Jamadagni Maharshi

Jamadagni

Rāma has other meanings too: see all meanings of Rāma. Susheṇa has other meanings too: see all meanings of Susheṇa. Satyavatī has other meanings too: see all meanings of Satyavatī. Vasu has other meanings too: see all meanings of Vasu.

Jamadagni Maharshi was a great ṛshi of the Bhṛgu line, the son of Ṛcīka Maharshi and Satyavatī, born of the brāhmaṇa caru that Satyavatī ate in place of her mother’s, while her mother bore Viśvāmitra. He married Reṇukā Devī and had five sons, the youngest of whom was Paraśurāma, the avatāra of Vishṇu. The texts show a ṛshi of blazing tapas, whose anger flared and passed: his śāpa fell on Sūrya and Sūrya’s on him, until Brahmā made peace between them; he punished Reṇukā for a moment’s lapse and restored her by the vara he gave Paraśurāma; he refused his Kāmadhenu to Kārtavīryārjuna and fell to the king’s sword, and his death became the cause of Paraśurāma’s war on the kshatriyas. Born again as a mongoose under the śāpa of the pitṛs, he taught Yudhishṭhira the secret of true dāna. The Vāmana Purāṇa names him among the seven maharshis who made the Brahmodumbara tīrtha of Kurukshetra, and as the father of Paraśurāma, who installed the Pushkara tīrtha there.

The Agni Purāṇa tells that Śrī Mahāvishṇu descended as Bhārgava, the son of Jamadagni and Reṇukā; that Jamadagni fed King Kārtavīrya and his army by the power of the Kāmadhenu; and that Kārtavīrya’s sons killed him while Paraśurāma was away in the forest. It names him among the Saptarshis of the present manvantara and as the ṛshi of the second vyāhṛti.

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells that Jamadagni, of peaceful nature, was born to Satyavatī after she ate the caru meant for her mother, and that his sons by Reṇukā were Vasumān, Vasu, Susheṇa, Rumaṇvān and the youngest, Paraśurāma, an aṃśa-avatāra of Śrī Hari. Jamadagni, whose only wealth was tapas, fed Kārtavīryārjuna with his army, ministers and vāhanas through the grace of the Kāmadhenu; when Paraśurāma had slain the king who carried her off, Jamadagni taught him that brāhmaṇas are honoured through forbearance and sent him to the tīrthas to wash away the pāpa. The sons of Kārtavīrya slew him as he sat in the agnihotra-gṛha with his mind fixed on Śrī Hari; Paraśurāma joined his head to his body upon darbha grass, and Jamadagni, in a body made of saṅkalpa, became the seventh ṛshi of the Saptarshi circle. The Bhāgavata also names him as the adhvaryu of Hariścandra‘s yajña, a Saptarshi of the present manvantara, and the ṛshi who, with Bhagavān Sūrya, conducts the month of Āśvayuja.

Birth of Jamadagni Maharshi and His Lineage

According to the prophecy of Cyavana Maharshi, as we have known from his life, Jamadagni was born. Ṛcīka Maharshi, who belonged to the Bhṛgu lineage, married Satyavatī, the daughter of King Gādhi from the Kuśika dynasty. However, King Gādhi did not give away his daughter immediately. He wanted to test Ṛcīka and confirm if he was a worthy groom. He demanded one thousand white horses with black ears as bridal wealth for his daughter Satyavatī. Ṛcīka, undeterred, prayed to Varuṇa Deva. The tradition of ṛshis is such that they do not return empty-handed from the devas. If devas do not give, ṛshis can create by their tapas. ṛshis have the power to request anything from anyone in the world and obtain it. That is their authority, and they do not waste their tapas for mere material wealth. As in many examples from the Purāṇas, ṛshis followed this practice. Ṛcīka, who had been offering regular oblations to Varuṇa without asking anything, now requested Varuṇa for these horses. Varuṇa Deva, upon the request, granted him one thousand such horses. Ṛcīka gave them to King Gādhi, and the marriage of Satyavatī was solemnized. Satyavatī was overjoyed to have a great ṛshi as her husband. She was a devoted wife and pleased Ṛcīka with her service. Ṛcīka, pleased, asked her what vara she desired. Satyavatī said, “Swami! I am your dharma patnī. I desire a son. That is my natural wish. Also, my parents do not have a son. Kindly grant them a child too.” Ṛcīka agreed and performed a special yajña. He prepared two consecrated food offerings (caru) with mantras from the Rāja and Brāhmaṇa portions of the Veda. He told his wife, “The first caru will grant a son with supreme kshatriya qualities. Give this to your mother. The second caru will grant a son with supreme brāhmaṇa qualities, calm and endowed with śama and dama. This is for you.” He instructed that Satyavatī would bear a brāhmaṇa son, and her mother would have a kshatriya son. These qualities emerged not from blood but from the power of mantras and tapas. Ṛcīka then went to bathe in the river. Meanwhile, King Gādhi and his wife came to see their daughter and son-in-law. Satyavatī, in her excitement, explained to her mother about the prasāda given by Ṛcīka for progeny. In haste, she gave her mother the caru meant for herself and ate the one meant for her mother. When Ṛcīka returned from the river and learned of the mix-up, he said, “Now you will bear a son who will be a killer of kshatriyas, extremely cruel. Your mother will bear a son who will be tapasvin and a brahmabhūta.” Satyavatī, terrified, prayed for a remedy. Ṛcīka told her, “I intended that you should have the brāhmaṇa son, and your mother a kshatriya son. Since you switched the carus, this has reversed. However, as you are fearful, I will mitigate this. The intense cruel nature will not manifest in your son directly but will appear in your son’s son.” Thus, in time, Satyavatī gave birth to Jamadagni Maharshi, and her mother gave birth to Viśvāmitra Maharshi.

Jamadagni’s Life with Rēṇukā Devī and the Curse on Sūrya

Jamadagni married Rēṇukā Devī, daughter of Reṇu. He led a household life and, through his tapas, obtained a divine cow, Kāmadhenu. This cow could instantaneously provide food, vessels, and all items required for a feast to any number of people. There was no scarcity in their ashram. One day, Jamadagni and Rēṇukā went to the banks of Narmadā for recreation during the autumn season. The forest was filled with birds and flowers, creating a delightful atmosphere. While they were alone, Sūrya Deva, in the guise of a brāhmaṇa, approached Jamadagni and said, “O Maharshi! You are Brahman personified, the creator of the Vedas, an ascetic immersed in tapas. Yet here you are, engaging in leisure with your wife during the day. This is not proper for someone of your stature. I am the witness of all karmas in the world. That is why I have come to say this.” At that moment, Rēṇukā felt embarrassed as her garments were not properly covering her body. Jamadagni became furious at Sūrya for interrupting their private moment. He said, “Sūrya Deva! Even if you are a deva, it is not dharma to intrude upon the privacy of a couple in solitude. With pride in your scholarship, you came to rebuke me? I am a disciple of Bhṛgu Maharshi, a knower of the four Vedas. Do you think I do not know dharma and adharma? You are the witness of karmas and the dispenser of their fruits, but that does not give you the right to lecture me. We possess limitless tapas and have the protection of Nārāyaṇa. Our actions are always under his watch. We do not need devas or others to teach us dharma. Since you have broken our solitude, you will be cursed. You shall be eclipsed by Rāhu, become a pāpa-dṛśya, and lose your brilliance.” This is why, we see Rāhu eclipsing the Sun.

Sūrya replied to Jamadagni, “O Maharshi! I came to fulfill my duty as karma-sākshī. I cannot ignore what I witness. But I accept your curse without argument. However, if I remain permanently under your curse, I will become powerless, and the world will lose respect for me. I am eternal in this world, and you are mortal. If I silently bear this curse, it will affect my status. Therefore, to protect my role, I shall give you a counter-curse. You will meet your end at the hands of a kshatriya, and your life will be taken away in a moment of rage.”

Jamadagni responded, “Do you think you are the only one with power to curse? I will give you another curse. One day, you shall be subdued by Śiva, and your pride will be destroyed.” Fearing this escalation, Brahmā intervened, appearing instantly along with Kaśyapa Prajāpati. Brahmā pacified both Sūrya and Jamadagni. He told Sūrya, “In the future, during heavy clouds and the rainy season, you shall become invisible and free from pāpa. On days when you are not visible, those who look for you and bathe will become pure. Even in astrology, when the Sun is in the 8th house (ashṭama sthāna), 7th house (saptama), or 4th house (caturtha), you will not be considered inauspicious.” This special rule was established by Brahmā himself.

Brahmā then told Jamadagni, “There will be a kshatriya named Kārtavīryārjuna, who will cause your death. But your fame will remain eternal. Moreover, Bhagavān Vishṇu himself will be born as your son. He will destroy the world of kshatriyas 21 times to eliminate adharma from the earth. Your death will thus become a cause for the world’s welfare.”

After this, Jamadagni and Sūrya exchanged respects and departed. They thought, “We too are bound by our previous karmas.” The anger of a Maharshi is momentary. It flares for a moment but is immediately followed by forgiveness. Prolonged anger is not a brāhmaṇa’s characteristic. To hold onto anger for days is not dharma. Instantaneous anger may arise but must be forgotten quickly. This is the nature of a true brāhmaṇa. Jamadagni’s behavior with Sūrya exemplified this. This entire episode is narrated in the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa and the Anuśāsanika Parva of the Mahābhārata.

Brahmā’s Clarification on Jamadagni’s Curse and its Astrological Implications

Since Jamadagni said, “If one sees you, pāpa will occur; people will call you a pāpī.” What did Jamadagni actually mean? His intention was that if someone sees Sūrya during a Rāhu-grasta (eclipse) moment, or when Sūrya are obscured, then as per the custom of that time, people would compulsorily take a bath considering it a sight that brings pāpa. That is why he said Sūrya would be considered pāpātma. Brahmā later modified parts of this curse. He said, “When the Sūrya is in the 7th house (saptama), 8th house (ashṭama), 4th house (caturtha), or 10th house (daśama), and during birth when the Janma Nakshatra is in naidhana (the death star position), both the Sūrya and the Candra will become ‘adṛśya’—meaning they will not be seen as inauspicious.” The word ‘adṛśya’ here implies they will not be considered as causing pāpa. When Sūrya asked, “But I was cursed as a pāpa-dṛśya (a sight that brings pāpa), wasn’t I?” Brahmā explained, “That occurs only during specific times like sunset (asta kāla), when there is heavy cloud cover, or during mid-day reflections in water. Only then will you be considered pāpa-dṛśya. Moreover, your curse will manifest in another way—you will suffer sorrow due to your wife. Your brilliance will be diminished by her relatives, like father-in-law or brothers-in-law. In the future, you will be subdued by Śiva.” Thus, Brahmā conditioned the eternal pāpa-dṛśya curse to only specific times. This explanation also carries an astrological aspect. It means that when the Sūrya is in naidhana tāra (the death star) or in the naidhana sthāna in the birth chart, he becomes beneficial, not malefic. This rule is explicitly mentioned by Jamadagni. In fact, he clarified this in detail. When the Sūrya is in the 7th house, it is not a cause for pāpa but actually becomes favorable.

Origins of Paraśurāma’s Kshatriya Saṁhāra

Reṇukādevī was serving her husband Jamadagni with great devotion. By his grace, she gave birth to five sons—Rumaṇvat, Suseshaṇa, Vasu, Viśvāvasu, and Paraśurāma. Paraśurāma was born as an avatāra of Vishṇu Himself. Reṇukādevī raised her children while continuing to serve her husband without any lapse in her duties. One day she went to the river. There, she saw Citraratha, the king of the Gandharvas, enjoying water sports with his wives, completely immersed in pleasure, unaware of his surroundings. Reṇukādevī saw this scene, but no mental disturbance occurred in her mind; however, due to her prolonged gaze, she inadvertently delayed her return. For a mahāpatīvrata woman like her, there was no need to observe such scenes of a king and his wives playing in water. Because of this, her unblemished chastity acquired a small stain. Just like the purest white cloth reveals the smallest stain, this was not considered a flaw for ordinary people, but for her level of austerity and chastity, it became a minor blemish. The water pot in her hand slipped and fell to the ground. In earlier times, when her pot had once accidentally broken, she could pick up the sand from the river and, just by her power, make it stand firm as a pot. But this time, she could not do it. The sand would not hold its shape, and the pot did not form. She understood that some impurity had arisen within her. She thought of abandoning her impure body in the river itself, but since she did not have permission from her husband, she refrained. She decided to return home, tell him everything, and accept whatever punishment he might give. She returned without the water pot.

When she arrived, Jamadagni already knew everything through his divine vision. He thought over whether she had indeed incurred a flaw. Concluding that she had, he decided, in rage, the punishment should be death. He called his sons and ordered them to behead their mother. The sons replied, “Father, you are like Parameśvara Himself. Our mother is a mahāpatīvrata. We are proud to have been born from her womb, having acquired such purity. How can we behead our own mother? We cannot bear to do this. Please forgive us.” The elder four sons refused to carry out the command. Then Jamadagni called his youngest son Paraśurāma and said, “My son, this is my command. Behead your mother.” Paraśurāma replied, “For me, father’s command is paramount. There is no need to consider dharma or adharma here.” Saying this, he beheaded his mother. Jamadagni then said, “Since your brothers disobeyed my command, you must also kill them.” Paraśurāma obeyed and beheaded his four elder brothers.

Jamadagni, pleased with Paraśurāma’s pitr̥bhakti and his strict adherence to his father’s word, told him to ask for a vara. Paraśurāma requested that his mother and brothers be brought back to life and that they love each other as before. Jamadagni, appreciating Paraśurāma’s love for his mother and brothers, told him to reattach their heads to their bodies, and they would rise again. Thus, by the grace of his father, Paraśurāma revived his mother and brothers.

At that time, the Haihaya dynasty kings, who were Kshatriyas, ruled all of northern India, including present-day Afghanistan. There were 328 kings in that lineage. Though they had performed tapas and yajñas, individually they lacked dharma and were arrogant. In that Haihaya lineage, Kārtavīryārjuna was born. He worshipped Dattātreya and, through his blessings, acquired immense powers. No enemy could defeat him. He had a thousand arms, possessed ashṭa-siddhis, eternal vigor, yogic control, and strength that could not be diminished. On one occasion, when Rāvaṇa confronted him, Kārtavīryārjuna subdued him using just his little finger.

One day, by divine will, Kārtavīryārjuna went hunting and came to Jamadagni’s āśrama. Jamadagni welcomed him and, using his kāmadhenu, served a grand feast to Kārtavīryārjuna and his entourage. Seeing the miraculous cow, Kārtavīryārjuna desired to possess it. He asked Jamadagni for it, but Jamadagni refused, stating that it must remain with him. Without further discussion, Kārtavīryārjuna ordered his soldiers to seize the cow by force. As soon as they tried, from Jamadagni’s body emerged warriors with chariots and horses who destroyed Kārtavīryārjuna’s army. Kārtavīryārjuna then personally engaged Jamadagni in battle but could not defeat him. Jamadagni advised him to live righteously and let go of his desire for the cow, sending him away with compassion. But Kārtavīryārjuna returned not once but twenty-one times to wage war.

During one of these times, Jamadagni was absorbed in his austerities, with no awareness of the external world. Kārtavīryārjuna took advantage of this moment and beheaded Jamadagni. Jamadagni did not defend himself, believing his time with the body was complete, and remembering the curse of Sūrya. After killing Jamadagni, Kārtavīryārjuna tried to take the cow, but it vanished.

Reṇukādevī, wishing to follow her husband in death, prepared for sahagamana. But a divine voice stopped her, saying, “Mother, do not do this.” Meanwhile, Bhṛgu Maharshi arrived and revived Jamadagni. This incident is told in the Brahmapurāṇa.

After some time, Paraśurāma returned and learned the details from his mother, Reṇukā. She told him, “Your father was killed, and Bhṛgu Maharshi brought him back to life.” Paraśurāma resolved to avenge his father. He took up his axe (granted to him by Śiva) and went to Māhishmatīpura. His axe was his weapon. When Kārtavīryārjuna sent seventeen akshauhiṇī armies, Paraśurāma destroyed them all. When Kārtavīryārjuna himself came to fight, Paraśurāma cut off his thousand arms and beheaded him.

He returned to Jamadagni and reported the incident. Jamadagni told him, “Even if a king is wicked, a brāhmaṇa should not kill a Kshatriya king. You have killed a ruler along with his entire army. This is a pāpa. To cleanse yourself, you must perform tīrthayātrā.” Paraśurāma, though born of Vishṇu’s lineage, obeyed his father’s words and went on pilgrimages. The sons of Kārtavīryārjuna, however, sought revenge. They attacked Jamadagni while he was engaged in his austerities and killed him again. At that time, Reṇukā cried out, “Paraśurāma! Protect your father!” She cried this twenty-one times.

When Paraśurāma returned from his pilgrimage and saw what had happened, he resolved to avenge his father’s death. He said, “My mother called me twenty-one times. I will circumambulate the earth twenty-one times and destroy not only the Kārtavīryas but the entire Kshatriya race.” He did exactly that, wiping out the Kshatriyas and offering tarpaṇa to his father with their blood. Reṇukādevī then performed sahagamana with her husband.

Per Agni Purāṇa, when Kārtavīryārjuna asked for the Kāmadhenu and Jamadagni refused, the king carried the cow off by force. Paraśurāma cut off his head in battle with his paraśu (axe) and brought the cow back to the āśrama. Then, while Paraśurāma was away in the forest, the sons of Kārtavīrya, from their old enmity, killed Jamadagni. Paraśurāma returned, saw his slain father, and made the earth free of kshatriyas twenty-one times. In Kurukshetra he made five kuṇḍas and with them satisfied the pitṛ-devatās; he gave the whole earth as dāna to Kaśyapa and lived on Mahendra mountain.

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 4

Jamadagni’s Curse and the Secret of True Dāna

There is another episode in the life of Jamadagni Maharshi. One day he was performing pitṛkārya, the ritual offering to ancestors. He carefully milked a cow and placed the fresh milk in a new pot. To test him, the devatā named Krodha, in the form of a subtle principle, entered the āśrama and, pretending it was an accident, overturned the milk pot. Jamadagni did not get angry. In yajña, qualities like anger and peace exist as devatā forms, meaning they are embodied in mantras, not in anthropomorphic forms. For pitṛkārya, Jamadagni himself had prepared the milk with great care. With the milk now spilled, the ritual was spoiled, and extensive expiations would be needed. Yet, Jamadagni remained calm. Seeing this, Krodha appeared before him in person and said, “Mahātma, I have heard that the Bhṛgu lineage is known for their great anger. But in your case, that seems untrue. It was I who did this. Please forgive me.” Then Krodha disappeared. However, the pitṛkārya was not completed properly.

That night, the pitṛdevatās appeared to Jamadagni and said, “My child, you have committed a mistake. You prepared the milk carefully to offer to us, and when someone came and spilled it, you remained silent. This is not correct. There are times for peace, but this is not one of them. In such matters, remaining passive is not appropriate. Because of the calmness you exhibited here, the ritual became flawed. Due to this, you have incurred a dosha and must experience its consequences. Therefore, in your next birth, you will be born as a nakula (mungīsa—a mongoose or someone without lineage).

Jamadagni pleaded with them, “O venerable fathers! For a tapasvin, it is said that anger is not suitable. That is why I did not get angry. I now realize my mistake. Please grant me release from this curse.” The pitṛs replied, “Child, we have no anger towards you. Even great beings cannot escape the fruits of karma. When you publicly reject a great dharma that is universally accepted by vipras through words of reason and refutation, then you will attain freedom from this curse.” Saying this, the pitṛs disappeared.

In his next birth, Jamadagni was born as a nakula—a mongoose. During the Aśvamedha yajña performed by Dharmarāja Yudhishṭhira. Yudhishṭhira thought, “I am feeding lakhs of brāhmaṇas with golden plates. This is a great dāna.” A slight sense of pride entered his mind. Though it was minor, Kṛshṇa does not tolerate even the smallest flaw in His devotees. So Kṛshṇa called Yudhishṭhira and said, “Come, I will show you something.”

In that stream of water where the brāhmaṇas had washed their hands, this mungīsa was rolling about. One side of its body shone like gold, while the other side remained ordinary. The mungīsa kept rolling in the water, then came out, and again went back in. Yudhishṭhira asked Kṛshṇa, “What is this wonder?” Kṛshṇa replied, “Ask the mongoose itself.”

Yudhishṭhira asked, “Who are you, O venerable one?” The mungīsa said, “O Dharmarāja! The world is praising your Aśvamedha yajña, saying you are feeding lakhs of brāhmaṇas. The bell that rings once per lakh is ringing continuously. All are glorifying this dāna. I have heard of the greatness of annadāna from ancient times. Once, when I rolled in the dust of such a place of true dāna, part of my body turned to gold. Hearing of your great charity, I came here hoping that if I roll in this water, the rest of my body would also turn to gold. But no matter how much I rolled, my body did not change.”

Yudhishṭhira asked, “Who were you in that previous life? What was that dāna that made you partially golden while my vast dāna does not produce such a result? Please tell me.”

The mungīsa replied, “In a previous life, there was a poor brāhmaṇa who lived by unchavṛtti—gathering leftover grains. He lived with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. During a severe famine, he collected a handful of grains and made gruel. Each of them poured the gruel into four bowls to drink at midday. At that moment, Dharma, in disguise, came and asked for alms, saying he was starving. The brāhmaṇa offered his portion, but Dharma said his hunger was not satisfied. Then the wife gave her share, followed by the son and daughter-in-law. They gave him all the food they had prepared for the day. After drinking it, Dharma said, “I am satisfied,” and left.

The next day, Dharma came again. They had only water that day, so they offered it to him. On the third day, he came again. The brāhmaṇa said, “Mahātma! By fortune you have come, but we have nothing except these few drops of water. Please accept it.” Dharma drank it, poured some of the water on the ground, and revealed himself. He said, “I am Dharma. Because of your dāna, you will attain svarga and moksha.” The family was blessed and taken to higher worlds.

At that time, I was nearby. When Dharma poured the water after washing his hands, some of that water touched me. That little contact made a part of my body golden. Hearing of your Aśvamedha dāna, I came here hoping that the rest of my body would turn golden too. But nothing happened.”

Yudhishṭhira was humbled. He realized that true dāna is giving all that one has—not just giving according to convenience. A king feeding thousands with golden plates is not as significant as a poor brāhmaṇa giving his only meal. The greatness of dāna lies in what proportion of one’s resources are given, not the quantity alone.

The mungīsa explained further, “A donor who can give a crore but gives only a lakh is not a true dātā. He may still acquire some puṇya but it is not tyāga. Tyāga is giving everything. Dāna leads to puṇya; tyāga leads to moksha. ‘

त्यागेनैके अमृतत्वम् आनशुः।
Tyāgenaike amṛtatvam ānaśuḥ

Only through tyāga (sacrifice) can one attain immortality.

Thus, the mungīsa, which was Jamadagni in his previous birth, fulfilled the condition set by the pitṛs—rejecting a universally accepted dharma in the right way, pointing out the deeper truth of tyāga versus dāna. By doing so, he was freed from his curse. This is recorded in the Aśvamedha Parva of the Mahābhārata.

Jamadagni in the Vāmana Purāṇa

The Pushkara tīrtha of his son

In the round of the tīrthas of Kurukshetra, Romaharshaṇa names the Pushkara tīrtha, installed by Paraśurāma, the son of Jamadagni. The pitṛ-devatās are worshipped there. A king who worships the pitṛ-devatās in the Pushkara tīrtha gains the phala of an aśvamedha and is blessed; and for one who gives a daughter in marriage (kanyādāna) there in the month of Kārtika, the devas, pleased, fulfil all his desires. The mahāyaksha Kapila stands there as dvārapāla.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 13

The Brahmodumbara tīrtha

From the river Āpagā one goes on to Brahmodumbara, the chief place of Brahmā, famed in the worlds, with its Brahmarshi kuṇḍa. This tīrtha, rare on earth, was made together by the seven maharshis Bharadvāja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kaśyapa, Viśvāmitra, Vasishṭha and Atri; because Caturmukha Brahmā himself served it, it became renowned as Brahmodumbara. One who bathes in the Brahmarshi kuṇḍa gains, by the grace of the Saptarshis, the puṇya of seven soma-yāgas; one who bathes in that tīrtha of Brahmā attains Brahmaloka; one who feeds a brāhmaṇa there for the pitṛs is granted rare varas; and one who bathes in the kuṇḍa separately for each of the seven maharshis may, by their grace, gain lordship of the seven worlds.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 15

Jamadagni in the Agni Purāṇa

The Agni Purāṇa is the teaching that Agni Deva gave to Vasishṭha Maharshi.

The father of Paraśurāma

Telling the avatāras, Agni Deva says: “O brāhmaṇa, hear: I will tell of the avatāra of Paraśurāma.” Seeing that the kshatriyas had grown arrogant, Śrī Mahāvishṇu descended to remove the burden of the earth, to protect the devas and the vipras and to establish peace. He was born as Bhārgava, the son of Jamadagni and Reṇukā, a master of all the śāstras and vidyās.

King Kārtavīrya had a thousand arms by the grace of Dattātreya and was king of the whole earth. Once he went hunting, and when he and his army were tired in the forest, Jamadagni Maharshi invited them and fed them all by the power of the Kāmadhenu. The rest of the account, the seizing of the cow, Kārtavīrya’s death, Jamadagni’s death at the hands of Kārtavīrya’s sons and Paraśurāma’s twenty-one campaigns, is told above.

The Purāṇa promises that the man who hears the accounts of the Kūrma, Varāha, Narasiṃha and Paraśurāma avatāras goes to svarga.

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 4

Among the Saptarshis of the present manvantara

In the seventh manvantara, the one now going on, Śrāddhadeva, the son of Sūrya, is Manu, and Purandara is Indra. The Saptarshis of this manvantara are Vasishṭha, Kāśyapa, Atri, Jamadagni, Gautama, Viśvāmitra and Bharadvāja. In every manvantara, Agni Deva says, the Saptarshis spread the Veda over the earth.

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 150

The ṛshi of the second vyāhṛti

In the rite of the sandhyā, Agni Deva gives the seven vyāhṛtis, the sacred utterances that go with Oṃkāra and the Gāyatrī, each with its ṛshi, devatā and chandas (metre). Of the second, the ṛshi is Jamadagni, the devatā Vāyu, and the chandas ushṇik. The seven ṛshis in order are Viśvāmitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishṭha and Kaśyapa. The vyāhṛtis are used in prāṇāyāma and in homa.

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 215

Jamadagni in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa

Śuka Maharshi tells King Parīkshit the account of Jamadagni within the account of Paraśurāma and Kārtavīryārjuna, as part of the line of Purūravas.

His birth from the caru

In the line of Purūravas through his son Vijaya, the son of Kuśāmbu was Gādhi, and Gādhi’s daughter was Satyavatī. A brāhmaṇa named Ṛcīka, of the Bhṛgu line, asked Gādhi to give her to him in marriage. Gādhi thought Ṛcīka was not a fitting bridegroom, and said: “We are of the Kuśika line. As the bride-price for our maiden you must give a thousand horses shining like the moon, each with one ear, either the right or the left, black.” Ṛcīka understood that Gādhi meant to refuse; he went to Varuṇa, brought such horses from him, gave them, and married the fair-faced maiden Satyavatī.

Both Satyavatī and her mother asked Ṛcīka Maharshi for offspring. The maharshi cooked caru, the rice of the oblation, with mantras for both, one with brāhmaṇa mantras for his wife and one with kshatriya mantras for his mother-in-law, and went to bathe. Before he came back, Satyavatī’s mother, thinking her daughter’s caru must be the better one, asked for it; Satyavatī gave it to her mother and ate her mother’s caru herself. When Ṛcīka learned of it, he said to Satyavatī: “You have done a wrong thing. You will have a son of cruel nature who bears weapons, and your younger brother will be the best of the knowers of the Veda.” Satyavatī pleaded, “Let it not be so,” and won his favour, and he said: “If so, your son’s son will be such a one.” Then Jamadagni, of peaceful nature, was born to her. Satyavatī, a great puṇyātmā, became the river Kauśikī, which flows and purifies people; and Gādhi’s son was Viśvāmitra, who by the power of his tapas gave up his kshatriya-hood and attained the splendour of a brāhmaṇa.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapters 15–16

Reṇukā and their sons

Jamadagni married Reṇukā, the daughter of Reṇu Maharshi. To Jamadagni Maharshi of the Bhṛgu line, sons were born from Reṇukā: Vasumān, Vasu, Susheṇa and Rumaṇvān. After them the youngest son was born, who became very famous in the world by the name Rāma, Paraśurāma. This Paraśurāma, who brought the line of the Haihayas to its end, is an aṃśa-avatāra of Śrī Hari; he made the earth empty of kshatriyas twenty-one times. The kshatriya hosts were full of rajas and tamas, evil-minded, and oppressed the knowers of the Veda; even though their offence was small, he slew them and removed the burden of the earth.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapter 15

Kārtavīrya at the āśrama, and the Kāmadhenu

Kārtavīryārjuna, lord of the Haihaya line, had served and worshipped Dattātreya, the aṃśa-avatāra of Nārāyaṇa, and by his grace had received a thousand arms, freedom from defeat, undiminished power of the senses, wealth, tejas, strength, fame and might, with the siddhis such as aṇimā and garimā. One day, hunting, he roamed in a dense forest and by chance, by the will of Īśvara, entered the āśrama of Jamadagni Maharshi.

Jamadagni, whose only wealth was tapas, had the Kāmadhenu, and by her grace he gave hospitality to the king, his army, his ministers and even his vāhanas. The wealth the king saw in the āśrama surpassed his own royal splendour; he came to desire the Kāmadhenu, and the maharshi’s hospitality gave him no joy. In his pride he ordered his followers to drag away the maharshi’s homa-dhenu, the cow that yields the offerings for the homa, and they dragged her, crying, together with her calf, by force to Māhishmatī.

When Rāma returned to the āśrama and heard of the king’s wickedness, he took up his fearful axe, a shield, a quiver and a bow, and went swiftly after Kārtavīrya, like an irresistible lion after an elephant. Alone he destroyed the king’s army of seventeen akshauhiṇīs; when Kārtavīrya loosed arrows from five hundred bows at once, Rāma cut them to pieces with the arrows of his one bow; he cut off the king’s arms like the hoods of serpents with his sharp battle-axe and struck off his head, which was like a mountain peak, and the king’s ten thousand sons fled.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapter 15

Jamadagni’s teaching on forbearance

Rāma, slayer of enemy heroes, brought the homa-dhenu, who had been grieving at being taken from the āśrama, back with her calf, and offered her to his father. He told his father and his brothers what he had done. Hearing it, Jamadagni said:

“O Rāma! Rāma! You have great strength of arm. But by slaying in vain a king who is the embodiment of all the devatās, you have done pāpa. My boy! We brāhmaṇas become worthy of honour through forbearance. It is through that very quality of forbearance that Brahmā, the creator of the world, attained Satyaloka, which surpasses all. The splendour of the knowers of the Veda shines through forbearance, like the light of the sun. Bhagavān Śrī Hari, lord of the world, is quickly pleased with those who have forbearance. To slay a king consecrated to sovereignty is a greater pāpa than brahmahatyā. Fix Acyuta in your mind, serve the puṇya-kshetras, and wash away the pāpa.”

Commanded thus by his father, Paraśurāma said, “So be it.” He went about the tīrthas continuously for one year and returned to the āśrama.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapters 15–16

Reṇukā at the Gaṅgā

One day Reṇukā Devī went to the bank of the Gaṅgā for water. There she saw Citraratha, king of the gandharvas, wearing a garland of lotuses, sporting in the water with apsarās. Watching him, she forgot that the time for her husband’s homa had come, and a slight desire for Citraratha arose in her. Seeing that the time had passed, she feared that Jamadagni Maharshi might give a śāpa. She came back, set the water-pot before the maharshi, and stood bowing with joined palms.

Jamadagni Maharshi knew that his wife had in her mind desired another man. He became fiercely angry and commanded: “Dear sons! Slay this woman who has done pāpa.” The elder sons did not obey. Then, at his father’s command, Paraśurāma slew his mother and his brothers, for he knew well the power of Jamadagni’s yoga and tapas. Jamadagni, the son of Satyavatī, was very pleased and urged him to ask a vara. Paraśurāma asked that his mother and brothers should live again, and that they should have no memory of having been slain. They rose up whole and at ease, as if from sleep. It was because he knew his father’s tapas-śakti that Paraśurāma had slain the mother and brothers he loved.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapter 16

The slaying of Jamadagni

The sons of Kārtavīryārjuna, whom Paraśurāma had defeated, found no peace anywhere, remembering their father’s slaying. One day, when Paraśurāma had gone to the forest with his brothers, they seized the chance and fell upon the āśrama to settle the old enmity. Jamadagni Maharshi was seated in the agnihotra-gṛha, the room of the sacred fire, his inner mind fixed on Bhagavān Śrī Hari of pure fame. Set on that deed of pāpa, they slew him. Those lowest of kshatriyas were very cruel: though Reṇukā pleaded piteously, they did not listen, but forcibly cut off Jamadagni’s head and took it away with them.

Reṇukā Devī, the pativratā, tormented in body and mind, beat her breast and cried aloud: “O son! Rāma! Rāma! Come!” Paraśurāma heard the cry while still far from the āśrama, hurried there, and saw his father slain. He said: “O father! You were a sādhu-purusha firm in dharma. You have left us and gone to svarga.” Then he entrusted his father’s body to his brothers, took up his battle-axe, and resolved to destroy the kshatriyas.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapter 16

Jamadagni restored, the seventh of the Saptarshis

Because of the princes who had committed brahmahatyā, the splendour of Māhishmatī was lost: Paraśurāma raised a great mountain of their heads in the middle of the city and made a terrible river of their blood. Taking his father’s slaying as the occasion, the all-powerful Paraśurāma made the earth empty of kshatriyas twenty-one times, and at Samantapañcaka in Kurukshetra he made five lakes filled with their blood.

He brought his father’s head and joined it to the trunk upon darbha grass, and with yajñas he worshipped Bhagavān Śrī Hari, who is he himself and the embodiment of all the devatās. As dakshiṇā he gave the east to the hotā, the south to the brahmā, the west to the adhvaryu and the north to the udgātā; the intermediate directions, beginning with the south-east, to the other ṛtvijas beginning with the prastotā; the middle portion to Kaśyapa; Āryāvarta to the upadrashṭā; and the land beyond the middle portion to the sadasyas. Then he took the avabhṛtha snāna in the Sarasvatī, who is of the form of the Veda, was freed from all pāpas, and shone on her bank like the sun freed from clouds.

Jamadagni obtained a body made of remembrance, a body of saṅkalpa. Receiving Paraśurāma’s pūjā, he became the seventh ṛshi in the circle of the Saptarshis. Bhagavān Paraśurāma, the lotus-eyed son of Jamadagni, will in the coming Sāvarṇi manvantara be the maharshi who sets the Vedas going; he dwells on Mount Mahendra even today, his inner mind serene, and the siddhas, gandharvas and cāraṇas sing his deeds.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapter 16

Among the Saptarshis of the present manvantara

Śuka tells Parīkshit that in the seventh manvantara, the one now going on, Śrāddhadeva, the son of Sūrya-deva, is Manu; the devagaṇas are the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the Maruts, the Aśvinī devatās and the Ṛbhus, and Purandara is their Indra. The Saptarshis are Kaśyapa, Atri, Vasishṭha, Viśvāmitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Bharadvāja.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 13

The adhvaryu of Hariścandra’s yajña

King Hariścandra, son of Triśaṅku, had vowed to offer to Varuṇa the son that Varuṇa granted him, and at last performed the yajña called Purushamedha with Śunaśśepa, whom his son Rohita had bought, as the yajña-paśu; he worshipped Varuṇa, Agni and the other devatās and was freed from the disease jalodara. The ṛtvijas of that yajña were Viśvāmitra as the hotā; Jamadagni, firm in mastery of the mind, as the adhvaryu; Vasishṭha as the brahmā; and Ayāsya as the udgātā, who sings the Sāma. Indra, pleased, gave Hariścandra a golden chariot.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 9, Chapter 7

With Sūrya in the month of Āśvayuja

Asked by Śaunaka, Sūta tells of the gaṇa of seven that moves with Bhagavān Sūrya and changes every month. For the month of Āśvayuja they are Tvashṭā, the Sūrya; Jamadagni Maharshi, the son of Ṛcīka; Kambala, the sarpa; Tilottamā, the apsarā; Brahmāpeta, the rākshasa; Śatajit, the yaksha; and Dhṛtarāshṭra, the gandharva. “These conduct the month of Āśvayuja.” These gaṇas are the vibhūtis of Bhagavān Vishṇu in the form of Sūrya, and the maharshis of the gaṇas praise Sūrya Deva with the mantras of the Ṛg-veda, Yajur-veda and Sāma-veda.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 11

Renukā Devī as Chinnamastā

There is a connection between Jamadagni’s narrative and the mantra śāstra. In the tradition of mantra upāsanā, Renukā Devī is venerated as a devī in a specific form known as Chinnamastā. Her appearance is described as severed head; she holds her own severed head in her left hand. From her decapitated body, three streams of blood gush upward. This is the iconography of Chinnamastā in mantra śāstra. Among renunciates, this is also referred to as Kapāla Moksha—the final moksha achieved through severing the kapāla or the skull, which is the ascent of the life force from the body to higher realms. Yoga texts mention that when the prāṇa leaves through the sushumnā nāḍi, the jīvātma ascends through the arcirādi mārga and attains moksha. The upāsanā of Chinnamastā confers such siddhis. For ordinary practitioners, she bestows yogic strength and concentration power. Though she holds her own severed head, she remains alive and conscious.

The three blood streams are the three vital prāṇa currents in the human body, indicating their ability to ascend all the way to Brahmaloka. This iconography represents a profound yogic mystery.

Chinnamastā has specific mantras and a formal practice of upāsanā. This entire form of the Devī is rooted in the story of Renukā Devī. The tantra texts affirm that she eternally remains in this form as Chinnamastā.

Per Bhavishya Purāṇa

Jamadagni is with Sūrya in Māgha and Phālguna, with Viśvāmitra. (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 52) He is one of the Saptarshis: Kaśyapa, Atri, Vasishṭha, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni. (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 125)

When the five wish-fulfilling cows arose at the churning of the Kshīra Sāgara, the devas gave them to Jamadagni, Bharadvāja, Vasishṭha, Asita and Gautama Muni, and these great ones accepted them. (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 69)

Sources

• Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa
• Brahma Purāṇa
• Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedha Parva
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 13, 15
• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 4, 150, 215
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 13; Skandha 9, Chapters 7, 15–16; Skandha 12, Chapter 11
• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 52, 125; Uttara Parva, Chapter 69