Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 9.16.18-19

tad-raktena nadim ghoram

abrahmanya-bhayavaham

hetum kritva pitri-vadham

kshatre 'mangala-karini

trih-sapta-kritvah prithivim

kritva nihkshatriyam prabhuh

samanta-pancake cakre

sonitodan hradan nava

SYNONYMS

tat-raktena -- by the blood of the sons of Kartaviryarjuna; nadim -- a river; ghoram -- fierce; abrahmanya-bhaya-avaham -- causing fear to the kings who had no respect for brahminical culture; hetum -- cause; kritva -- accepting; pitri-vadham -- the killing of his father; kshatre -- when the whole royal class; amangala-karini -- was acting very inauspiciously; trih-sapta-kritvah -- twenty-one times; prithivim -- the entire world; kritva -- making; nihkshatriyam -- without a kshatriya dynasty; prabhuh -- the Supreme Lord, Parasurama; samanta-pancake -- at the place known as Samanta-pancaka; cakre -- he made; sonita-udan -- filled with blood instead of water; hradan -- lakes; nava -- nine.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

Parasurama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his eternal mission is paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca dushkritam [Bg. 4.8] -- 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 Parasurama killed all the kshatriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were disobedient to the brahminical culture. That the kshatriyas had killed his father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the kshatriyas, the ruling class, had become polluted, their position was inauspicious. Brahminical culture is enjoined in the sastra, especially in Bhagavad-gita (catur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]). According to the laws of nature, whether at the time of Parasurama 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 Parasurama 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 varnasrama-dharma, it will certainly have to face such catastrophes as formerly brought about by Lord Parasurama.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness