Sage Jamadagni, one of the Saptarishis of the present Manvatara, is known to have descended from the family of Sage Brigu (one of the prajapatis). He is more popular as the father of Sage Parashurama who is a personification of obedience towards his father like Lord Ramachandra. Sage Jamadagni as he belongs to the clan of Brigu which is well-known for anger is never said to be angry or to possess short temperament. As he belonged to the lineage of Bhrigu, Krodha Devatha (deity in charge of anger quality) wanted to test Sage Jamadagni and hence took the form of Brahmin in the human form and came to the hermitage of Sage Jamadagni. Sage Jamadagni was making arrangements to serve his Ancestral Gods (Pitru Devatas) at that time and he was arranging fresh cow’s milk to offer to them as a part of the ritual. Seeking the right opportunity, this disguised Brahmin made the milk to overturn and spill over the ground. Sage Jamadagni did not get angry because of this mistake as it might disturb the course of rituals and continued fulfilling the ritual as usual with a minor shortcoming of not offering the milk. The Pitru Devatas grew angry for being tolerant towards the Brahmin who caused the milk to spill. As it is known that the six negative emotions are internal enemies of any human being with a weak mind but for a saint like Jamadagni, who is a true personification of Sattvik energies, is expected to show anger when it is required even though he is tranquillest in nature. As a lesson for him, Pitru Devatas cursed him to become Nakula (a living entity which do not have any kula (caste) i.e., mongoose). As he accepted the curse, he has taken a birth as mongoose and was released when King Yudhistara performed Aswamedha Yagna. Sage Jamadagni was known to be the authority of all Vedas as he always engaged himself in gathering knowledge. He was a great yogi who performed severe penance. He went to King Prasenajit, who was one of the descendents of Raghu vamsa and ancestor to Lord Rama, and asked his daughter Renuka in marriage. The king being aware of the greatness of this sage gladly offered his daughter to Sage Jamadagni as his wife. Even though she was a princess, Renuka never gave Sage Jamadagni a chance to complain while fulfilling her duties as an ideal wife. They begot five sons in the course of time who were named as Rumanwat, Sushena, Vasu, Viswavasu and Jamadagnya (also known as Parashu Rama and Bhargava Rama). Renuka’s idealness and single-minded devotion towards her husband was so great that she used to carry a wet earthen pot everyday to fetch water for household chores from a near by river and it never broke. As a part of her daily duties, she once went to fetch water in a wet earthen pot and by chance she had a glimpse of one handsome Gandharva enjoying water sports in the river with his queens. Renuka’s mind dwindled for materialistic pleasures only for a moment which affected her piousness and made the earthen pot to fall on ground and it was not able to hold water any more. She was in a dilemma how to face her husband with an impure heart which will signify by the breakage of the pot. Hence she could not return to the hermitage and was left alone near the river. Sage Jamadagni realized that his wife was taking long time to return and through his sixth sense he was able to understand what the reason behind it was. He immediately commanded all his five sons’ one after the other to kill their mother as her thoughts were unpurified. All the four elder sons viewed the order of their father through the egoistic filters and disobeyed him. For this disobedience towards him he cursed them to become statues. Parashurama, who is obedient to his father and wise by nature, did not get effected by the egoistic tendencies like his elder brothers and beheaded his mother at once and bowed before his father to receive punishment as Mathru Gathuka (Killer of mother). Sage Jamadagni with a smile on his face posed a question to him that what punishment he can give to Parashurama’s weapon “Parashu” (an axe in Sanskrit). Parashurama was dumbstruck and looked at his father with a question mark face. Sage Jamadagni then explained to Parashurama that as the axe was his instrument to fulfill his father’s(Sage Jamadagni) order, similarly Parashurama was also used as an instrument by him(Jamadagni) to make his wife Renuka to be free from her sinful tendencies and consoled him that he don’t behold any sin of killing his own mother. Later as a gift of his obedience towards him, Sage Jamadagni brought back his mother and brothers to life as requested by Parashurama. Sage Jamadagni was a saint with sattvik energies even though he was well-versed in Vedic knowledge and war craft weaponry. He is the Guru to his son Parashurama who possessed the qualities of Kshatriya even though a Brahmin by birth. At that time, the place where Sage Jamadagni’s hermitage falls was in the kingdom of Haihaya dynasty ruled by Kartaveeryarjuna who was known to possess one thousand arms because of a boon from Dattatreya (Son of Sage Atri, incarnation of Lord Vishnu). This Haihaya king was known to be a Brahma Jnani and had many queens. He arranged a forest sport along with his queens and happened to visit the hermitage of Sage Jamadagni. Being the King of the Land and a guest, Sage Jamadagni arranged for a wonderful feast to the king’s family and his associates who were with him in the forest sport. Kartaveeryarjuna was wonderstruck at the sumptuous treatment of a poor sage and inquired about his wealth. Sage Jamadagni revealed that he has a possession of a Divine Cow Kamadhenu which was acquired by him through his penance. In the Vedic age, many great sages possessed Kamadhenu cows which can fulfill any kind of desire of the possessors. King Karthaveeryarjuna asked the sage to give to him so that such a cow can have a better treatment in a King’s palace. Sage Jamadagni rejected his plea softly. Karthaveerya got enraged and announced a war against the sage. For the purpose of saving his honor, Sage Jamadagni requested Kamadhenu for the required army to face the king. King’s army was huge and Kamadhenu sent the created army for 21 times. King Karthaveerya was losing his patience and abusing the sage which made Parashurama angry. He enquired with his father that why he is not facing the king directly even though he was capable of it. Sage Jamadagni answered him by saying that the King is like a father of the land and his authority has to be respected. Meanwhile, the king lost his patience and army which made him to kill Sage Jamadagni in anger. Parashurama could not tolerate this and killed Karthaveeryarjuna in turn. Sage Jamadagni’s death caused severe grief to his wife and she willed to enter the funeral pyre along with his dead body. Sage Bhrigu (grandfather of Jamadagni) stopped her and brought back Sage Jamadagni to life. Parashurama was directed by his father to go on a pilgrimage to wash off his sin of killing the King of Land. Parashurama left the hermitage as directed by his father. This was not the end of disaster as sons of Karthaveerya invaded Sage Jamadagni’s hermitage in Parashurama’s absence and killed this great sage once again and brothers transforming the whole hermitage into a burial ground. Sati Renuka in severe grief of losing her husband and sons called out Parashurama’s name for 21 times. Parashurama’s being a sage himself was able to hear to his mother’s soul-calling and returned to see the heap of dead bodies in his father’s hermitage. Parashurama’s angle of Bhrigu clan came into action and he invaded whole land of Earth for 21 times and killed all the humans of Kshatriya race as he has taken a oath on the funeral pyre of his father and brothers of not leaving a single life of Kshatriya race alive. All the 21 times he won the wars. After this massacre Sage Parashurama donated the whole land won by him to Sage Kashyapa and went to perform penance for Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared before Parashurama and asked him what his will is. Sage Parashurama prayed for his father’s life. Lord Shiva became fond of Parashurama’s devotion and adoration towards his father and blessed his father back to life and also blessed him with a wonderful astra by name “Bhargavastra”, henceforth Sage Parashurama became to be known as “Bhargava Rama”. He continued to be an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Sage Jamadagni continued with his penance practice and attained the higher status to be one among the Saptarishis. Sage Jamadagni was a saint of great Sattvik energies and never utilized his penance power to destroy or curse any living entity. He was blessed with a wonderful progeny who was a sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu as he possessed great intelligence which transformed him to be a saint of great wisdom and tranquillity personified.
