Secondary Tales of the Two Great Epics

Author(s): Rajendra I Nanavati
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 80

The Tales in Râmāyana
67
the broken thread, as it were, with the main story. Two, the profusion of secondary tales in this portion -- so characteristically purāņa-like and epic-unlike - climaxing, as it were, in the Viśvā mitra-story-cycle. The purpose of glorifying Viśvāmitra is obvious.
(5) The Parasurama Eipsode
After Viśvāmitra's departure, when the marriage-party is returning to Ayodhyā, Rāma, the son of Daśaratha, comes upon Rāma, the son of Jamadagni, who challenges him to fix an arrow on the Vaişņava bow which the latter possesses, and succeeding in it, for a dual combat. Rāma fixes the arrow and asks the challenger whether he should shoot at his present position or at the worlds for him hereafter. The challenger turns pale, and chooses the second option. He also recognises the hero as an incarnation and says that it is not a shame to lose at the hands of the lord of three worlds. 170
The episode is found in some versions of the MBh, but is not properly supported by the MSS-evidence and is therefore relegated to the Appendix there. 171 That the episode cannot form a part of the constituted text of an epic which is Bhrguised through and through is only very natural in view of the defeat of Bhārgava Rāma - the greatest of them all – depicted therein.
This is the last episode of BK, Rāma, the son of Jamadagni, is one of the three famous Rāmas of the Epic literature, the other two being Rāma, the son of Daśaratha, and Rāma, the plough-bearer. This similarity of namesake is played upon in this small episode so osten, rather so insistently, 172 that the intentions of its author become too obvious to be missed. The author wants to show the Ksatriya Rāma, the son of Dasaratha to be superior in martial prowess as well as religious splendour to the other famous Rāma, the son of Jamadagni. Rāma Jāmadagnya is known popularly as Paraśurāma and is famous for his feat of exterminating the Ksatriya-tribes 3 x 7 times. The MBh refers to it at every conceivable opportunity in almost identical words; triḥ sapta-kstvah prthivīkřtā njḥk satriyā purā/This Paraśurāmathe very embodiment of haughtiness, the god of death for the Ksatriyas – is, once again, cut to his size as it were by a Kșatriya Rāma. The reaction against the Brāhmin superiority is obvious.
It is interesting to note here that this Parasurama is shown to be the teacher of Bhisma, 173 of Droņa174 and of Karna175 in the MBh. Paraśurāma who is supposed to have lived in the interval between the Tretā and the Dvāpara Ages is here
170 BK. 73-75. 171 VanP, Appendix I, No. 14, pp. 1058-1060. 172 BK. 73. 22; 75.5; 75. 11; 75. 21; 75. 23. 173 Van P. 179-185; particularly 178. 16 ff. 174 AdiP. 121. 175 San P. 2-3.