कदा चित् तु तथैवास्य विनिष्क्रान्ताः सुताः प्रभो ॥
अथानूपपतिर् वीरः कार्तवीर्यो ऽभ्यवर्तत ॥
तम् आश्रमपदं प्राप्तम् ऋषेर् भार्या समर्चयत् ॥
स युद्धमदसंमत्तो नाभ्यनन्दत् तथार्चनम् ॥
प्रमथ्य चाश्रमात् तस्माद् धोमधेन्वास् तदा बलात् ॥
जहार वत्सं क्रोशन्त्या बभञ्ज च महाद्रुमान् ॥
आगताय च रामाय तदाचष्ट पिता स्वयम् ॥
गां च रोरूयतीं दृष्ट्वा कोपो रामं समाविशत् ॥
स मन्युवशम् आपन्नः कार्तवीर्यम् उपाद्रवत् ॥
तस्याथ युधि विक्रम्य भार्गवः परवीरहा ॥
चिच्छेद निशितैर् भल्लैर् बाहून् परिघसंनिभान् ॥
सहस्रसंमितान् राजन् प्रगृह्य रुचिरं धनुः ॥
अर्जुनस्याथ दायादा रामेण कृतमन्यवः ॥
आश्रमस्थं विना रामं जमदग्निम् उपाद्रवन् ॥
ते तं जघ्नुर् महावीर्यम् अयुध्यन्तं तपस्विनम् ॥
असकृद् राम रामेति विक्रोशन्तम् अनाथवत् ॥
कार्तवीर्यस्य पुत्रास् तु जमदग्निं युधिष्ठिर ॥
घातयित्वा शरैर् जग्मुर् यथागतम् अरिंदमाः ॥
अपक्रान्तेषु चैतेषु जमदग्नौ तथागते ॥
समित्पाणिर् उपागच्छद् आश्रमं भृगुनन्दनः ॥
स दृष्ट्वा पितरं वीरस् तथा मृत्युवशं गतम् ॥
अनर्हन्तं तथाभूतं विललाप सुदुःखितः ॥
kadā cit tu tathaivāsya viniṣkrāntāḥ sutāḥ prabho ||
athānūpapatir vīraḥ kārtavīryo 'bhyavartata ||
tam āśramapadaṃ prāptam ṛṣer bhāryā samarcayat ||
sa yuddhamadasaṃmatto nābhyanandat tathārcanam ||
pramathya cāśramāt tasmād dhomadhenvās tadā balāt ||
jahāra vatsaṃ krośantyā babhañja ca mahādrumān ||
āgatāya ca rāmāya tadācaṣṭa pitā svayam ||
gāṃ ca rorūyatīṃ dṛṣṭvā kopo rāmaṃ samāviśat ||
sa manyuvaśam āpannaḥ kārtavīryam upādravat ||
tasyātha yudhi vikramya bhārgavaḥ paravīrahā ||
ciccheda niśitair bhallair bāhūn parighasaṃnibhān ||
sahasrasaṃmitān rājan pragṛhya ruciraṃ dhanuḥ ||
arjunasyātha dāyādā rāmeṇa kṛtamanyavaḥ ||
āśramasthaṃ vinā rāmaṃ jamadagnim upādravan ||
te taṃ jaghnur mahāvīryam ayudhyantaṃ tapasvinam ||
asakṛd rāma rāmeti vikrośantam anāthavat ||
kārtavīryasya putrās tu jamadagniṃ yudhiṣṭhira ||
ghātayitvā śarair jagmur yathāgatam ariṃdamāḥ ||
apakrānteṣu caiteṣu jamadagnau tathāgate ||
samitpāṇir upāgacchad āśramaṃ bhṛgunandanaḥ ||
sa dṛṣṭvā pitaraṃ vīras tathā mṛtyuvaśaṃ gatam ||
anarhantaṃ tathābhūtaṃ vilalāpa suduḥkhitaḥ ||
Once, when his sons had again gone out, O lord, the hero Kartavirya, lord of Anupa, came there. The sage's wife honored him when he reached the ashram, but he, intoxicated with the pride of battle, did not accept such honor. Ravaging the ashram, he forcibly led away the calf of the sacrificial cow while she cried out, and broke great trees. When Rama returned, his father himself told him of this; seeing the wailing cow, Rama was seized with anger. Overcome by rage, he went against Kartavirya. In battle the descendant of Bhrigu, slayer of enemy heroes, displaying his valor, cut off with sharp bhalla arrows his arms, resembling clubs and numbering a thousand, as he held his splendid bow. Then the heirs of Arjuna, enraged at what Rama had done, attacked Jamadagni in the ashram while Rama was away. They slew the mighty ascetic, who was not fighting, who cried out helplessly again and again, "Rama! Rama!" The sons of Kartavirya, O Yudhishthira, having slain Jamadagni with arrows, departed as they had come, O tamer of foes. When they had gone, and Jamadagni lay thus, the descendant of Bhrigu returned to the ashram with firewood in hand. Seeing his father, the hero, thus given over to death though he did not deserve it, Rama wept, overcome with grief."
07a4aa127bd7 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:02:54 PM UTC
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Kartavirya's wrongdoing begins with an insult to the ashram and the cow, that is, with contempt for the sacred foundation of life. Rama's response becomes, at first, not private vengeance but a defense of trampled dharma, though afterward his father's blood drives him further.