Canto 9 - Chapter 15: The stories of Rcika, Jamadagni and Parasurama

Discourse XV

The stories of Ṛcīka, Jamadagni and Paraśurāma

Śrī Śuka resumed : Purūravā (the son of Ilā), again, O protector of men, had by Urvaśī six sons, Āyu, Śrutāyu, Satyāyu, Raya, Vijaya and Jaya. (1)
Vasumān was the son of Śrutāyu and Śrutañjaya, of Satyāyu. Raya's son was Eka and Jaya's son was Amīta. (2)
Again, Bhīma was the son of Vijaya; from Vijaya followed Kāñcana and of Kāñcana was born Hotra. Hotra's son was Jahnu, who took the (holy) Gaṅgā in the hollow of his palms and quaffed it. Again, Jahnu's son was Pūru, whose son was Balāka, and the latter's son was Aja. (3)
Then came Kuśa; from (the loins of) Kuśa, again, sprang up four sons—Kuśāmbu, Tanaya, Vasu and Kuśanābha. Gādhi was the son of Kuśāmbu. (4)

A Brāhmaṇa, the sage Ṛcīka, asked in marriage Gādhi's daughter, Satyavati. Considering him to be an unworthy match, Gādhi spoke to Ṛcīka (a scion of the sage Bhr̥gu, as follows):— (5)
"Let a thousand horses, white as the moon, (each) having one black ear, be given as the price of the girl; (for) we belong to the race of Kuśika (renowned for our noble pedigree)." (6)
Thus spoken to and having come to know his mind, the sage sought the presence of Varuṇa (the god of water) and, having brought and delivered the horses of the aforesaid description, married that lovely princess. (7)
Entreated by his wife (Satyavati) as well as by his mother-in-law, each of whom was desirous of (having) a son, he prepared a Caru (an oblation of rice, barley and pulse boiled with butter and milk for presentation to the gods), uttering both kinds of Mantras (those invoking the birth of a Brāhmaṇa for his wife and that of a Kṣatriya for his mother-in-law), and went out to bathe. (8)
Meanwhile, being solicited by her aforesaid mother, who (naturally) thought the Caru prepared for her daughter as superior (because of the sage's affection for her), Satyavati (the sage's wife) gave the Caru meant for herself to her mother and herself ate that intended for her mother. (9)
The sage having understood this (exchange of Caru between his wife and mother-in-law) politely said to his wife, "You have committed a grave blunder. Your son will be a cruel chastiser (of foes); (while) your brother will be one foremost among the knowers of Brahma." (10)
Implored by Satyavati in the words "Let this not be", the sage Ṛcīka (a scion of the sage Bhr̥gu) said, "If so, then your grandson will be such. Accordingly Jamadagni was born (of Satyavati). (11)
And Satyavati became transformed into the most sacred river Kauśiki (Kosi), capable of sanctifying the (whole) world. Indeed, of the sage Jamadagni were born through Reṇukā, the daughter of Reṇu—whom the aforesaid sage had duly married—(a number of) sons, Vasumān and others. The youngest of these became widely celebrated under the name of Rāma (Paraśurāma), whom the learned speak of as a part manifestation of Lord Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu) and the destroyer of the race of the Hāihayas, (nay) who divested this earth of the Kṣatriya race thrice seven (twenty-one) times and struck and exterminated the wicked Kṣatriyas, that had turned hostile to the Brāhmaṇas and constituted a (veritable) burden on the earth—enveloped (overcome) as they were by the (element of) Rajas (passion) and Tamas (ignorance)—even though they committed the slightest offence. (12—15)

The king (Parikṣit) submitted : What was that offence which was committed against the glorious sage (Paraśurāma) by Kṣatriyas of uncontrolled mind, for which (the entire) race of the Kṣatriyas was wiped out (by him) time and again ? (16)

Śrī Śuka replied : Having propitiated Lord Datta (better known as Dattātreya), a part manifestation of Lord Nārāyaṇa, through acts of worship, Arjuna, the jewel among the Kṣatriyas and the then ruler of the Haihayas, had secured a thousand arms, formidableness in the eyes of foes, uninterrupted soundness of the senses and organs of action, affluence, glory, prowess, fame and bodily strength, mastery of Yoga and superhuman power which was characterized by virtues such as the capacity to assume an atomic form. His movement being unimpeded (everywhere), he went about the worlds like the wind. (17—19)
Sporting in the water of the Revā (Narmadā), surrounded by jewels among women and intoxicated with excessive pride, King Arjuna, who wore a necklace made of precious stones of the (well-known) nine varieties, obstructed (the stream of) the river with his (thousand) arms. (20)
Finding his (military) encampment inundated by the water of the river flowing upwards, Rāvaṇa (the ten-headed monster), who thought himself to be a (great) hero, did not brook this (show of) valour (on the part) of Arjuna. (21)
Having offended against Arjuna, Rāvaṇa was seized by way of sport in the presence of those women (by Arjuna) and was imprisoned in Māhiṣmati (his capital) like a monkey and (eventually) set free. (22)

Ranging in a dense forest in pursuit of game, on one occasion, Arjuna for his part found his way perchance into the precincts of the hermitage of the sage Jamadagni. (23)
By the good offices of Kāmadhenu (the cow of plenty) the sage, rich in asceticism, extended his hospitality to that ruler of men including his army, ministers and animals carrying them. (24)
Seeing that affluence (of the sage), which surpassed his own, in that hermitage, and full of longing for the cow of plenty (which was so useful for Agnihotra or pouring oblations into the sacred fire, and which was responsible for all the affluence displayed by the sage), the hero (Arjuna) including the (other) Haihayas (his kinsmen that had accompanied him in his hunting expedition) did not make much of that hospitality. (25)
In his arrogance the king (did not think it necessary to seek the permission of the sage and) commanded his men to take away the cow of plenty (lit., a storehouse of milk, ghee and so on, fit for being poured as oblation into the sacred fire). And they (in their turn) forcibly took away to Māhiṣmati the screaming cow alongwith its calf. (26)
Now, on the king having gone away Rāma (who had been out) returned to the hermitage and, having heard of his aforesaid wickedness, flew into a rage like a serpent that had been hit. (27)
Taking his terrible axe, shield and bow with a quiver, the formidable hero pursued the king like a lion (the king of beasts) chasing the leader of a herd of elephants. (28)

(Even) while entering his capital, Arjuna saw rushing with (great) vehemence Paraśurāma (the foremost of the Bhrgus), wielding a bow and armed with an arrow and an axe, clad in the skin of a black antelope and marked with matted locks brilliants as (the rays of) the sun. (29)
Arjuna sent forth (against the intruder) seventeen most formidable Akṣauhiṇīs* characterized by elephants, chariots, horses and foot-soldiers and armed with maces, swords, arrows, javelins, Śataghnīs (a stone or cylindrical piece of wood studded with iron spikes) and darts. The glorious Rāma destroyed them (all) single-handed. (30)
In whatever direction appeared Rāma (the destroyer of hostile armies), quick as mind and the wind, whose axe was (ever) prone to strike, there fell down to the ground warriors with their arms, thighs and necks severed and their charioteers and animals slain. (31)
Seeing his army laid low in the battle-field—rendered miry with streams of blood—with their shields, ensigns, bows and bodies cut to pieces by the axe and shafts of Rāma, Arjuna (the chief of the Halhayas) rushed forward in rage. (32)
Now, with his (one thousand) arms the celebrated Arjuna synchronously fitted arrows to his five hundred bows in order to pierce Rāma. Rāma (however), who was by far the foremost of those that (ever) wielded missiles and who had (only) one bow, simultaneously cut them down with his arrows. (33)
Again, with his hard-edged axe Rāma, for his part, violently lopped off, like the hoods of a serpent, (all the thousand) arms of Arjuna, who came rushing forward in battle with (terrible) speed uprooting with his (numerous) hands rocks and trees on the battle-field. (34)
Rāma severed, like the peak of a mountain, the head of Arjuna, whose arms had (thus) been lopped off. On the father having been killed, his ten thousand sons ran away out of fear. (35)

Bringing back the cow of plenty—sore distressed (at its having been removed by force from the hermitage)—together with her calf, and returning safe to his hermitage, Rāma (the
slayer of hostile warriors) duly made her over to his father (sage Jamadagni). (36)
Rāma recounted to his father as well as to his (elder) brothers his own achievement and also that which was done by Arjuna. Having heard the account, Jamadagni spoke (as follows):—(37)
"Rāma, O Rāma of mighty arms you have committed a (great) sin in that you slew for no purpose a ruler of men, who represented all the gods (in his person). (38)
We, Brāhmaṇas, O dear child, have earned a title to adoration through forgiveness alone, by virtue of which Brahmā, the adored of the (whole) world, attained to the position of the supreme ruler (of the universe). (39)
Through forgiveness the glory of a Brāhmaṇa shines forth like the brilliance of the sun. (Nay,) with the forgiving the almighty Lord Śrī Hari is quickly pleased. (40)
Slaying a king whose head has been (duly) consecrated (at the time of coronation) is more sinful than the killing of a Brāhmaṇa. Therefore, O dear one, atone for the sin by reverently visiting the holy places with your mind fixed on Śrī Viṣṇu (the immortal Lord). (41)

Thus ends the fifteenth discourse in Book Nine of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhhitā.