हेतुं कृत्वा पितृवधं क्षत्रेऽमङ्गलकारिणि ॥१८॥
त्रिःसप्तकृत्वः पृथिवीं कृत्वा निःक्षत्रियां प्रभुः ।
समन्तपञ्चके चक्रे शोणितोदान् ह्रदान् नव ॥१९॥
tad-raktena nadÄ«á¹ ghorÄm
abrahmaṇya-bhayÄvahÄm
hetuá¹ ká¹›tvÄ pitá¹›-vadhaá¹
ká¹£atre 'maá¹…gala-kÄriṇi
triḥ-sapta-ká¹›tvaḥ pá¹›thivÄ«á¹
ká¹›tvÄ niḥká¹£atriyÄá¹ prabhuḥ
samanta-pañcake cakre
Å›oṇitodÄn hradÄn nava
tat-raktena - by the blood of the sons of KÄrtavÄ«ryÄrjuna; nadÄ«m - a river; ghorÄm - fierce; abrahmaṇya-bhaya-ÄvahÄm - causing fear to the kings who had no respect for brahminical culture; hetum - cause; ká¹›tvÄ - accepting; pitá¹›-vadham - the killing of his father; ká¹£atre - when the whole royal class; amaá¹…gala-kÄriṇi - was acting very inauspiciously; triḥ-sapta-ká¹›tvaḥ - twenty-one times; pá¹›thivÄ«m - the entire world; ká¹›tvÄ - making; niḥká¹£atriyÄm - without a ká¹£atriya dynasty; prabhuḥ - the Supreme Lord, ParaÅ›urÄma; samanta-pañcake - at the place known as Samanta-pañcaka; cakre - he made; Å›oṇita-udÄn - filled with blood instead of water; hradÄn - lakes; nava - nine.
With the blood of the bodies of these sons, Lord ParaÅ›urÄma created a ghastly river, which brought great fear to the kings who had no respect for brahminical culture. Because the ká¹£atriyas, the men of power in government, were performing sinful activities, Lord ParaÅ›urÄma, on the plea of retaliating for the murder of his father, rid all the ká¹£atriyas from the face of the earth twenty-one times. Indeed, in the place known as Samanta-pañcaka he created nine lakes filled with their blood.
ParaÅ›urÄma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his eternal mission is paritrÄṇÄya sÄdhÅ«nÄá¹ vinÄÅ›Äya ca duá¹£ká¹›tÄm — to protect the devotees and annihilate the miscreants. To kill all the sinful men is one among the tasks of the incarnation of Godhead. Lord ParaÅ›urÄma killed all the ká¹£atriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were disobedient to the brahminical culture. That the ká¹£atriyas had killed his father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the ká¹£atriyas, the ruling class, had become polluted, their position was inauspicious. Brahminical culture is enjoined in the Å›Ästra, especially in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (cÄtur-varṇyaá¹ mayÄ sṛṣá¹aá¹ guṇa-karma-vibhÄgaÅ›aḥ). According to the laws of nature, whether at the time of ParaÅ›urÄma or at the present, if the government becomes irresponsible and sinful, not caring for brahminical culture, there will certainly be an incarnation of God like ParaÅ›urÄma to create a devastation by fire, famine, pestilence or some other calamity. Whenever the government disrespects the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead and fails to protect the institution of varṇÄÅ›rama-dharma, it will certainly have to face such catastrophes as formerly brought about by Lord ParaÅ›urÄma.
