SB 9.16.18 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तद्रक्तेन नदीं घोरामब्रह्मण्यभयावहाम् । हेतुं कृत्वा पितृवधं क्षत्रेऽमङ्गलकारिणि ॥ १८ ॥ त्रि:सप्तकृत्व: पृथिवीं कृत्वा नि:क्षत्रियां प्रभु: । समन्तपञ्चके चक्रे शोणितोदान् ह्रदान् नव ॥ १९ ॥

Verse text

tad-raktena nadīṁ ghorām abrahmaṇya-bhayāvahām hetuṁ kṛtvā pitṛ-vadhaṁ kṣatre ’maṅgala-kāriṇi triḥ-sapta-kṛtvaḥ pṛthivīṁ kṛtvā niḥkṣatriyāṁ prabhuḥ samanta-paṣcake cakre śoṇitodān hradān nava

Synonyms

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 — paṣcake — at the place known as Samanta-paṣcaka ; cakre — he made ; śoṇita — udān — filled with blood instead of water ; hradān — lakes ; nava — nine .

Translation

With the blood of the bodies of these sons, Lord Paraśurāma created a ghastly river, which brought great fear to the kings who had no respect for brahminical culture. Because the kṣatriyas, the men of power in government, were performing sinful activities, Lord Paraśurāma, on the plea of retaliating for the murder of his father, rid all the kṣatriyas from the face of the earth twenty-one times. Indeed, in the place known as Samanta-paṣcaka he created nine lakes filled with their blood.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

He made a terrifying river of their blood, causing fear in those who disrespect brāhmaṇas. Making the kṣatriyas responsible for killing his father, since they had acted wrongfully, twenty-one times he made the earth devoid of kṣatriyas and made nine lakes of their blood at Samanta-paṣcaka. Making the killing of his father the cause, twenty-one times he rid the earth of kṣatriyas, since they were acting sinfully (amaṅgala-karini). This means they wrongfully made his mother Reṇukā beat her chest in lamentation.

Purport

Paraśurāma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his eternal mission is paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām — 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 Paraśurāma killed all the kṣatriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were disobedient to the brahminical culture. That the kṣatriyas had killed his father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the kṣatriyas, the ruling class, had become polluted, their position was inauspicious. Brahminical culture is enjoined in the śāstra, especially in Bhagavad-gītā ( cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ). According to the laws of nature, whether at the time of Paraśurāma 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 Paraśurāma 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 varṇāśrama-dharma, it will certainly have to face such catastrophes as formerly brought about by Lord Paraśurāma.