Narayaneeyam Dashakam 36
PARASURAMA AVATHAARAM (The incarnation of Lord Parasurama)
The incarnation of Lord Parasurama is shown in the 36th Dashakam of Narayaneeyam. In order to destroy the world’s wicked and evil kings, Lord Vishnu took on the form of Lord Parasurama. He was born as the son of sage Jamadagni. He killed 21 generations of Kahatriyas in a row to exact revenge on the Kshatriyas who had harassed his parents.
अत्रे: पुत्रतया पुरा त्वमनसूयायां हि दत्ताभिधो
जात: शिष्यनिबन्धतन्द्रितमना: स्वस्थश्चरन् कान्तया ।
दृष्टो भक्ततमेन हेहयमहीपालेन तस्मै वरा-
नष्टैश्वर्यमुखान् प्रदाय ददिथ स्वेनैव चान्ते वधम् ॥१॥
atreH putratayaa puraa tvamanasuuyaayaaM hi dattaabhidhO
jaataH shiShyanibandhatandritamanaaH svasthashcharan kaantayaa |
dR^iShTO bhaktatamena hehayamahiipaalena tasmai varaan
aShTaishvarya mukhaan pradaaya daditha svenaiva chaante vadham || 1 ||
Details of the birth of Dattatreya, who was born to the sages Atri and Anasooyaa, are presented at the beginning of the thirty-seventh Dashakam. To the sages Atri and Anasooyaa, Lord Vishnu was born as Dattatreya. With your wife by your side, you traveled in a cloud of joyful tranquility, exhausted by the requests of your numerous disciples. The great devotee Kaartaviryaarjuna, the king of Hehaya, saw this. With pleasure, You bestowed upon him all of the Sidhis’ psychic abilities and assured him that he would die in Your hands.
सत्यं कर्तुमथार्जुनस्य च वरं तच्छक्तिमात्रानतं
ब्रह्मद्वेषि तदाखिलं नृपकुलं हन्तुं च भूमेर्भरम् ।
सञ्जातो जमदग्नितो भृगुकुले त्वं रेणुकायां हरे
रामो नाम तदात्मजेष्ववरज: पित्रोरधा: सम्मदम् ॥२॥
satyaM kartumathaarjunasya cha varaM tachChakti maatraanataM
brahmadveShi tadaakhilaM nR^ipakulaM hantuM cha bhuumerbharam |
sa~njaatO jamadagnitO bhR^igukule tvaM reNukaayaaM hare
raamO naama tadaatmajeShvavarajaH pitrOradhaassammadam ||2||
O Hari! To finish the boon given to Kartaviryarjuna, who had become conceited about his strength and disrespectful of the Brahmins and to remove wicked kings in order to lighten the burden on Earth, You were born as Paraśurāma, the son of the sage Jamadagni and Reṇukā who belonged to the Bhṛgu family.
Being the youngest of his many sons, you were a huge delight to your parents and were known by the name Rama.
This passage contains a universal truth: The Lord manifests himself as fierce and fiery righteousness in huts and forests rather than courts and palaces when dharma is in danger due to the actions of those obligated to protect it.
लब्धाम्नायगणश्चतुर्दशवया गन्धर्वराजे मना-
गासक्तां किल मातरं प्रति पितु: क्रोधाकुलस्याज्ञया ।
ताताज्ञातिगसोदरै: सममिमां छित्वाऽथ शान्तात् पितु-
स्तेषां जीवनयोगमापिथ वरं माता च तेऽदाद्वरान् ॥३॥
labdhaamnaayagaNashchaturdashavayaaH gandharvaraaje manaagaasaktaaM
kila maataraM prati pituH krOdhaakulasyaaj~nayaa |
taataaj~naatigasOdaraiH samamimaaM Chitvaa(a)tha shaantaat pitusteShaaM
jiivanayOgamaapitha varaM maataa cha te(a)daadvaraan ||3||
At the young age of fourteen, the Lord, who had studied the Vedas, obeyed the harsh advice of His father, Jamadagni, who had lost his temper due to His mother’s inattention in front of a Gandharva prince. O Kesava, in strict obedience, you decapitated her and your brothers. You were blessed with the ability to bring Your mother and brothers back to life when Your father’s anger subsided, and Your mother also bestowed blessings upon You out of her piety and divine wisdom.
पित्रा मातृमुदे स्तवाहृतवियद्धेनोर्निजादाश्रमात्
प्रस्थायाथ भृगोर्गिरा हिमगिरावाराध्य गौरीपतिम् ।
लब्ध्वा तत्परशुं तदुक्तदनुजच्छेदी महास्त्रादिकं
प्राप्तो मित्रमथाकृतव्रणमुनिं प्राप्यागम: स्वाश्रमम् ॥४॥
pitraa maatR^imude stavaahR^itaviyaddhenOrnijaadaashramaat
prasthaayaatha bhR^igOrgiraa himagiraavaaraadhya gauriipatim |
labdhvaa tatparashuM taduktadanujachChedii mahaastraadikaM
praaptO mitramathaakR^itavraNamuniM praapyaagamaH svaashramam ||4||
O Jagannath, Your father Jamadagni, brought the celestial cow Kaamdhenu to his aashrama through prayer. You left your aashrama at Bhrigu’s suggestion, traveled to the Himalayas, and performed penance before Lord Shiva. You were bestowed his battle axe and other divine weapons, and you slew the asura he pointed out.The sage Akritvrana became your friend after which you returned to your aashrama.
आखेटोपगतोऽर्जुन: सुरगवीसम्प्राप्तसम्पद्गणै-
स्त्वत्पित्रा परिपूजित: पुरगतो दुर्मन्त्रिवाचा पुन: ।
गां क्रेतुं सचिवं न्ययुङ्क्त कुधिया तेनापि रुन्धन्मुनि-
प्राणक्षेपसरोषगोहतचमूचक्रेण वत्सो हृत: ॥५॥
aakheTOpagatO(a)rjunaH suragavii sampraaptasampadgaNaiH
tvatpitraa paripuujitaH puragatO durmanitra vaachaa punaH |
gaaM kretuM sachivaM nyayunkta kudhiyaa tenaapi rundhanmunipraaNakshepa
sarOSha gOhata chamuuchakreNa vatsO hR^itaH ||5||
Once, when Kartavirya Arjuna, the king, went hunting, Jamadagni welcomed him and fed him abundantly with the aid of Kama Dhenu, the divine cow.
After being impressed, Arjuna returned to his capital, only to be duped by dishonest ministers who gave him bad advice. His minister was sent to buy the cow because he wanted it.
When Your father refused to sell the cow, the conceited minister tried to take it by force. In the process, he caused chaos by interfering with the sage’s penance, attacking the hermitage, and then violently stealing the calf.
शुक्रोज्जीविततातवाक्यचलितक्रोधोऽथ सख्या समं
बिभ्रद्ध्यातमहोदरोपनिहितं चापं कुठारं शरान् ।
आरूढ: सहवाहयन्तृकरथं माहिष्मतीमाविशन्
वाग्भिर्वत्समदाशुषि क्षितिपतौ सम्प्रास्तुथा: सङ्गरम् ॥६॥
shukrOjjiivita taatavaakya chalita krOdhO(a)tha sakhyaa samaM
vibhraddhyaata mahOdarOpanihitaM chaapaM kuThaaraM sharaan |
aaruuDhassahavaahayantR^ikarathaM maahiShmatiimaavishan
vaagbhirvatsamadaashuShi kshitipatau sampraastuthaaH sangaram ||6||
After learning of what had happened, you and your friend Akrita Verna meditated on Lord Shiva after your father was brought back to life by the sage Shukra. Armed with a bow, sword, and white axe
Presented by Mahodhara, a servant of Lord Shiva, you went to meet Kaartveerarjuna and repeatedly pleaded with the king to return the calf while riding in a chariot that Lord Shiva had also given you. When he refused, you engaged in a terrible conflict with the powerful monarch.
This sloka teaches that dialogue must come before action and that dharma only calls for force when truth is denied. In this context, Paraśurāma is no longer an avenger but rather a spiritual warrior and a guardian of the divine, motivated by an unwavering commitment to the truth rather than ego.
पुत्राणामयुतेन सप्तदशभिश्चाक्षौहिणीभिर्महा-
सेनानीभिरनेकमित्रनिवहैर्व्याजृम्भितायोधन: ।
सद्यस्त्वत्ककुठारबाणविदलन्निश्शेषसैन्योत्करो
भीतिप्रद्रुतनष्टशिष्टतनयस्त्वामापतत् हेहय: ॥७॥
putraaNaamayutena saptadashabhishchaakshauhiNiibhirmahaasenaaniibhiraneka
mitra nivahairvyaajR^imbhitaayOdhanaH |
sadyastvatka kuThaara baaNa vidalannishsheSha sainyOtkarO
bhiitipradrutanaShTashiShTatanaya stvaamaapatad hehayaH ||7||
The battle was fiercely fought by Kaartveeryarjuna, his ten thousand sons, seventeen Akshauhini armies, numerous friends, and outstanding commanders. All of his sons were killed and the entire army was quickly carried away by your battle axe and arrows, but those who had fled in fear were left behind. Next, in a desperate attempt to fight, the king of Hehaya attacked You.
The figurative death of ego that was inflated by numbers, strength, and alliances is symbolized in this verse. Like many other rulers, Kaartveer arjuna believed that power came from coalitions, armies, sons, and allies. Paraśurāma serves as a reminder, nevertheless, that justice backed by divine alignment has the capacity to instantly shatter all outward manifestations of influence. When faced with the concentrated power of dharma, adharma, despite its strength and popularity, crumbles in this universal balancing.
लीलावारितनर्मदाजलवलल्लङ्केशगर्वापह-
श्रीमद्बाहुसहस्रमुक्तबहुशस्त्रास्त्रं निरुन्धन्नमुम् ।
चक्रे त्वय्यथ वैष्णवेऽपि विफले बुद्ध्वा हरिं त्वां मुदा
ध्यायन्तं छितसर्वदोषमवधी: सोऽगात् परं ते पदम् ॥८॥
liilaavaarita narmadaajalavalallankesha garvaapahashriimadbaahu
sahasramukta bahushastraastraM nirundhannamum |
chakre tvayyatha vaiShNave(a)pi viphale buddhvaa hariM tvaaM mudaa
dhyaayantaM ChitasarvadOShamavadhiiH sO(a)gaat paraM te padam ||8||
Kaartviryarjuna- the king who once dammed the Narmada River as sport, who stood with the pride of being a thousand-armed being and defeated Ravana, made a ferocious attack using celestial and countless weapons on Lord Paraśurāma. But Lord easily refuted and negated all of them. He gave up his struggle and joyfully thought about Lord Vishnu after he realized that there was nothing he could do to displease the Lord and was shocked to learn that Lord Parasurama was actually Lord Vishnu. He was therefore released from all his karmic flaws.
The Lord killed him and gave him the highest abode.
Therefore, his journey to moksha was his death at the hands of the Divine, and we discover that even the most vile adversaries are not punished but rather given grace when their haughtiness crumbles into submission. The story is about ego becoming freedom, not about defeating an enemy.
भूयोऽमर्षितहेहयात्मजगणैस्ताते हते रेणुका-
माघ्नानां हृदयं निरीक्ष्य बहुशो घोरां प्रतिज्ञां वहन् ।
ध्यानानीतरथायुधस्त्वमकृथा विप्रद्रुह: क्षत्रियान्
दिक्चक्रेषु कुठारयन् विशिखयन् नि:क्षत्रियां मेदिनीम् ॥९॥
bhuuyO(a)marShita hehayaatmajagaNaistaate hate reNukaa
maaghnaanaaM hR^idayaM niriikshya bahushO ghOraaM pratij~naaM vahan |
dhyaanaaniitarathaayudhastvamakR^ithaa vipradruhaH kshatriyaan
dikchakreShu kuThaarayan vishikhayan niHkshatriyaaM mediniim ||9||
This ninth shloka of Narayaneeyam Dasakam 36 is primarily about the fierce yet righteous wrath of Paraśurāma, the world’s first great purger of adharma. O Lord Vishnu, The second time Jamadagni was killed, it was by the sons of Kaartvirarjuna.
and you saw how mother Reṇuka was distressed by the frequent violent acts, which made her depressed.
You made the terrible vow to destroy anyone who opposed righteousness.Thus, in a state of profound meditation, you summoned your chariot and weapons. Furthermore, you speared and hacked the Kshatriyas, those who had rejected dharma and tortured the sages everywhere in the world. In order to keep your promise, You rid the entire world of tyrannical Kshatriyas.
तातोज्जीवनकृन्नृपालककुलं त्रिस्सप्तकृत्वो जयन्
सन्तर्प्याथ समन्तपञ्चकमहारक्तहृदौघे पितृन्
यज्ञे क्ष्मामपि काश्यपादिषु दिशन् साल्वेन युध्यन् पुन:
कृष्णोऽमुं निहनिष्यतीति शमितो युद्धात् कुमारैर्भवान् ॥१०॥
taatOjjiivanakR^innR^ipaalakakulaM trissaptakR^itvO jayan
santarpyaatha samantapa~nchaka mahaaraktahradaughe pitR^In |
yaj~ne kshmaamapi kaashyapaadiShu dishan saalvena yudhyan punaH
kR^iShNO(a)muM nihaniShyatiiti shamitO yudbaatkumaarairbhavaan ||10||
The tenth shloka of Narayaneeyam Dasakam 36, which is the final one, gracefully ends Paraśurāma’s booming yet dharmic mission on Earth.
After giving up all of his weapons, Thou went to perform penance on Mahendra Mountain. When the sages prayed for you and contemplated that the land up to Gokarna was submerged in the sea, You frightened the sea with the bow’s fire missile. By throwing a sacrificed ladle, You turned the sea away and emptied the land of Kerala. O Bhrigupati Parashuraama! The
Lord of Guruvaayur! Please stand up for me.
The Lord’s story serves as a reminder of the divine curve of dharma, which states that you should follow the will of God, struggle when necessary, and give up when appropriate.
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