Chapter 16 - The Story of Paraśurāma (concluded)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Introductory:

The legend of Paraśurāma ends in this chapter. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, like the Mahābhārata, seems to be composed under the influence of Bhṛgus and this legend may be called the Bhṛgu version of the feud between the Bhṛgus and Haihayas. Bhṛgus (Greek: Phrugus) as the name of the clan suggests, probably hailed from Phrygia in Western Asia Minor. From the Purāṇic accounts, they seem to have settled on the Western Coast in India and Bhṛgukaccha (Broach, Gujrat), Śūrpāraka (Sopārā, Thana District, Maharashtra) appear to be the centres of their settlement. They were a sea power. Till the time of Kṛtavīrya (Arjuna’s father), Bhṛgus and Haihayas seemed to be on good terms. But the Haihayas’ policy of expansion had long back alerted Bhṛgus, and their leaders contracted matrimonial alliances with the royal houses of Kānyakubja and Ayodhyā by the marriage of Ṛcīka and Jamadagni with the princesses thereof. Arjuna, Kṛtavīrya’s son was an able, ambitious ruler. He seems to have raided Jamadagni’s ‘hermitage’ (!)—if a centre which can receive and feed a king and his army in a royal way, and if its affluence surpasses a sovereign emperor’s palace, can be called so—probably to forestall Bhṛgu designs just on the borders of his kingdom. Though under the able leadership of Rāma, the northern allies of Bhṛgus including kings of Vaiśālī, Videha, Kānyakubja and Ayodhyā defeated Haihayas probably in twenty-one battles, and though Rāma was able to kill Arjuna in a surprise attack while the latter was returning from his hunting expedition, the Bhṛgus had ultimately to migrate to the north India and spread along the southern part of the western coast of India. Whatever may be the actual historical facts of this traditional feud, it was not a contest between Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas on caste basis, as some misrepresent it. For, right from the days of Cyavana Bhārgava, Bhṛgus had marriage alliances with Kṣattriyas, and Rāma’s mother, Rama’s grandmother (Ṛcīka’s wife) were Kṣattriya princesses. The real cause was economic and political rivalry, and attempts of Haihayas to spread their kingdom to the Doab and other parts of northern India. After Paraśurāma’s retirement, Haihayas consolidated their position in Malwa, Rajasthan and Western India and carried their raids against Ayodhyā, Kānyakubja, Kosai and Kāśī. As irony of fate would have it, the last Haihaya prince Vītihotra on the throne of Benares, had to seek refuge with a Bhārgava sage and Vītihotra became a Brāhmaṇa. After him little is heard about Haihayas—Vedic Age, pp.283-87 (History and Culture of Indian People Vol. I).

Śrī Śuka continued:

1. Rāma who was thus admonished by his father, consented (with words) “Be it so”. After spending one year in visiting holy places, he returned to his hermitage, Oh princes of the Kuru race!

2. On one occasion, when Reṇukā went to the Gaṅgā (for bringing water), she happened to see Citraratha, the king of Gandharvas, adorned with a wreath of lotuses, sporting with celestial nymphs (in the water).

3. Reṇukā who came to the river to fetch water, conceived just a passing longing for Citraratha, and forgot the time fixed for the Homa (sacrificial worship) while gazing at the sporting king.

4. Realizing the delay caused thereby, and being afraid of the sage’s (Jamadagni’s) curse, she hastened back, kept the pitcher of water before him, and remained standing with folded palms.

5. Gathering the faithlessness of his wife, the sage got enraged and commanded, “Oh sons! Kill this sinful woman”. Despite this order, none obeyed.

6. Rāma who was fully aware of the powers of the sage through his spiritual meditation and penance, promptly despatched his brothers along with his mother, when directed to do so by his father.

7. Jamadagni, the son of Satyavatī, was pleased with him (Paraśurāma) and asked him to seek a boon. Rāma requested the boon that all those who had been killed, should be restored to life, and should not remember who slew them.

8. Immediately they got up hale and hearty as if from a sound sleep. Rāma had killed his kith and kin (mother and brothers), as he had known the spiritual power of his father.

9. Oh king! The sons of Arjuna who, being vanquished by the valour of Rāma, had fled, continued to brood over the killing of their father (by Rāma) and found no mental peace anywhere.

10. On one occasion, when Paraśurāma along with his brothers had left for the forest, they (the sons of Arjuna), desirous of avenging (for the killing of their father by Rāma), found a (favourable) opportunity, and entered the hermitage.

11. Determined to murder Jamadagni, they saw the sage sitting with his mind concentrated upon the glorious Lord of excellent renown, in the sacrificial hall, and killed him.

12. Though piteously entreated by the helpless mother of Paraśurāma, those hard-hearted dregs of the Kṣatriya community, forcibly severed his head and carried it away.

13. Overwhelmed with grief and deep- anguish, and beating herself with her own hands, the chaste lady Reṇukā screamed loudly, “Oh Rāma! Rāma! come (quickly) Oh child”.

14. Hearing from afar, a distressful call “Oh Rāma”, Rāma hastened to the hermitage to find his father killed.

15. Overwhelmed and confounded with sorrow, rage, impetuosity, affliction and intense grief, Rāma bewailed “Oh. saintly father! Oh righteous-most sire! Leaving us behind here, you proceeded to heaven.”

16. After lamenting thus, Paraśurāma entrusted the body of his father to his brothers. Taking his axe with him, he determined to exterminate the Kṣatriya race entirely.

17. Sallying forth to the city of Māhiṣmatī, the splendour of which was already lost due to the murder of a Brāhmaṇa (Jamadagni), he built up (as it were) a huge mountain of the heads of the sons of Sahasrārjuna in the heart of the city.

18-19. With the blood of those (Haihayas), he created a terrible river which aroused fear in the heart of the enemies of Brāhmaṇas. When the Kṣatriyas had taken to wicked (inauspicious) ways, he made the murder of his father as a cause of action and completely annihilated the Kṣatriyas thrice seven times^[1] from the earth, and caused (the creation of) pools of blood^[2] in Samantapañcaka (Kurukṣetra) Oh King.

20. Recovering the head of his father (taken away by the sons of Arjuna), he joined it to the trunk of his father’s body. Keeping it on the Kuśa grass, he worshipped by performing sacrifices, the Deity, his own Soul, who represents all gods in his person.

21. (It is verily reported that) as dakṣiṇā (gift for performance of sacrifices), he gave the eastern quarter (the eastern part of the earth) to the Hotṛ, the southern quarter to the Brahmā, the western direction to the Adhvaryu and the northern direction to the Udgātṛ.

22. To others he donated (lands in) the intermediate quarters, and the central portion of the earth to sage Kaśyapa, Aryāvarta (region between the Himalayas and the Vindhya mountain) to the sacrificial supervisors (upadraṣṭas) and the land lying beyond that to Sadasyas (judges or superintendents of sacrifices.).

23. Having washed off all his sins in the conclusive ablution at the end of the sacrifice in the river Sarasvatī, the embodiment of the Veda, he shone resplendent like the sun with clouds dispelled.

24. Having regained his (spiritual) body characterised by pure consciousness, Jamadagni became the seventh star^[3] in the sphere of sages in the sky (Ursa Major), and was worshipped by Rāma.

25. (It is said that) verily this son of Jamadagni, the glorious Rāma of lotus-like eyes, will be the propagator of the Vedas—one of the seven sages, the authorities over the Vedas—in the coming Manvantara.

26. Even today he resides on the Mahendra mountain. He has laid down the rod of punishment, and is now perfectly serene in mind. His deeds are being sung by Siddhas, Gandharvas and Cāraṇas.

27. In this way, the glorious Lord Hari, the Ruler of the world, the very Soul of (all beings in) the Universe incarnated Himself in the Bhṛgu clan, and lightened the burden of the earth by killing several times the Kṣatriyas (or lords of men).

28. Gādhi (the King of Kānyakubja) begot a son (Viśvāmitra) whose superb majestic personality was brilliant like a blazing fire. By virtue of his asceticism and austere penance, he transcended his Kṣatriya status and attained the glory of Brahmanism.

29. Viśvāmitra had a hundred sons. Out of them Madhucchandas was the middle, but all of them are known by the same (group) name Madhucchandas, Oh King!

30. Having adopted as his son Śunaḥśepa, the son of Ajīgarta of the Bhṛgu clan, who was given to him by gods and hence named as Devarāta, he told his sons, “Let this (Śunaḥśepa) be regarded by you as your eldest (brother).^[4]

31. It was verily the same person who was sold as a human ‘sacrificial beast’ (victim) for the sacrifice of Hariścandra^[5] and who through his prayer^[6] to gods and Lords of creation (like Varuṇa) was released from the bondage of cords (that tied him to the sacrificial post).

32. He who was protected and given by gods in the sacrifice offered to Varuṇa, came to be known as Devarāta among the Gādhi family and that ascetic was known as Śunḥśepa in the family of Bhṛgus.

33. The brothers who were elder than Madhucchandas did not approve of it (the order of Viśvāmitra to recognize Devarāta as their eldest brother). The enraged sage cursed them, “Ye wicked fellows! Be ye all mlecchas (outcast barbarians)”.

34. It is reported that, thereupon Madhucchandas along with his fifty brothers submitted, “we shall accept the status and abide by whatever you command us.”

35. To the seer of Vedic mantras (Śunaḥśepa) they told him, “We are all your younger brothers.” And thus they recognized him as their eldest brother. Viśvāmitra (being highly pleased) said to his sons, “As you have maintained my respect as your father, and have made me worthy as a father with heroic sons, may you all be blessed with progeny”.

36. “Oh descendents of Kauśika family, this Devarāta is one of you (as a scion of your family); obey his orders.” Viśvāmitra had also other sons viz. Aṣṭaka, Hārīta, Jaya, Kratumat and others.

37. In this way the Kauśika family came to be divided into different branches through the sons of Viśvāmitra, and it had another different Pravara due to the adoption of Devarāta.^[7]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā informs us that according to tradition, Reṇukā beat her breast twenty one times, and hence Rāma destroyed Kṣatriyas as many times.

[2]:

Bhāgavata Candrikā states that the v.l. hradān nava is wrong, as the place is called Samanta (Syamanta)-pañcaka and not Samanta (Syamanta)-navaka and the Mahābhārata Ādi. records Samanta (Syamanta)-pañcaka as the name 2.4-11.

[3]:

VC. gives the list of seven sages presiding over the seven stars in the constellation Ursa Major as follows: Kāśyapa, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Viśvāmitra, Gautama, Bharadvāja and Jamadagni.

[4]:

As Bhāvāratha Dīpikā points out, this explains why Devarāta is one of the Pravara’s of the Kauśika Gotra, even though as a rule a Pravara belongs to the same Gotra.

[5]:

Vide Supra 9.7. 20-21.

[6]:

e.g. Sūktas like Ṛg Veda Saṃhitā. 1.25.

[7]:

It appears that there had been different Viśvāmitras in widely distant ages. e.g. Viśvāmitra, the father of Śakuntalā, Viśvāmitra the teacher of Daśaratha’s son Rāma, Viśvāmitra the contemporary of Hariścandra, Jamadagni and Śunaḥśepa, and Viśvāmitra and the Dāśarājña. The Purāṇas, however, have rolled these distinct personalities into one, and have caused confusion and chaos among the students of Purāṇas. It is true that there was some rivalry between the Viśvāmitras and Vasiṣṭhas in the Ṛg Veda Saṃhitā, but the Purāṇas have added a lot of new material unknown to the Vedas and the Brāhmaṇas.