Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Jamadagni included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Jamadagni
A hermit of majestic power. He was the father of ʲśܰ峾.
Genealogy.
Descended from վṣṇ in the following order are: �ṛg�Cyavana�Aurva�Ṛcī첹�Jamadagni.
Birth.
There is an interesting story about the birth of Jamadagni. was the son of king Kuśāṃba. A daughter named ٲⲹī was born to . The hermit Rcīka giving a dowry of one thousand horses, each with one black ear, married ٲⲹī. Once ٲⲹī told her husband that herself and her mother wanted to get a child each. After the sacrifice of oblations to Agni (fire), Ṛcī첹 took two parts filled with boiled rice and gave them to ٲⲹī, with mantras (spells). The radiance of was invoked into one pot and the radiance of ṣāt was invoked into the other. The hermit had asked ٲⲹī to eat the rice into which the radiance of had been invoked and to give the other pot to her mother. But the daughter and mother changed the pots secretly and ٲⲹī ate the rice in the pot into which ṣāt radiance was invoked and gave the pot of rice filled with -radiance to her mother. Both the women conceived. As the child grew in the womb the radiance of shone on the face of the mother and ṣāt lustre was seen on the face of ٲⲹī, Rcīka asked ٲⲹī for the reason. She admitted the secret interchange of the pot.
ٲⲹī and her mother both delivered at the same time. ٲⲹī got the son Jamadagni, who was the embodiment of ṣāt tejas and the child with tejas born to the mother was վś峾ٰ. Therefore, in some ʳܰṇa վś峾ٰ is described as the uncle of Jamadagni whereas in some others they are said to be brothers. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapter 57).
A house-holder.
When Jamadagni grew up he made a tour and visited the holy places one by one and reached the palace of King Prasenajit of the family of ṣv. He saw the beautiful daughter of King Prasenajit and fell in love with her. He requested Prasenajit for the hand of . The King, without raising any objection gave his daughter in marriage to Jamadagni. The couple came to the bank of the river and erecting a hermitage began 'tapas' (penance). Four sons, Ṛumaṇvān, Suhotra, Vasu and վś屹 were born to Jamadagni by . (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapter 58).
The birth of Paruśu rāma.
Because of the wickedness of the ṣaٰⲹ Kings, the goddess Earth became miserable. She made a representation to who took her to the sea of Milk and told Ѳ屹ṣṇ everything. Ѳ屹ṣṇ promised to take an incarnation as the son of Jamadagni and destroy all the wicked Kings. Accordingly gave birth to ʲśܰ峾, who was an incarnation of Ѳ屹ṣṇ. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapter 59).
Jamadagni getting the bow of վṣṇ.
Once the devas (gods) desired to know who, of Ś and վṣṇ was the more powerful. They informed of their desire. asked վś첹 to make two tremendous bows. He gave one to Ś and the other to վṣṇ. The bow which վṣṇ got was known as ղṣṇ貹 and that which Ś got was known as Śaiva貹. After this caused enmity between Ś and վṣṇ. A terrible battle ensued between Ś and վṣṇ. After a while the Śaiva貹 became less effective. At the request of the devas, the fight was stopped. The devas decided that վṣṇ was superior to Ś, in power. Ś got angry at this decision and gave his bow to ٱ𱹲ٲ Janaka, the King of Videha. It was this bow that Śrī 峾 broke at the marriage of ī.
Seeing that Ś had given away his 貹 (bow) Ѳ屹ṣṇ gave his bow to his devotee, the hermit Ṛcī첹. That ղṣṇ 貹 was given to Jamadagni by Ṛcī첹. Thus the famous ղṣṇ 貹 arrived at the hermitage of Jamadagni. (ī쾱 峾ⲹṇa, ṇḍ, Sarga 75).
was killed.
ʲśܰ峾 became fourteen years old. Jamadagni went to the forest to gather fruits, roots etc. After completing the cleansing work of the hermitage, leaving ʲśܰ峾 in the forest, went to the bank of the river () to fetch water. When she reached the river, ٲīܲԲ and his wives were playing in water. She waited for them to go. When they were gone she got into the river. But as the water was muddy because of the play, she walked a little to the east where there was pure water. She saw there Citraratha the King of playing with his wife in the water. How beautiful they were! She had never seen so beautiful a woman or so handsome a man. She stood there looking at them for a while. When she reached the hermitage with water, Jamadagni had already returned a long while ago. He had returned weary and tired of the heat of the midday-sun. He did not see his wife in the hermitage. He had been sitting very angry when returned with water. She put the pot down and bowed before her husband and told him the reason for her being late. When he heard the reason his anger blazed. He called his sons one by one and ordered them to kill her. But the four elder sons did not dare to execute his order saying that slaughter of a woman was a great sin. But ʲśܰ峾 came forward and by a cutting-arrow cut off the head of his mother. The father called the four sons who disobeyed him and cursed them thus:
"Since you have disobeyed the order of your father, because of your ignorance, you shall become foresters and live in forest."
Being overwhelmed with sorrow at the death of his mother, ʲśܰ峾 swooned and fell down. When his anger subsided, discretion dawned on Jamadagni. He aroused his son and took him on his lap and asked him what boon he wanted for having accomplished the unaccomplishable task. ʲśܰ峾’s request was that his mother should be brought to life again. The hermit was pleased and he brought to life again. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapter 60).
The sun gave Jamadagni an umbrella and sandals.
See under the word Cerippu (Sandals).
The temptation of Dharma.
See under the word 'Dharma' Para 6.
Jamadagni was killed.
Once ٲīܲԲ, with his minister Candragupta and some attendants had been hunting in the forests on the banks of the river . It was noon. The hunters grew tired of hunger and thirst. They came to the hermitage of Jamadagni. The hermit called his divine cow śī and ordered her to give food to the King and his party. Within a few seconds meals were got ready for thousands of people. The King and his attendants had a feast. On their return journey the wonderful cow śī was the subject of their talk. The King wanted to get the cow which possessed divine power. So he sent his minister Candragupta to the hermitage of Jamadagni with instructions to get the cow śī in exchange for a crore of cows or even half of the kingdom. But the hermit was not prepared to give the cow. The minister and his men caught the cow by force and went away. The hermit, filled with grief, followed the party a long way through the forest, and requested Candragupta to return the cow. Candragupta got angry and struck him to death, and took the cow to the palace, in the capital city of ṣmī.
After waiting for a long time, started in search of her husband. She saw Jamadagni lying almost dead, in a pool of blood. She fell down and beating her breast cried aloud. ʲśܰ峾 with ṛtṇa and other disciples came there. When she saw her son ʲśܰ峾, she beat her breast twentyone times* and cried. ʲśܰ峾, took an oath that since his mother beat her breast twentyone times and cried, he would travel around twentyone times and put an end to the ṣaٰⲹ Kings. After that they took the dead body of Jamadagni and placed it on fire, and began to sing the song of վṣṇ. Then the hermit Śܰ came by that way and with the help of ṛtñīī brought Jamadagni to life again. The lost cow śī also returned without her calf. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapter 69; Ѳٲ ŚԳپ Parva, Chapter 49).
Death of Jamadagni.
ʲśܰ峾 and ṛtṇa went to the city of ṣmī with the intention of bringing the calf of śī back. They stood at the gate of the city and challenged ٲīܲԲ for a fight. ٲīܲԲ came out with his army. In the battle which ensued, ٲīⲹ and his sons and most of his warriors fell dead. ʲśܰ峾 and ṛtṇa returned with the calf. Jamadagni asked ʲśܰ峾 to go to Mahendragiri and do penance in order to mitigate the sin of killing a large number of people. When ʲśܰ峾 had gone for penance, ŚūԲ a son of ٲīܲԲ came with his men to the hermitage, cut off the head of Jamadagni and took it away. ʲśܰ峾 and the disciples of Jamadagni placed the dead body of Jamadagni on the pyre and burnt it. jumped into that fire and died. After this ʲśܰ峾 began his twentyone tours for the extermination of the ṣaٰⲹ Kings. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapter 86).
Other information.
(1) Udayana grew up in the hermitage of Jamadagni. (See under Udayana).
(2) Jamadagni was one of the hundred sons of Ṛcī첹. (Ѳٲ Ādi Parva, Chapter 66, Stanza 45).
(3) Jamadagni was one of the hermits, who visited Śrī 峾 on his return from forest life. The hermits who came to ǻ from the North were, śⲹ貹, 屹Ჹ, the Sanakas, Śarabhaṅga, ٳܰ, Ѳٲṅg, Vibhāṇḍaka, Tumburu and the ٲṣi (the seven hermits). Uttara 峾ⲹṇa).
(4) Jamadagni was present at the Janmotsava (birth celebration) of Arjuna. (Ѳٲ Ādi Parva, Chapter 122, Stanza 51).
(5) This hermit is a luminary in the assembly of . (Ѳٲ Parva, Chapter 11, Stanza 22).
(6) During the time of the battle of Ѳٲ, Jamadagni entered ܰܰṣeٰ and advised ٰṇa to stop the battle. (Ѳٲ ٰṇa Parva, Chapter 190, Stanza 35).
(7) Jamadagni once delivered a speech on the bad sides of accepting rewards, to the King Vṛṣādarbhi. (Ѳٲ ԳśԲ Parva, Chapter 93, Stanza 44).
(8) Jamadagni vowed that he was innocent in the affair of the stealing of Agastya’s lotus. (Ѳٲ ԳśԲ Parva, Chapter 94, Stanza 25).
The Names of Jamadagni.
Āī첹, , nandana, ṛgśārdūla, ṛgśreṣṭha, Bhṛgūttama Ṛcī첹putra are the names used by ղ to denote Jamadagni, in ٲ.
*) Seeing his mother beating her breast twentyone times, caught hold of her hands and said "Mother, stop afflicting your body. Don't be sorry. I am here to end your sorrow. Since you have beaten your breast twentyone times, I will annihilate the ṣaٰⲹ Kings twentyone times." 峾 took an oath thus, to his mother.