Shloka 50
Rāma–Jāmadagnya-janma-kāraṇa and Kṣatra-kṣaya
Paraśurāma’s origins and the depletion/restoration of kṣatriya lineages
गत्वा55श्रममसम्बुद्धा जमदग्नेर्महात्मन: । अपातयन्त भल््लाग्रै: शिर: कायान्नराधिप
gatvā āśramam asambuddhā jamadagner mahātmanaḥ | apātayanta bhallāgraiḥ śiraḥ kāyān narādhipa ||
Having gone to the hermitage of the great-souled Jamadagni, and being devoid of right understanding, they struck off his head with the sharp points of their arrows—O king—severing it from his body. The verse underscores how delusion and unrighteous intent can drive even rulers or warriors to commit sacrilege against a venerable sage, bringing grave moral consequence.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that lack of discernment (asambuddhatā) leads to grievous adharma—here, violence against a revered sage in his own āśrama—implying that power without moral clarity results in sacrilege and inevitable ethical fallout.
Vāsudeva describes assailants going to Jamadagni’s hermitage and, acting without right understanding, cutting off the sage’s head with sharp arrow-points, separating it from his body, while addressing the listener as ‘O king’ (narādhipa).