Shloka 51

Rāma–Jāmadagnya-janma-kāraṇa and Kṣatra-kṣaya

Paraśurāma’s origins and the depletion/restoration of kṣatriya lineages

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

Vāsudeva said: “O king, when the illustrious Rāma (Paraśurāma) had gone out to gather firewood and kuśa grass, the sons of Arjunaka—foolish and witless—banded together and went to the hermitage of the great sage Jamadagni. With the sharp foreparts of their arrows they severed his head from his body and cast it down. At that time the renowned Paraśurāma was away from the āśrama, having gone far to fetch fuel and kuśa. Then, burning with intolerable grief and outrage at his father’s murder, Rāma became possessed of extreme wrath.”

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)