śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; pitrā — by his father; upaśikṣitaḥ — thus advised; rāmaḥ — Lord Paraśurāma; tathā iti — let it be so; kuru-nandana — O son of the Kuru dynasty, Mahārāja Parīkṣit; saṁvatsaram — for one complete year; tīrtha-yātrām — traveling to all the holy places; caritvā — after executing; āśramam — to his own residence; āvrajat — returned.

kadācit — once upon a time; reṇukā — Jamadagni’s wife, the mother of Lord Paraśurāma; yātā — went; gaṅgāyām — to the bank of the river Ganges; padma-mālinam — decorated with a garland of lotus flowers; gandharva-rājam — the King of the Gandharvas; krīḍantam — sporting; apsarobhiḥ — with the Apsarās (heavenly society girls); apaśyata — she saw.

vilokayantī — while looking at; krīḍantam — the King of the Gandharvas, engaged in such activities; udaka-artham — for getting some water; nadīm — to the river; gatā — as she went; homa-velām — the time for performing the homa, fire sacrifice; na sasmāra — did not remember; kiñcit — very little; citraratha — of the King of the Gandharvas, known as Citraratha; spṛhā — did desire the company.

kāla-atyayam — passing the time; tam — that; vilokya — observing; muneḥ — of the great sage Jamadagni; śāpa-viśaṅkitā — being afraid of the curse; āgatya — returning; kalaśam — the waterpot; tasthau — stood; purodhāya — putting in front of the sage; kṛta-añjaliḥ — with folded hands.

vyabhicāram — adultery; muniḥ — the great sage Jamadagni; jñātvā — could understand; patnyāḥ — of his wife; prakupitaḥ — he became angry; abravīt — he said; ghnata — kill; enām — her; putrakāḥ — my dear sons; pāpām — sinful; iti uktāḥ — being thus advised; te — all the sons; na — did not; cakrire — carry out his order.

rāmaḥ — Lord Paraśurāma; sañcoditaḥ — being encouraged (to kill his mother and brothers); pitrā — by his father; bhrātṝn — all his brothers; mātrā saha — with the mother; avadhīt — killed immediately; prabhāva-jñaḥ — aware of the prowess; muneḥ — of the great sage; samyak — completely; samādheḥ — by meditation; tapasaḥ — by austerity; ca — also; saḥ — he.

vareṇa cchandayām āsa — asked to take a benediction as he liked; prītaḥ — being very pleased (with him); satyavatī-sutaḥ — Jamadagni, the son of Satyavatī; vavre — said; hatānām — of my dead mother and brothers; rāmaḥ — Paraśurāma; api — also; jīvitam — let them be alive; ca — also; asmṛtim — no remembrance; vadhe — of their having been killed by me.

uttasthuḥ — got up immediately; te — Lord Paraśurāma’s mother and brothers; kuśalinaḥ — being happily alive; nidrā-apāye — at the end of sound sleep; iva — like; añjasā — very soon; pituḥ — of his father; vidvān — being aware of; tapaḥ — austerity; vīryam — power; rāmaḥ — Lord Paraśurāma; cakre — executed; suhṛt-vadham — killing of his family members.

ye — those who; arjunasya — of Kārtavīryārjuna; sutāḥ — sons; rājan — O Mahārāja Parīkṣit; smarantaḥ — always remembering; sva-pituḥ vadham — their father’s having been killed (by Paraśurāma); rāma-vīrya-parābhūtāḥ — defeated by the superior power of Lord Paraśurāma; lebhire — achieved; śarma — happiness; na — not; kvacit — at any time.

ekadā — once upon a time; āśramataḥ — from the āśrama of Jamadagni; rāme — when Lord Paraśurāma; sa-bhrātari — with his brothers; vanam — into the forest; gate — having gone; vairam — revenge for past enmity; siṣādhayiṣavaḥ — desiring to fulfill; labdha-chidrāḥ — taking the opportunity; upāgaman — they came near the residence of Jamadagni.

dṛṣṭvā — by seeing; agni-āgāre — at the place where the fire sacrifice is performed; āsīnam — sitting; āveśita — completely absorbed; dhiyam — by intelligence; munim — the great sage Jamadagni; bhagavati — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; uttama-śloke — who is praised by the best of selected prayers; jaghnuḥ — killed; te — the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna; pāpa-niścayāḥ — determined to commit a greatly sinful act, or the personified sins.

yācyamānāḥ — being begged for the life of her husband; kṛpaṇayā — by the poor unprotected woman; rāma-mātrā — by the mother of Lord Paraśurāma; ati-dāruṇāḥ — very cruel; prasahya — by force; śiraḥ — the head of Jamadagni; utkṛtya — having separated; ninyuḥ — took away; te — the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna; kṣatra-bandhavaḥ — not kṣatriyas, but the most abominable sons of kṣatriyas.

reṇukā — Reṇukā, the wife of Jamadagni; duḥkha-śoka-artā — being very much aggrieved in lamentation (over her husband’s death); nighnantī — striking; ātmānam — her own body; ātmanā — by herself; rāma — O Paraśurāma; rāma — O Paraśurāma; iti — thus; tāta — O my dear son; iti — thus; vicukrośa — began to cry; uccakaiḥ — very loudly; satī — the most chaste woman.

tat — that crying of Reṇukā; upaśrutya — upon hearing; dūra-sthāḥ — although staying a long distance away; hā rāma — O Rāma, O Rāma; iti — thus; ārta-vat — very aggrieved; svanam — the sound; tvarayā — very hastily; āśramam — to the residence of Jamadagni; āsādya — coming; dadṛśuḥ — saw; pitaram — the father; hatam — killed.

te — all the sons of Jamadagni; duḥkha — of grief; roṣa — anger; amarṣa — indignation; ārti — affliction; śoka — and lamentation; vega — with the force; vimohitāḥ — bewildered; hā tāta — O father; sādho — the great saint; dharmiṣṭha — the most religious person; tyaktvā — leaving; asmān — us; svaḥ-gataḥ — have gone to the heavenly planets; bhavān — you.

vilapya — lamenting; evam — like this; pituḥ — of his father; deham — the body; nidhāya — entrusting; bhrātṛṣu — to his brothers; svayam — personally; pragṛhya — taking; paraśum — the axe; rāmaḥ — Lord Paraśurāma; kṣatra-antāya — to put an end to all the kṣatriyas; manaḥ — the mind; dadhe — fixed.

gatvā — going; māhiṣmatīm — to the place known as Māhiṣmatī; rāmaḥ — Lord Paraśurāma; brahma-ghna — because of the killing of a brāhmaṇa; vihata-śriyam — doomed, bereft of all opulences; teṣām — of all of them (the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna and the other kṣatriya inhabitants); saḥ — he, Lord Paraśurāma; śīrṣabhiḥ — by the heads cut off from their bodies; rājan — O Mahārāja Parīkṣit; madhye — within the jurisdiction of Māhiṣmatī; cakre — made; mahā-girim — a great mountain.

tat-raktena — by the blood of the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna; nadīm — a river; ghorām — fierce; abrahmaṇya-bhaya-āvahām — causing fear to the kings who had no respect for brahminical culture; hetum — cause; kṛtvā — accepting; pitṛ-vadham — the killing of his father; kṣatre — when the whole royal class; amaṅgala-kāriṇi — was acting very inauspiciously; triḥ-sapta-kṛtvaḥ — twenty-one times; pṛthivīm — the entire world; kṛtvā — making; niḥkṣatriyām — without a kṣatriya dynasty; prabhuḥ — the Supreme Lord, Paraśurāma; samanta-pañcake — at the place known as Samanta-pañcaka; cakre — he made; śoṇita-udān — filled with blood instead of water; hradān — lakes; nava — nine.

pituḥ — of his father; kāyena — with the body; sandhāya — joining; śiraḥ — the head; ādāya — keeping; barhiṣi — upon kuśa grass; sarva-deva-mayam — the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the demigods; devam — Lord Vāsudeva; ātmānam — who is present everywhere as the Supersoul; ayajat — he worshiped; makhaiḥ — by offering sacrifices.

dadau — gave as a gift; prācīm — eastern; diśam — direction; hotre — unto the priest known as hotā; brahmaṇe — unto the priest known as brahmā; dakṣiṇām — southern; diśam — direction; adhvaryave — unto the priest known as adhvaryu; pratīcīm — the western side; vai — indeed; udgātre — unto the priest known as udgātā; uttarām — northern; diśam — side; anyebhyaḥ — unto the others; avāntara-diśaḥ — the different corners (northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest); kaśyapāya — unto Kaśyapa Muni; ca — also; madhyataḥ — the middle portion; āryāvartam — the portion known as Āryāvarta; upadraṣṭre — unto the upadraṣṭā, the priest acting as overseer to hear and check the mantras; sadasyebhyaḥ — unto the sadasyas, the associate priests; tataḥ param — whatever remained.

tataḥ — thereafter; ca — also; avabhṛtha-snāna — by bathing after finishing the sacrifice; vidhūta — cleansed; aśeṣa — unlimited; kilbiṣaḥ — whose reactions of sinful activities; sarasvatyām — on the bank of the great river Sarasvatī; mahā-nadyām — one of the biggest rivers in India; reje — Lord Paraśurāma appeared; vyabbhraḥ — cloudless; iva aṁśumān — like the sun.

sva-deham — his own body; jamadagniḥ — the great sage Jamadagni; tu — but; labdhvā — regaining; saṁjñāna-lakṣaṇam — showing full symptoms of life, knowledge and remembrance; ṛṣīṇām — of the great ṛṣis; maṇḍale — in the group of seven stars; saḥ — he, Jamadagni; abhūt — later became; saptamaḥ — the seventh; rāma-pūjitaḥ — because of being worshiped by Lord Paraśurāma.

jāmadagnyaḥ — the son of Jamadagni; api — also; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; rāmaḥ — Lord Paraśurāma; kamala-locanaḥ — whose eyes are like lotus petals; āgāmini — coming; antare — in the manvantara, the time of one Manu; rājan — O King Parīkṣit; vartayiṣyati — will propound; vai — indeed; bṛhat — Vedic knowledge.

āste — is still existing; adya api — even now; mahendra-adrau — in the hilly country known as Mahendra; nyasta-daṇḍaḥ — having given up the weapons of a kṣatriya (the bow, arrows and axe); praśānta — now fully satisfied as a brāhmaṇa; dhīḥ — in such intelligence; upagīyamāna-caritaḥ — being worshiped and adored for his exalted character and activities; siddha-gandharva-cāraṇaiḥ — by such celestial persons as the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka and Cāraṇaloka.

evam — in this way; bhṛguṣu — in the dynasty of Bhṛgu; viśva-ātmā — the soul of the universe, the Supersoul; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hariḥ — the Lord; īśvaraḥ — the supreme controller; avatīrya — appearing as an incarnation; param — great; bhāram — the burden; bhuvaḥ — of the world; ahan — killed; bahuśaḥ — many times; nṛpān — kings.

gādheḥ — from Mahārāja Gādhi; abhūt — was born; mahā-tejāḥ — very powerful; samiddhaḥ — inflamed; iva — like; pāvakaḥ — fire; tapasā — by austerities and penances; kṣātram — the position of a kṣatriya; utsṛjya — giving up; yaḥ — one who (Viśvāmitra); lebhe — achieved; brahma-varcasam — the quality of a brāhmaṇa.

viśvāmitrasya — of Viśvāmitra; ca — also; eva — indeed; āsan — there were; putrāḥ — sons; eka-śatam — 101; nṛpa — O King Parīkṣit; madhyamaḥ — the middle one; tu — indeed; madhucchandāḥ — known as Madhucchandā; madhucchandasaḥ — named the Madhucchandās; eva — indeed; te — all of them.

putram — a son; kṛtvā — accepting; śunaḥśepham — whose name was Śunaḥśepha; devarātam — Devarāta, whose life was saved by the demigods; ca — also; bhārgavam — born in the Bhṛgu dynasty; ājīgartam — the son of Ajīgarta; sutān — to his own sons; āha — ordered; jyeṣṭhaḥ — the eldest; eṣaḥ — Śunaḥśepha; prakalpyatām — accept as such.

yaḥ — he who (Śunaḥśepha); vai — indeed; hariścandra-makhe — in the sacrifice performed by King Hariścandra; vikrītaḥ — was sold; puruṣaḥ — man; paśuḥ — sacrificial animal; stutvā — offering prayers; devān — to the demigods; prajā-īśa-ādīn — headed by Lord Brahmā; mumuce — was released; pāśa-bandhanāt — from being bound with ropes like an animal.

yaḥ — he who (Śunaḥśepha); rātaḥ — was protected; deva-yajane — in the arena for worshiping the demigods; devaiḥ — by the same demigods; gādhiṣu — in the dynasty of Gādhi; tāpasaḥ — advanced in executing spiritual life; deva-rātaḥ — protected by the demigods; iti — thus; khyātaḥ — celebrated; śunaḥśephaḥ tu — as well as Śunaḥśepha; bhārgavaḥ — in the dynasty of Bhṛgu.

ye — those who; madhucchandasaḥ — sons of Viśvāmitra, celebrated as the Madhucchandās; jyeṣṭhāḥ — eldest; kuśalam — very good; menire — accepting; na — not; tat — that (the proposal that he be accepted as the eldest brother); aśapat — cursed; tān — all the sons; muniḥ — Viśvāmitra Muni; kruddhaḥ — being angry; mlecchāḥ — disobedient to the Vedic principles; bhavata — all of you become; durjanāḥ — very bad sons.

saḥ — the middle son of Viśvāmitra; ha — indeed; uvāca — said; madhucchandāḥ — Madhucchandā; sārdham — with; pañcāśatā — the second fifty of the sons known as the Madhucchandās; tataḥ — then, after the first half were thus cursed; yat — what; naḥ — unto us; bhavān — O father; sañjānīte — as you please; tasmin — in that; tiṣṭhāmahe — shall remain; vayam — all of us.

jyeṣṭham — the eldest; mantra-dṛśam — a seer of mantras; cakruḥ — they accepted; tvām — you; anvañcaḥ — have agreed to follow; vayam — we; sma — indeed; hi — certainly; viśvāmitraḥ — the great sage Viśvāmitra; sutān — to the obedient sons; āha — said; vīra-vantaḥ — fathers of sons; bhaviṣyatha — become in the future; ye — all of you who; mānam — honor; me — my; anugṛhṇantaḥ — accepted; vīra-vantam — the father of good sons; akarta — you have made; mām — me.

eṣaḥ — this (Śunaḥśepha); vaḥ — like you; kuśikāḥ — O Kuśikas; vīraḥ — my son; devarātaḥ — he is known as Devarāta; tam — him; anvita — just obey; anye — others; ca — also; aṣṭaka — Aṣṭaka; hārīta — Hārīta; jaya — Jaya; kratumat — Kratumān; ādayaḥ — and others.

evam — in this way (some sons having been cursed and some blessed); kauśika-gotram — the dynasty of Kauśika; tu — indeed; viśvāmitraiḥ — by the sons of Viśvāmitra; pṛthak-vidham — in different varieties; pravara-antaram — differences between one another; āpannam — obtained; tat — that; hi — indeed; ca — also; evam — thus; prakalpitam — ascertained.