The key words of this slOkam are: Sa: Muni: AaBrahma-keetam aBrahmaNyam apAkarOthu” (May this venerable Sage remove inauspiciousness from the mighty BrahmA to the lowly worm).
MEANING:
There was once a king by the name of Kaarthaveeryan, who insulted the father of the Brahmin, ParasurAman. The name of the father of ParasurAman was Jamadhagni. ParasurAman was enraged over the haughtiness of the king and killed the king. The sons of the king took revenge and killed Sage Jamadhagni, when ParasurAman was not home. When ParasurAman learnt about the cowardice of the sons of the king, He became wild with anger and chopped off the heads of the King’s sons and destroyed 21 generations of Kings (KshathriyAs) thereafter. He performed tarpaNams for his father with the blood of the slain kings. Next, ParasurAman gave away all the lands that he had inherited from the kings to Sage Kasyapa in a Yaagam as dakshiNai. He felt thereafter that he can not live in the land that He had given away. Next, He threw his axe into the ocean and the water receded. New land became available. This is today’s KeraLa or ParasurAma dEsam. Swamy Desikan prays to the heroic ParasurAman to protect all the janthus from Brahma to the lowly worm from harm’s way.
COMMENTS:
The KrOdhAgni (the fire of anger) of ParasurAma lit by the sons of Kaartaveeryan through the killing of His father ( KrOdhAgni Jamadhagni peeDana bhavam) was quenched by making the world free of KshathriyAs by destroying 21 generations of them (KrOdhAgnim santarpayishyan imAm kshithim iha akshatthhrAm thrissapthakruthva: kramAth santhathaksha). Later, ParasurAman gave away all the lands that He inherited to Kasyapa Munivar as DakshiNai in a Yaj~nam (kvachana karmaNi thAmm dakshiNAm dhathvA) and lived in the new land retrieved from te ocean (Sindhum Aaskandhya vasan BhagavAn Muni:). May this Muni destroy all the amangaLams from BrahmA to the lowly worm (BHagavAn Muni: AbrahmaNyam apAkarOthu)!
Commentary by: Sri Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
to be continued…
