', 'definition': 'forepart, sharp front portion'}, {'term': 'मस्तक (mastaka)', 'definition': 'head'}, {'term': 'धड़ (dhaḍa)', 'definition': 'trunk of the body (Hindi gloss

• Sanskrit: धड़/धड = torso)'}, {'term': 'पितृवध (pitṛ-vadha)', 'definition': 'slaying of one’s father'}, {'term': 'अमर्ष (amarṣa)', 'definition': 'intolerant anger, indignation at an affront'}, {'term': 'परममन्यु (parama-manyu)', 'definition': 'extreme wrath'}]

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वासुदेव (Vāsudeva/Kṛṣṇa)
• नरेश्वर (the King; listener, traditionally Yudhiṣṭhira in Śānti context)
• राम (Rāma/Paraśurāma)
• जमदग्नि (Jamadagni)
• अर्जुनक (Arjunaka/Arjuna of the Haihayas/Kārtavīrya line, depending on recension)
• अर्जुनक के पुत्र (sons of Arjunaka)
• आश्रम (hermitage)
• समित् (firewood)
• कुश (kuśa grass)
• भल्ल (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights the grave adharma of attacking a sage in his hermitage and the cascading consequences of such violence: a single act of sacrilege (the murder of Jamadagni) ignites overwhelming wrath in Paraśurāma, illustrating how injustice and irreverence toward dharma can trigger cycles of retaliation.

What is happening in the narrative?

While Paraśurāma is away collecting sacrificial fuel (samit) and kuśa grass, the sons of Arjunaka act together, enter Jamadagni’s āśrama, and behead the sage with arrows. On learning of his father’s killing, Paraśurāma is seized by intense anger.