Parashurama Rids the Earth of Kshatriyas

Verse 1 (3.118.1)

ममापराधात्तैः क्षुद्रैर्हतस्त्वं तात बालिशैः । कार्तवीर्यस्य दायादैर्वने मृग इवेषुभिः ॥

mamāparādhāttaiḥ kṣudrairhatastvaṃ tāta bāliśaiḥ | kārtavīryasya dāyādairvane mṛga iveṣubhiḥ

Because of my fault, father, you have been killed by those petty fools, the heirs of Kartavirya, with arrows, like a deer in the forest.

Verse 2 (3.118.2)

धर्मज्ञस्य कथं तात वर्तमानस्य सत्पथे । मृत्युरेवंविधो युक्तः सर्वभूतेष्वनागसः ॥

dharmajñasya kathaṃ tāta vartamānasya satpathe | mṛtyurevaṃvidho yuktaḥ sarvabhūteṣvanāgasaḥ

How could such a death befit you, father — a knower of dharma, walking the path of the good, harmless to all creatures?

Verse 3 (3.118.3)

किंनु तैर्न कृतंपापं यैर्भवांस्तपसि स्थितः । अयुध्यमानो वृद्धः सन्हतः शरशतैः शितैः ॥

kiṃnu tairna kṛtaṃpāpaṃ yairbhavāṃstapasi sthitaḥ | ayudhyamāno vṛddhaḥ sanhataḥ śaraśataiḥ śitaiḥ

What sin have they not committed, who killed you with hundreds of sharp arrows — an old man, steadfast in austerity, who did not fight back?

Note on the text: Corrected बवांस् → भवांस् and स्तितः → स्थितः (misprints in Wikisource; unaspirated for aspirated consonants; the critical edition reads bhavāṃs tapasi sthitaḥ).

Verse 4 (3.118.4)

किंनु ते तत्र वक्ष्यन्ति सचिवेषु सुहृत्सु च । अयुध्यमानं धर्मज्ञमेकं हत्वाऽनपत्रपाः ॥

kiṃnu te tatra vakṣyanti saciveṣu suhṛtsu ca | ayudhyamānaṃ dharmajñamekaṃ hatvā'napatrapāḥ

What will those shameless men say there, among their ministers and friends, after killing a lone knower of dharma who did not fight?

Verse 5 (3.118.5)

लालप्यैवं सकरुणं बहु नानाविधं नृप । प्रेतकार्याणि सर्वाणि पितुश्चक्रे महातपाः ॥

lālapyaivaṃ sakaruṇaṃ bahu nānāvidhaṃ nṛpa | pretakāryāṇi sarvāṇi pituścakre mahātapāḥ

Having lamented thus piteously and at length, in many ways, O king, the great ascetic performed all the funeral rites for his father.

Note on the text: Corrected सकुस्न्णं → सकरुणं (misprint in Wikisource; garbled aksharas; the critical edition reads sa karuṇaṃ).

Verse 6 (3.118.6)

ददाह पितरं चाग्नौ रामः परपुरंजयः । प्रतिजज्ञे वधं चापि सर्वक्षत्रस्य भारत ॥

dadāha pitaraṃ cāgnau rāmaḥ parapuraṃjayaḥ | pratijajñe vadhaṃ cāpi sarvakṣatrasya bhārata

Rama, conqueror of enemy cities, committed his father to the fire, and vowed the slaughter of the whole warrior class, O Bharata.

Verse 7 (3.118.7)

संक्रुद्धोऽतिबलः सङ्ख्ये शस्त्रमादाय वीर्यवान् । जघ्निवान्कार्तवीर्यस्य सुतानेकोऽन्तकोपमः ॥

saṃkruddho'tibalaḥ saṅkhye śastramādāya vīryavān | jaghnivānkārtavīryasya sutāneko'ntakopamaḥ

Enraged, exceedingly strong, the mighty one took up his weapon in battle and, alone, like Death the Ender, slew the sons of Kartavirya.

Verse 8 (3.118.8)

तेषां चानुगता ये च क्षत्रियाः क्षत्रियर्षभ । तांश्च सर्वानवामृद्नाद्रामः प्रहरतांवरः ॥

teṣāṃ cānugatā ye ca kṣatriyāḥ kṣatriyarṣabha | tāṃśca sarvānavāmṛdnādrāmaḥ praharatāṃvaraḥ

And the kshatriyas who followed them, O bull among kshatriyas — all of them too Rama, best of fighters, crushed.

Note on the text: Corrected अवामृद्गाद् → अवामृद्नाद् (misprint in Wikisource; ग for न in the imperfect of मृद्; the critical edition reads avāmṛdnād).

Verse 9 (3.118.9)

त्रिःसप्तकृत्वः पृथिवीं कृत्वा निःक्षत्रियां प्रभुः । समन्तपञ्चके पञ्च चकार रुधिरह्रदान् ॥

triḥsaptakṛtvaḥ pṛthivīṃ kṛtvā niḥkṣatriyāṃ prabhuḥ | samantapañcake pañca cakāra rudhirahradān

Three times seven times the lord rid the earth of kshatriyas, and at Samantapanchaka he made five lakes of blood.

Note on the text: Corrected निःक्षित्रियां → निःक्षत्रियां (misprint in Wikisource; stray vowel sign; the critical edition reads niḥkṣatriyāṃ).

Verse 10 (3.118.10)

स तेषु तर्पयामास पितॄन्भृगुकुलोद्वहः । साक्षाद्ददर्श चर्चीकं स च रामं न्यवारयत् ॥

sa teṣu tarpayāmāsa pitṝnbhṛgukulodvahaḥ | sākṣāddadarśa carcīkaṃ sa ca rāmaṃ nyavārayat

In them the upholder of the Bhrigu line offered libations to his ancestors. He saw Richika before him in person, and Richika restrained Rama.

Verse 11 (3.118.11)

ततो यज्ञेन महता जामदग्न्यः प्रतापवान् । तर्पयामास देवेन्द्रमृत्विग्भ्यः प्रददौ महीम् ॥

tato yajñena mahatā jāmadagnyaḥ pratāpavān | tarpayāmāsa devendramṛtvigbhyaḥ pradadau mahīm

Then the mighty son of Jamadagni gratified the king of the gods with a great sacrifice, and gave the earth to the officiating priests.

Verse 12 (3.118.12)

वेदीं चाप्यददद्धैमीं कश्यपाय महात्मने । दशव्यामायतां कृत्वा नवोत्सेधां विशांपते ॥

vedīṃ cāpyadadaddhaimīṃ kaśyapāya mahātmane | daśavyāmāyatāṃ kṛtvā navotsedhāṃ viśāṃpate

And he gave a golden altar to the great-souled Kashyapa, made ten fathoms long and nine high, O lord of the people.

Verse 13 (3.118.13)

तां कश्यपस्यानुमते ब्राह्मणाः खण्डशस्तदा । व्यभजंस्ते तदा राजन्प्रख्याताः खाण्डवायनाः ॥

tāṃ kaśyapasyānumate brāhmaṇāḥ khaṇḍaśastadā | vyabhajaṃste tadā rājanprakhyātāḥ khāṇḍavāyanāḥ

With Kashyapa's leave the brahmins then broke it into pieces and shared it out, and from then on, O king, they were famed as the Khandavayanas.

Verse 14 (3.118.14)

स प्रदाय महीं तस्मै कश्यपाय महात्मने । तपः सुमहदास्थाय महाबलपराक्रमः । अस्मिन्महेन्द्रे शैलेन्द्रे वसत्यमितविक्रमः ॥

sa pradāya mahīṃ tasmai kaśyapāya mahātmane | tapaḥ sumahadāsthāya mahābalaparākramaḥ | asminmahendre śailendre vasatyamitavikramaḥ

Having given the earth to the great-souled Kashyapa, he of great strength and valour, of boundless prowess, took up mighty austerities, and dwells on this Mahendra, king of mountains.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (` and ') around the second line. The first and third lines are CE 3.117.14a and 14c; the second line is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension; star passage 579*).

Verse 15 (3.118.15)

एवं वैरमभूत्तस्य क्षत्रियैर्लोकवासिभिः । पृथिवी चापि विजिता रामेणामिततेजसा ॥

evaṃ vairamabhūttasya kṣatriyairlokavāsibhiḥ | pṛthivī cāpi vijitā rāmeṇāmitatejasā

Thus arose his enmity with the kshatriyas who dwelt in the world, and thus the earth was conquered by Rama of boundless splendour.

Verse 16 (3.118.16)

ततश्चतुर्दशीं रामः समयेन महामनाः । दर्शयामास तान्विप्रान्धर्मराजं च सानुजम् ॥

tataścaturdaśīṃ rāmaḥ samayena mahāmanāḥ | darśayāmāsa tānviprāndharmarājaṃ ca sānujam

Then on the fourteenth day, as was his custom, the great-minded Rama showed himself to those brahmins and to the King of Dharma and his younger brothers.

Note on the text: Corrected ज → च (misprint in Wikisource; the conjunction is meant; the critical edition reads dharmarājaṃ ca sānujam).

Verse 17 (3.118.17)

स तमानर्च राजेन्द्र भ्रातृभिः सहितः प्रभुः । द्विजानां च परां पूजां चक्रे नृपतिसत्तमः ॥

sa tamānarca rājendra bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ prabhuḥ | dvijānāṃ ca parāṃ pūjāṃ cakre nṛpatisattamaḥ

The lord, with his brothers, worshipped him, O king of kings, and that best of kings paid the highest honour to the brahmins.

Verse 18 (3.118.18)

अर्चित्वा जामदग्न्यं स पूजितस्तेन चोदितः । महेन्द्र उष्य तां रात्रिं प्रययौ दक्षिणामुखः ॥

arcitvā jāmadagnyaṃ sa pūjitastena coditaḥ | mahendra uṣya tāṃ rātriṃ prayayau dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ

Having worshipped the son of Jamadagni and been honoured by him, and at his bidding, he spent that night on Mahendra and then set out towards the south.

Note on the text: Corrected अर्जित्वा → अर्चित्वा (misprint in Wikisource; ज for च — "having worshipped"; cf. अर्चित्वा in 116.32; the critical edition reads arcayitvā).