Paras'urâma Jayanthi - (22-4-04)

[gokulkr]

Paras'urâma, the Lord's Warrior Incarnation

 

 

(1) The son of Vyâsadeva said: 'By Purûravâ were there from Urvas'î's womb six sons, o ruler of man: Âyu, S'rutâyu, Satyâyu, Raya, Vijaya and Jaya. (2-3) S'rutâyu had a son Vasumân, Satyâyu also had one called S'rutan'jaya, of Raya there was a son called Eka and of Jaya there was a son called Amita. Bhîma was the son of Vijaya and next came Kân'cana as Bhîma's son. From Hotraka, Kân'cana's son, there was the son Jahnu who drank the water of the Ganges in one sip. (4) Of Jahnu was indeed Puru [see 1.12: 15 & 3.8: 1] born and of him came next Balâka and his son Ajaka. Kus'a followed and of Kus'a next then came the four sons Kus'âmbu, Tanaya, Vasu and Kus'anâbha after whom Gâdhi came as the son of Kus'âmbu. (5-6) Of Gâdhi there was the daughter Satyavatî who by the brahmin Ricîka was requested to be his wife, but not considering him fit replied King Gâdhi that son of Bhrigu: 'Please deliver me as a dowry to this daughter of the Kus'a-dynasty we belong to, one thousand horses as brilliant as the light of the moon with each one black ear. (7) Thus requested understood the sage the point he made and went he to where . was from where he brought and delivered those horses upon which he married the beautiful daughter. (8) He as a seer was by his wife and his mother-in-law wishing for a son [for each of them] requested to cook a preparation, which he with mantra's offered to them both [to his wife with a brâhmana mantra and to his mother-in-law with a kshatriya mantra]. Then the muni went out for a bath. (9) In the meantime was Satyavatî by her mother thinking it to be better asked to give the oblation that was meant for her. She handed it over to her while she herself ate her mothers oblation.

 

(10) Learning about this said the sage to his wife: 'That is a most regrettable thing you did, your son will be a fierce punitive personality while your brother will be a learned scholar of spirituality!'

 

(11) Satyavatî beseeched him that it would not be so, and thus said that son of Bhrigu: 'If not, then should his son become like that!', and next was Jamadagni born.

 

(12-13) She [satyavatî] also became great and sacred as the Kaus'ikî [a river] purifying all the world. Jamadagni so married Renukâ, the daughter of Renu, who from the seer of Bhrigu indeed gave birth to many sons of whom Vasumân was the eldest and the widely famed Paras'urâma [also known as Râma] was the youngest son. (14) Of him [Paras'urâma] who twenty-one times acted as the annihilator of the Haihaya-dynasty, do all speak as an [ams'a-] incarnation of Vâsudeva; he rid the earth of all its kshatriyas. (15) He wiped off the planet the burden of the arrogant governing class that, covered by passion and ignorance void of respect for the brahminical rule, was killed by him despite of the fact that it had committed no great offense [see also 1.11: 34].'

 

(16) The honorable king said: 'What was of those degraded nobles out of control the offense committed unto the Supreme Lord, because of which time and again the dynasty was annihilated?'

 

(17-19) The son of Vyâsa said: 'The king of the Haihayas, Kârtavîryârjuna, the best of the kshatriyas, had, being of full-duty worship with Dattâtreya - who is a plenary portion of a part of Nârâyana -, received thereafter a thousand arms and was, most difficult to conquer, invincible in the midst of enemies, of the strongest sense, of beauty, of influence, power, fame and physical strength. With the opulence of yogic control wherein the perfections like animâ [see siddhi] etc. are found, went he all over the world like the indefatigable wind. (20) Surrounded by beautiful women enjoying [once] in the water of the Revâ [the Narmadâ], stopped he, overly proud being decorated with the garland of victory, the flow of the river with his arms. (21) The imagined hero Ten-head [Râvana] could not bear that influence as the water going upstream because of him had inundated his camp. (22) Having insulted him [the king] in the presence of the women was he without much difficulty arrested and held in custody in [their capital] Mâhishmatî and then released again as if it concerned a monkey.

 

(23) One time during a hunt wandering undirected alone in the forest, ran he [Kârtavîryârjuna] into the âsrama where Jamadagni muni had his shelter. (24) Unto him, that god of men together with his soldiers, ministers and the rest of his retinue, could the great sage as the triumph of austerity from his cow of plenty [kâmadhenu] offer everything that was needed. (25) He [the king] seeing what source of wealth greater than his own personal opulence it in fact was, could not appreciate it really and became with his Haihayas desirous after that cow of the fire sacrifice. (26) In his conceitedness encouraged he his men to steal the sage his cow of plenty that by them was taken to Mâhishmatî with the calf crying of the violence. (27) After the king was gone became Paras'urâma, upon returning to the âsrama [of his father], as furious as a snake trampled upon when he heard of that nefarious act. (28) Taking up a ghastly chopper, a quiver, a bow and a shield went he, the One Ever more Angry, after them like a lion attacking an elephant. (29) With him, the best of the Bhrigu's coming after him in fury carrying a bow, arrows and a chopper for his weapons saw he him, entering the capital with his black deerskin covering his body and his matted locks, radiating like sunshine. (30) He sent seventeen akshauhinî's [*] to fight him with elephants, chariots, horses and infantry, with swords, arrows, lances, slings and weapons of fire but Paras'urâma, the Supreme Master, most fierce killed them all by himself. (31) Wherever, whomever was by him as an expert with the chopper as fast as the wind and as speedy as the mind slashed; with all the force of the killer of the false order lay scattered here and there the cut off arms and legs and shoulders of the drivers of the elephants and horses that slain had fallen on the field. (32) Seeing his soldiers by the axe of Râma in mud and blood on the field with all arrows, shields, flags and bows and dead bodies scattered, rushed Haihaya [Kârtavîryârjuna] infuriated over there. (33) Kârtavîryârjuna then fixed with five hundred of his arms simultaneously as many arrows on as many bows to kill Râma but he as the best with all the weapons cut with one bow only all of them to pieces. (34) Again attacked he with by himself uprooted hills and trees in the field, but by Paras'urâma's razor-sharp axe were with great force on the spot all the arms of him who was rushing in cut off like they were the snakehoods. (35-36) Rid of his arms was the mountain peak that was his head severed and fled all the ten-thousand sons away in fear when their father was killed. Fetching the cow and calf of the fire sacrifice that had suffered badly, returned the Killer of False Heroism to his fathers hermitage to hand them over to him. (37) After recounting to his father and brothers all that he had done, spoke Jamadagni after listening to that as follows:

 

(38) 'O Râma Râma, o great and mighty one, you have committed a sin unnecessarily killing that master of man, who embodies all the godly. (39) We indeed are brahmins, my dear, who with their forgiveness have achieved a position of respect; it is this quality by which the god that is the spiritual master of the universe [Lord Brahmâ] has achieved his position as the supreme authority. (40) Simply forgiving becomes the Goddess of Fortune pleasing and will she relate to the brahminical as the light of the sun-god; with the merciful will the Supreme Lord Hari, our Controller, quickly be pleased. (41) To kill the king famed as an emperor is a thing worse than killing a brahmin, and so wash out that sin, my best, worshiping the holy places in the consciousness of the Infallible One.'