Jamadagni
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
| Jamadagni | |
|---|---|
| Jamadagni Jamadagni telling about the Kartyaveerarjuna fault to Parashurama | |
| Affiliation | Saptarishi |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Ruchika (Descendant of Sage Brighu, son of Bramha) |
| Spouse | Renuka |
| Children | Vasu, Viswa Vasu, Brihudyanu, Brutwakanwa and Parashurama |
According to Hindu legends, Jamadagni (or Jamdagni, Sanskrit: जमदग्नि महार; Pali: Yamataggi) is one of the Saptarishi (Seven Great Sages Rishi) in the seventh, current Manvantara. He is the father of Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu.[1] He was a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the God of Creation. Jamadagni had five children with wife Renuka, the youngest of whom was Parashurama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Jamadagni was well versed in the scriptures and weaponry without formal instruction.
Lineage: Even today it is believed that we have descendants from Jamadagni's family tree. In fact other than being one of the saptharshis, Jamadagnis name is still in vogue with some families, particularly around south India carry Jamadagni Gotra.[2] Originally, it is briefed (source: Bhaagavatha purana) that Sage Bhrigu is the earliest predecessor to Jamadagni's family tree.
Bhrigu → Chyavana → Aaplavana → Aurava → Ruchika (Jamadagni's father)
Birth
According to the Bhaagavata Purana, sage Richika was asked by King Gadhi to bring thousand white horses with black ears to marry Satyavati. Richika with the help of Varuna brought those horses and the king allowed Richika to marry Satyavati.
After their marriage, Satyavati and her mother demanded from Richika the blessings for having a son. In accordance the sage prepared two portions of milk boiled rice for each, one with Brahma mantra (for Satyavati) and other with Kshaatra mantra (for his mother in law). Giving the respective portions, he went to perform his ablutions. Meanwhile, Satyavati's mother asked her daughter to take her portion and give Satyavati's to her. Her daughter followed her order. When Richika came to know about this exchange he said that the child born of his mother in law would be a great Brahmana, but his son would become an aggressive warrior who will bring bloodbath to this world. Satyavati prayed that her son would remain a calm sage but her grandson should be such an angry warrior. This results in Jamadagni being born as a sage (out of Satyavati's womb) and eventually, PrasashuRama being born as Jamadagni's son with a fearful reputation.
Thus Jamadagni was born from Satyavati who became a sage and one of the 7 great rishis (Saptharshis). Meanwhile, around the same time as Jamadagni's birth - Gadhi's wife (Satyavati's mother, whose name is not mentioned) gave birth to a son with Kshatriya traits names Kaushika. He later becomes world renowned "Vishwamitra", who was Kshatriya by birth but later ascended to the status of a Brahmarishi.[3]
Jamadagni had 5 sons from Renuka devi, of which Rama (ParashuRama) is arguably the most famous and known character. Parashurama is often accredited to be angry, reckless and anti-kshatriya. This perception is a common fallout due to stereotyping people. According to puranas and upanishats, ParashuRama's birth was destined to be an incarnation of Lord MahaVishnu - with a purpose of cleaning up the earth from autocracy, misgovernance, dictatorship and bad rule. The event of Kartiveeryarjuna describes in detail about how the 21 rounds of ParashuRama started.
Until Renuka Devi's beheading episode, Jamadagni is often projected to be impulsive and anger driven. But eventually, ParashuRama was granted 3 boons by Jamadagni after beheading Renuka, for which he prayed for the following wishes - 1) To bring all his brothers back to life, with memories of the past, except the beheading episode; 2) Bring Renuka Devi back to life; 3) Jamadagni should relinquish anger and use his knowledge for the betterment of mankind.
Early life
Jamadagni was the son of Ruchika, son of Aurava, son of Aaplavana (Apravana), son of Chyavana, son of Bhrigu.
A descendant of sage Bhrigu, Jamadagni literally meaning consuming fire. Vitahavya was a king but became Brahmaṇa under the influence of Bhrigus. His son, Saryati, was a great king. The Mahabharata refers to King Saryati as one of the greatest kings (24 kings) of the pre-Mahabharata.[4] Chyavana was the contemporary of King Kuśanābha. They had a son called Urva. Rishi Richika was born to Aurava, a son of Urva, and he married Satyavatī, daughter of King Gādhi. Jamadagni was born to Richīka and Satyavati, daughter of Kshatriyariya king Gaadhi.[5] Growing up he studied hard and achieved erudition on the Veda. He acquired the science of weapons without any formal instruction. His father, Richika had guided him though. The Aushanasa Dhanurveda which is now lost, is about a conversation between Jamadagni and Ushanas or Shukracharya on the exercises of warfare. Rishi Jamdagni went to King Prasenjit, of solar dynasty or Suryavansha, and asked for his daughter Renuka's hand in marriage. Subsequently, they (Jamdagni and Renuka Mata) were married, and the couple had five sons Vasu, Viswa Vasu, Brihudyanu, Brutwakanwa and Bhadrarama, later known as Parshurama.[5][6][7]
Legend of Jamdagni
 |
| Part of a series on |
| Hinduism |
|---|
 |
According to the Mahabharat, Jamadagni once became annoyed with the sun god Surya for making too much heat. The warrior-sage shot several arrows into the sky, terrifying Surya. Surya then appeared before the rishi as a Brahmin and gave him two inventions that helped mankind deal with his heat - sandals and an umbrella.[8]
Death
Jamadagni was later visited by the Haihaya king Kartavirya Arjuna (who was said to have thousand arms/hands), who he served a feast using a divine cow called Kamdhenu. Wanting the Divine Cow "Kamdhenu" for himself, the king offered wealth to Jamadagni which he refused. Then the king forcefully took the Kamdhenu with him asking Jamadagni to take it back if possible, but by the means of war, which Jamadagni was not willing to.
Knowing this fact and enraged, Parashurama killed the king, and retrieved the Kamdhenu by killing all of the army of the king Kartavirya Arjuna by himself alone. Later, three sons of the king killed Jamdagni because he was the father of Parashurama who had killed their father, that felt them the proper revenge of an eye-for-an-eye. They first stabbed Jamdagni twenty-one times and then sliced his head.
Again enraged, Parashurama killed all three brothers and retrieved the head of his father for cremation, and ultimately enacted a genocide on the kshatriya caste throughout the world for the next twenty-one generations since his mother beat her chest twenty-one times resembling a low-born in mourning after his father was stabbed by the miscreants.[9][10]
Buddhism
In the Buddhist Vinaya Pitaka section of the Mahavagga (I.245)[11] the Buddha pays respect to Jamadagni by declaring that the Vedas ( Shruti's) in their true form were revealed to the original Vedic rishis, including Jamadagni.[12][13]
References
- ^ Avalon, Arthur (Sir John Woodroffe) (1913, reprint 1972) (tr.) Tantra of the Great Liberation (Mahāanirvāna Tantra), New York: Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-20150-3, p. xli: The Rishi are seers who know, and by their knowledge are the makers of shastra and "see" all mantras. The word comes from the root rish Rishati-prāpnoti sarvvang mantrang jnānena pashyati sangsārapārangvā, etc. The seven great Rishi or saptarshi of the first manvantara are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vashishtha. In other manvantara there are other sapta-rshi. In the present manvantara the seven are Kashyapa, Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamdagnini, Bharadvaja. To the Rishi the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu, and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of Rishi are the Brahmarshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as Jaimini.
- ^ Gotra
- ^ Bhagavata Purana Skandha 9 chapter 15-16
- ^ Chronology of india from manu to Mahabharata. 2019. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-8194321309.
- ^ a b Subodh Kapoor (2004). A Dictionary of Hinduism: Including Its Mythology, Religion, History, Literature, and Pantheon. Cosmo Publications. pp. 185–. ISBN 978-81-7755-874-6.
- ^ George Mason Williams (2003). Handbook of Hindu Mythology. ABC-CLIO. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-1-57607-106-9.
- ^ Yves Bonnefoy; Wendy Doniger (1993). Asian Mythologies. University of Chicago Press. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-226-06456-7.
- ^ http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13b061.htm
- ^ Mani, Vettam (1 January 2015). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0597-2.
- ^ Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The illustrated encyclopedia of Hinduism. Internet Archive. New York : Rosen. ISBN 978-0-8239-2287-1.
- ^ P. 494 The Pali-English dictionary By Thomas William Rhys Davids, William Stede
- ^ P. 245 The Vinaya piṭakaṃ: one of the principle Buddhist holy scriptures ..., Volume 1 edited by Hermann Oldenberg
- ^ The Vinaya Pitaka's section Anguttara Nikaya: Panchaka Nipata, P. 44 The legends and theories of the Buddhists, compared with history and science By Robert Spence Hardy
Hindu deities and texts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gods |  | |
| Goddesses | ||
| Other deities | ||
| Texts (list) | ||