Shloka 16
भीष्मस्वप्न-स्मृत्युपाख्यानम् | Bhīṣma’s Dream-Linked Recollection of the Paraśurāma Combat
नहिमां क्षत्रिय: कश्चिद् वीर्येण व्यजयद् युधि । ऋते ब्रह्म॒विदस्तात तपसा संशितव्रतात्,तात! जो तपस्याके द्वारा कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले हैं, उन ब्रह्मज्ञ ब्राह्मण परशुरामजीको छोड़कर कोई भी क्षत्रिय अबतक युद्धमें मुझे पराजित नहीं कर सका है
na hi māṁ kṣatriyaḥ kaścid vīryeṇa vyajayad yudhi | ṛte brahmavidastāta tapasā saṁśitavratāt ||
Disse Rāma: “Nenhum kṣatriya jamais me venceu em batalha por mero valor—exceto, meu caro, aquele conhecedor do Brahman: o austero brāhmaṇa Paraśurāma, cujos votos foram afiados e aperfeiçoados pelo tapas.”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial prowess has limits: even the greatest warrior acknowledges a higher kind of power—spiritual discipline and realized knowledge (tapas and brahmavidyā). The verse contrasts kṣatriya strength with the ascetic, vow-tempered potency of a brahmavid like Paraśurāma.
Rāma speaks about his undefeated record in battle, stating that no kṣatriya has overcome him. He names a single exception: Paraśurāma, described as a Brahman-knower and an austere brāhmaṇa whose strict vows, forged by tapas, enabled him to defeat Rāma.