Mercy above Justice

The Vengeance of the Sage Jamadagni for the Adultery of Renuka

As dark clouds glowered in the heavens portending a dangerous storm,  Renuka returned to the ashram, without the water pots, which she had broken. Her face was ashen with shame. She knew that she had broken her vows of chastity to her husband and feared his anger. Now Jamadagni had a special power to read minds and knew the mind of his wife, Renuka. He knew that the King, her father, had never really approved of him and had made the match only to appease the gods. He knew that she had always been in love with prince Citraratha. He knew that she was sometimes ashamed of being married to a poor and scholarly brahmana, and dreamed of royal opulence. 

So, when Renuka returned home late, without any waterpots, she found a real storm at home. Her husband Jamadagni could read her as well as he read the Upanishads. He knew that her thoughts had been impure. He knew that she was envious of the queens of young Chitraratha, that she was burning with lust for the young prince, and that she had committed mental adultery and so offended the great sage her husband. He was determined to punish her.

                When she entered the ashram, shamed, without the water pots, she could understand that her husband knew everything. Her face revealed her inner anxiety. She blushed and stammered when Jamadagni asked, “Where have you been?” Enraged, the sage knew the truth. “Adultery is a sin,” he said, his face a mask of anger. “A sin punishable by death!”

                So saying, that great sage, moved by the terrible anger of the jealous husband, turned to his sons. “Kill her.” he said, brandishing an axe.

How could he ask such a thing? Could it be that the sage might foresee the future? Could it be that with his all-seeing vision, he understood the part that little Ram would play? Jamadagni was a deeply knowledgeable thinker after all. Was he revealing to all for the first time the mystic powers of his youngest son? It was said that Jamadagni’s mother had been cursed so that her grandson,  a brahmaṇa, would have the tendencies of a great kshatriya. Was this all a test?

                Little Ram’s brothers were shocked. They were unable to act. First Rumanwat, and then Sushena were ordered, but could not act. Then Vasu and Vishavasu disobeyed their father.  Finally the sage Jamadagni turned to little Ram and said, “Take this ax. Kill your useless brothers and their mother. Strike off their heads. Now. Obey your father.”

                And little Ram, remembering the dream and the cobra whose head was restored took up the axe. Perhaps his father knew some way to restore them, to bring them back to life. He wasn't sure. He knew he had to obey his father or die.  The dark storm clouds parted a bit and a ray of light fell from the heavens. The sun had not yet set. A dove, seeing the sliver of sunlight, began to coo in the tamarind tree outside the ashrama.  Ram looked down. The shining blade gleamed in his hands. Renuka cringed. Emotionless, he swung the ax and beheaded his brothers, who stood there white as ghosts, unable to move. It was as if he were in a dream. He felt compelled by his father's mystic power to act. He must obey. Finally swinging the ax for the last time, with one blow he beheaded his mother.His brothers lay dead on the floor. His mother’s lifeless body lay dead on the floor.

               The sky turned dark again. A thunderclap sounded. With a lightning flash the sky lit up. It began to rain. Huge oily drops of rain fell heavily against the black earth. With another thunderclap the downpour began. In the deluge,  rivulets and streams appeared on the jungle floor, washing the earth, and turning the black soil to mud.

Blood stained the floor of the ashrama. Little Ram looked at his father, tears in his eyes, still holding the ax. His mother and brothers lay beheaded on the floor a mass of bodies and entangled limbs. Ram's eyes burned as he stared at his father. The great sage Jamadagni turned  to young Ram and smiled. He said, “You have obeyed my orders son. You are my true son. Ask what you will of me. I have great mystic power and will grant it.”

                Young Ram, remembered his dream. Lord Vishnu had said, "Die to Live." He remembered the cobra, killed by the crane and restored to life. "Life is eternal," he thought. "My father has mystic power."

"Speak up boy," said, his father. "You have obeyed me. Your brothers failed. They didn't understand the value of honoring their father. You shall be rewarded. Ask."

"Anything?" Said the boy.

"Because of my great austerities and penances I have achieved certain mystic powers," his father said. "Ask what you will, and I shall grant it."

"You spoke of forgiveness the other day. Mercy is above Justice, you said. I you can grant my wish,  then restore life to my brothers and my mother. Death has purified my mother and brothers from their sins. Forgive them and restore their life."

"Is that all?" said Jamadagni.

"One more thing. Make them forget that this happened. Make them forget that  I have done this foul deed. I obeyed you, even when you asked me to do something terrible. Return my brothers and my mother to me. Let them remember nothing of what has happened or what I have done.”

“So be it.” said his father. “You have chosen well. I expected no less of you. What else?”

“I want to be a warrior. I feel it in my heart. I can protect everyone with the power of my right hand. But I need your blessing.  Make me invincible in combat, grant me long life and eternal youth, that I may right injustices and restore the laws of dharma wherever they are broken.”

“Granted my son.” And from this day, people will call you Paraśurāma which means, 'Ram who carries the two-handed axe.' You shall be feared and respected by kings, for although you were born a brahmaṇa, the son of a humble thinker, you have the character of a fierce warrior, determined to right all wrongs. And as soon as you are of age, I shall send you to the forest to learn the art of war."

                And so saying, Jamadagni sat in a trance for a while. He sat in the lotus position and meditated on Lord Shiva. And then standing he sprinkled the holy water of his divine kamandalu over the Renuka and her sons. 

With this the scene was transformed. The young Ram’s brothers were restored and whole again, the blood disappeared, Ram’s mother arose as if from a deep sleep. 

Renuka smiled. "What a strange dream I had," she said. "I dreamed I went to the river and one of the monkeys broke my waterpot."

Their memories had been wiped clean of all misdoings and their hunger restored. The boys jumped up and asked their mother if lunch was ready, and she replied smiling, “I’m going to make rice with green mango chutney.” The boys smiled and went to pick more mangos near the banana trees behind the ashram.

Mango and banana trees, Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip Dham, India

                No one remembered the incident, only young Ram and  his father the great sage, Jamadagni. It all seemed like a dream now. As time passed, the monsoon came and went and the Narmada flooded her banks. The rice grew in the paddy and the tigers stalked the water buffalo in the long grass by the river. Jamadagni spoke often of the treachery of kings in his lectures which were attended by more young men eager to learn.