Jamadagni

Birth of Jamadagni Maharṣi and His Lineage

According to the prophecy of Cyavana Maharṣi, as we have known from his history, Jamadagni was born. Ṛcīka Maharṣi, who belonged to the Bhṛgu lineage, married Satyavatī, the daughter of King Gādhi from the Kuśika dynasty. However, King Gādhi did not give away his daughter immediately. He wanted to test Ṛcīka and confirm if he was a worthy groom. He demanded one thousand white horses with black ears as bridal wealth for his daughter Satyavatī. Ṛcīka, undeterred, prayed to Varuṇa Deva. The tradition of ṛṣis is such that they do not return empty-handed from the devas. If devas do not give, ṛṣis can create by their tapas. ṛṣis have the power to request anything from anyone in the world and obtain it. That is their authority, and they do not waste their tapas for mere material wealth. As in many examples from the Purāṇas, ṛṣis followed this practice. Ṛcīka, who had been offering regular oblations to Varuṇa without asking anything, now requested Varuṇa for these horses. Varuṇa Deva, upon the request, granted him one thousand such horses. Ṛcīka gave them to King Gādhi, and the marriage of Satyavatī was solemnized. Satyavatī was overjoyed to have a great sage as her husband. She was a devoted wife and pleased Ṛcīka with her service. Ṛcīka, pleased, asked her what boon she desired. Satyavatī said, “Swami! I am your dharma patnī. I desire a son. That is my natural wish. Also, my parents do not have a son. Kindly grant them a child too.” Ṛcīka agreed and performed a special yajña. He prepared two consecrated food offerings (caru) with mantras from the Rāja and Brāhmaṇa portions of the Veda. He told his wife, “The first caru will grant a son with supreme kṣatriya qualities. Give this to your mother. The second caru will grant a son with supreme brāhmaṇa qualities, calm and endowed with śama and dama. This is for you.” He instructed that Satyavatī would bear a brāhmaṇa son, and her mother would have a kṣatriya son. These qualities emerged not from blood but from the power of mantras and tapas. Ṛcīka then went to bathe in the river. Meanwhile, King Gādhi and his wife came to see their daughter and son-in-law. Satyavatī, in her excitement, explained to her mother about the prasāda given by Ṛcīka for progeny. In haste, she gave her mother the caru meant for herself and ate the one meant for her mother. When Ṛcīka returned from the river and learned of the mix-up, he said, “Now you will bear a son who will be a killer of kṣatriyas, extremely cruel. Your mother will bear a son who will be tapasvin and a brahmabhūta.” Satyavatī, terrified, prayed for a remedy. Ṛcīka told her, “I intended that you should have the brāhmaṇa son, and your mother a kṣatriya son. Since you switched the carus, this has reversed. However, as you are fearful, I will mitigate this. The intense cruel nature will not manifest in your son directly but will appear in your son’s son.” Thus, in time, Satyavatī gave birth to Jamadagni Maharṣi, and her mother gave birth to Viśvāmitra Maharṣi.

Jamadagni’s Life with Rēṇukā Devi and the Curse on Sūrya

Jamadagni married Rēṇukā Devi, daughter of Reṇu. He led a household life and, through his tapas, obtained a divine cow, Kāmadhenu. This cow could instantaneously provide food, vessels, and all items required for a feast to any number of people. There was no scarcity in their ashram. One day, Jamadagni and Rēṇukā went to the banks of Narmadā for recreation during the autumn season. The forest was filled with birds and flowers, creating a delightful atmosphere. While they were alone, Sūrya Deva, in the guise of a brāhmaṇa, approached Jamadagni and said, “O Maharṣi! You are Brahman personified, the creator of the Vedas, an ascetic immersed in tapas. Yet here you are, engaging in leisure with your wife during the day. This is not proper for someone of your stature. I am the witness of all karmas in the world. That is why I have come to say this.” At that moment, Rēṇukā felt embarrassed as her garments were not properly covering her body. Jamadagni became furious at Sūrya for interrupting their private moment. He said, “Sūrya Deva! Even if you are a deva, it is not dharma to intrude upon the privacy of a couple in solitude. With pride in your scholarship, you came to rebuke me? I am a disciple of Bhṛgu Maharṣi, a knower of the four Vedas. Do you think I do not know dharma and adharma? You are the witness of karmas and the dispenser of their fruits, but that does not give you the right to lecture me. We possess limitless tapas and have the protection of Nārāyaṇa. Our actions are always under his watch. We do not need devas or others to teach us dharma. Since you have broken our solitude, you will be cursed. You shall be eclipsed by Rāhu, become a pāpa-dṛśya, and lose your brilliance.” This is why, in Jyotiṣa, we see Rāhu eclipsing the Sun.

Sūrya replied to Jamadagni, “O Maharṣi! I came to fulfill my duty as karma-sākṣī. I cannot ignore what I witness. But I accept your curse without argument. However, if I remain permanently under your curse, I will become powerless, and the world will lose respect for me. I am eternal in this world, and you are mortal. If I silently bear this curse, it will affect my status. Therefore, to protect my role, I shall give you a counter-curse. You will meet your end at the hands of a kṣatriya, and your life will be taken away in a moment of rage.”

Jamadagni responded, “Do you think you are the only one with power to curse? I will give you another curse. One day, you shall be subdued by Śiva, and your pride will be destroyed.” Fearing this escalation, Brahmā intervened, appearing instantly along with Kaśyapa Prajāpati. Brahmā pacified both Sūrya and Jamadagni. He told Sūrya, “In the future, during heavy clouds and the rainy season, you shall become invisible and free from sin. On days when you are not visible, those who look for you and bathe will become pure. Even in astrology, when the Sun is in the 8th house (aṣṭama sthāna), 7th house (saptama), or 4th house (caturtha), you will not be considered inauspicious.” This special rule was established by Brahmā himself.

Brahmā then told Jamadagni, “There will be a kṣatriya named Kārtavīryārjuna, who will cause your death. But your fame will remain eternal. Moreover, Bhagavān Viṣṇu himself will be born as your son. He will destroy the world of kṣatriyas 21 times to eliminate adharma from the earth. Your death will thus become a cause for the world’s welfare.”

After this, Jamadagni and Sūrya exchanged respects and departed. They thought, “We too are bound by our previous karmas.” The anger of a Maharṣi is momentary. It flares for a moment but is immediately followed by forgiveness. Prolonged anger is not a brāhmaṇa’s characteristic. To hold onto anger for days is not dharma. Instantaneous anger may arise but must be forgotten quickly. This is the nature of a true brāhmaṇa. Jamadagni’s behavior with Sūrya exemplified this. This entire episode is narrated in the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa and the Anuśāsanika Parva of the Mahābhārata.

Brahmā’s Clarification on Jamadagni’s Curse and its Astrological Implications

Since Jamadagni said, “If one sees you, sin will occur; people will call you a sinner.” What did Jamadagni actually mean? His intention was that if someone sees Sūrya during a Rāhu-grasta (eclipse) moment, or when Sūrya are obscured, then as per the custom of that time, people would compulsorily take a bath considering it a sinful sight. That is why he said Sūrya would be considered pāpātma. Brahmā later modified parts of this curse. He said, “When the Sūrya is in the 7th house (saptama), 8th house (aṣṭama), 4th house (caturtha), or 10th house (daśama), and during birth when the Janma Nakṣatra is in naidhana (the death star position), both the Sūrya and the Chandra will become ‘adṛśya’—meaning they will not be seen as inauspicious.” The word ‘adṛśya’ here implies they will not be considered as causing pāpa (sinful influence). When Sūrya asked, “But I was cursed as a pāpa-dṛśya (a sinful sight), wasn’t I?” Brahmā explained, “That occurs only during specific times like sunset (asta kāla), when there is heavy cloud cover, or during mid-day reflections in water. Only then will you be considered pāpa-dṛśya. Moreover, your curse will manifest in another way—you will suffer sorrow due to your wife. Your brilliance will be diminished by her relatives, like father-in-law or brothers-in-law. In the future, you will be subdued by Śiva.” Thus, Brahmā conditioned the eternal pāpa-dṛśya curse to only specific times. This explanation also carries an astrological aspect. It means that when the Sūrya is in naidhana tāra (the death star) or in the naidhana sthāna in the birth chart, he becomes beneficial, not malefic. This rule is explicitly mentioned by Jamadagni but is not found in other śāstra texts. In fact, he clarified this in detail. When the Sūrya is in the 7th house, it is not a cause for sin but actually becomes favorable.

Origins of Paraśurāma’s Kṣatriya Saṁhāra

Reṇukādevī was serving her husband Jamadagni with great devotion. By his grace, she gave birth to five sons—Rumaṇvat, Suseṣaṇa, Vasu, Viśvāvasu, and Paraśurāma. Paraśurāma was born as an incarnation of Viṣṇu Himself. Reṇukādevī raised her children while continuing to serve her husband without any lapse in her duties. One day she went to the river. There, she saw Citraratha, the king of the Gandharvas, enjoying water sports with his wives, completely immersed in pleasure, unaware of his surroundings. Reṇukādevī saw this scene, but no mental disturbance occurred in her mind; however, due to her prolonged gaze, she inadvertently delayed her return. For a mahāpatīvrata woman like her, there was no need to observe such scenes of a king and his wives playing in water. Because of this, her unblemished chastity acquired a small stain. Just like the purest white cloth reveals the smallest stain, this was not considered a flaw for ordinary people, but for her level of austerity and chastity, it became a minor blemish. The water pot in her hand slipped and fell to the ground. In earlier times, when her pot had once accidentally broken, she could pick up the sand from the river and, just by her power, make it stand firm as a pot. But this time, she could not do it. The sand would not hold its shape, and the pot did not form. She understood that some impurity had arisen within her. She thought of abandoning her impure body in the river itself, but since she did not have permission from her husband, she refrained. She decided to return home, tell him everything, and accept whatever punishment he might give. She returned without the water pot.

When she arrived, Jamadagni already knew everything through his divine vision. He thought over whether she had indeed incurred a flaw. Concluding that she had, he decided, in rage, the punishment should be death. He called his sons and ordered them to behead their mother. The sons replied, “Father, you are like Parameśvara Himself. Our mother is a mahāpatīvrata. We are proud to have been born from her womb, having acquired such purity. How can we behead our own mother? We cannot bear to do this. Please forgive us.” The elder four sons refused to carry out the command. Then Jamadagni called his youngest son Paraśurāma and said, “My son, this is my command. Behead your mother.” Paraśurāma replied, “For me, father’s command is paramount. There is no need to consider dharma or adharma here.” Saying this, he beheaded his mother. Jamadagni then said, “Since your brothers disobeyed my command, you must also kill them.” Paraśurāma obeyed and beheaded his four elder brothers.

Jamadagni, pleased with Paraśurāma’s pitr̥bhakti and his strict adherence to his father’s word, told him to ask for a boon. Paraśurāma requested that his mother and brothers be brought back to life and that they love each other as before. Jamadagni, appreciating Paraśurāma’s love for his mother and brothers, told him to reattach their heads to their bodies, and they would rise again. Thus, by the grace of his father, Paraśurāma revived his mother and brothers.

At that time, the Haihaya dynasty kings, who were Kṣatriyas, ruled all of northern India, including present-day Afghanistan. There were 328 kings in that lineage. Though they had performed austerities and sacrifices, individually they lacked dharma and were arrogant. In that Haihaya lineage, Kārtavīryārjuna was born. He worshipped Dattātreya and, through his blessings, acquired immense powers. No enemy could defeat him. He had a thousand arms, possessed aṣṭa-siddhis, eternal vigor, yogic control, and strength that could not be diminished. On one occasion, when Rāvaṇa confronted him, Kārtavīryārjuna subdued him using just his little finger.

One day, by divine will, Kārtavīryārjuna went hunting and came to Jamadagni’s āśrama. Jamadagni welcomed him and, using his kāmadhenu, served a grand feast to Kārtavīryārjuna and his entourage. Seeing the miraculous cow, Kārtavīryārjuna desired to possess it. He asked Jamadagni for it, but Jamadagni refused, stating that it must remain with him. Without further discussion, Kārtavīryārjuna ordered his soldiers to seize the cow by force. As soon as they tried, from Jamadagni’s body emerged warriors with chariots and horses who destroyed Kārtavīryārjuna’s army. Kārtavīryārjuna then personally engaged Jamadagni in battle but could not defeat him. Jamadagni advised him to live righteously and let go of his desire for the cow, sending him away with compassion. But Kārtavīryārjuna returned not once but twenty-one times to wage war.

During one of these times, Jamadagni was absorbed in his austerities, with no awareness of the external world. Kārtavīryārjuna took advantage of this moment and beheaded Jamadagni. Jamadagni did not defend himself, believing his time with the body was complete, and remembering the curse of Sūrya. After killing Jamadagni, Kārtavīryārjuna tried to take the cow, but it vanished.

Reṇukādevī, wishing to follow her husband in death, prepared for sahagamana. But a divine voice stopped her, saying, “Mother, do not do this.” Meanwhile, Bhṛgu Maharṣi arrived and revived Jamadagni. This incident is mentioned only in the Brahmapurāṇa; other Purāṇas do not describe the revival.

After some time, Paraśurāma returned and learned the details from his mother, Reṇukā. She told him, “Your father was killed, and Bhṛgu Maharṣi brought him back to life.” Paraśurāma, enraged, decided to avenge his father. He took up his axe (granted to him by Śiva) and went to Māhiṣmatīpura. His axe was his weapon. When Kārtavīryārjuna sent seventeen akṣauhiṇī armies, Paraśurāma destroyed them all. When Kārtavīryārjuna himself came to fight, Paraśurāma cut off his thousand arms and beheaded him.

He returned to Jamadagni and reported the incident. Jamadagni told him, “Even if a king is wicked, a brāhmaṇa should not kill a Kṣatriya king. You have killed a ruler along with his entire army. This is a sin. To cleanse yourself, you must perform tīrthayātrā.” Paraśurāma, though born of Viṣṇu’s lineage, obeyed his father’s words and went on pilgrimages. The sons of Kārtavīryārjuna, however, sought revenge. They attacked Jamadagni while he was engaged in his austerities and killed him again. At that time, Reṇukā cried out, “Paraśurāma! Protect your father!” She cried this twenty-one times.

When Paraśurāma returned from his pilgrimage and saw what had happened, he resolved to avenge his father’s death. He said, “My mother called me twenty-one times. I will circumambulate the earth twenty-one times and destroy not only the Kārtavīryas but the entire Kṣatriya race.” He did exactly that, wiping out the Kṣatriyas and offering tarpaṇa to his father with their blood. Reṇukādevī then performed sahagamana with her husband.

Jamadagni’s Curse and the Secret of True Dāna

There is another episode in the life of Jamadagni Maharṣi. One day he was performing pitṛkārya, the ritual offering to ancestors. He carefully milked a cow and placed the fresh milk in a new pot. To test him, the deity named Krodha, in the form of a subtle principle, entered the āśrama and, pretending it was an accident, overturned the milk pot. Jamadagni did not get angry. In yajña, qualities like anger and peace exist as devatā forms, meaning they are embodied in mantras, not in anthropomorphic forms. For pitṛkārya, Jamadagni himself had prepared the milk with great care. With the milk now spilled, the ritual was spoiled, and extensive expiations would be needed. Yet, Jamadagni remained calm. Seeing this, Krodha appeared before him in person and said, “Mahātma, I have heard that the Bhṛgu lineage is known for their great anger. But in your case, that seems untrue. It was I who did this. Please forgive me.” Then Krodha disappeared. However, the pitṛkārya was not completed properly.

That night, the pitṛdevatās appeared to Jamadagni and said, “My child, you have committed a mistake. You prepared the milk carefully to offer to us, and when someone came and spilled it, you remained silent. This is not correct. There are times for peace, but this is not one of them. In such matters, remaining passive is not appropriate. Because of the calmness you exhibited here, the ritual became flawed. Due to this, you have incurred a doṣa and must experience its consequences. Therefore, in your next birth, you will be born as a nakula (mungīsa—a mongoose or someone without lineage).

Jamadagni pleaded with them, “O venerable fathers! For a tapasvin, it is said that anger is not suitable. That is why I did not get angry. I now realize my mistake. Please grant me liberation from this curse.” The pitṛs replied, “Child, we have no anger towards you. Even great beings cannot escape the fruits of karma. When you publicly reject a great dharma that is universally accepted by vipras through words of reason and refutation, then you will attain freedom from this curse.” Saying this, the pitṛs disappeared.

In his next birth, Jamadagni was born as a nakula—a mongoose. During the Aśvamedha yajña performed by Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Yudhiṣṭhira thought, “I am feeding lakhs of brāhmaṇas with golden plates. This is a great dāna.” A slight sense of pride entered his mind. Though it was minor, Kṛṣṇa does not tolerate even the smallest flaw in His devotees. So Kṛṣṇa called Yudhiṣṭhira and said, “Come, I will show you something.”

In that stream of water where the brāhmaṇas had washed their hands, this mungīsa was rolling about. One side of its body shone like gold, while the other side remained ordinary. The mungīsa kept rolling in the water, then came out, and again went back in. Yudhiṣṭhira asked Kṛṣṇa, “What is this wonder?” Kṛṣṇa replied, “Ask the mongoose itself.”

Yudhiṣṭhira asked, “Who are you, O venerable one?” The mungīsa said, “O Dharmarāja! The world is praising your Aśvamedha yajña, saying you are feeding lakhs of brāhmaṇas. The bell that rings once per lakh is ringing continuously. All are glorifying this dāna. I have heard of the greatness of annadāna from ancient times. Once, when I rolled in the dust of such a place of true dāna, part of my body turned to gold. Hearing of your great charity, I came here hoping that if I roll in this water, the rest of my body would also turn to gold. But no matter how much I rolled, my body did not change.”

Yudhiṣṭhira asked, “Who were you in that previous life? What was that dāna that made you partially golden while my vast dāna does not produce such a result? Please tell me.”

The mungīsa replied, “In a previous life, there was a poor brāhmaṇa who lived by unchavṛtti—gathering leftover grains. He lived with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. During a severe famine, he collected a handful of grains and made gruel. Each of them poured the gruel into four bowls to drink at midday. At that moment, Dharma, in disguise, came and asked for alms, saying he was starving. The brāhmaṇa offered his portion, but Dharma said his hunger was not satisfied. Then the wife gave her share, followed by the son and daughter-in-law. They gave him all the food they had prepared for the day. After drinking it, Dharma said, “I am satisfied,” and left.

The next day, Dharma came again. They had only water that day, so they offered it to him. On the third day, he came again. The brāhmaṇa said, “Mahātma! By fortune you have come, but we have nothing except these few drops of water. Please accept it.” Dharma drank it, poured some of the water on the ground, and revealed himself. He said, “I am Dharma. Because of your dāna, you will attain svarga and mokṣa.” The family was blessed and taken to higher worlds.

At that time, I was nearby. When Dharma poured the water after washing his hands, some of that water touched me. That little contact made a part of my body golden. Hearing of your Aśvamedha dāna, I came here hoping that the rest of my body would turn golden too. But nothing happened.”

Yudhiṣṭhira was humbled. He realized that true dāna is giving all that one has—not just giving according to convenience. A king feeding thousands with golden plates is not as significant as a poor brāhmaṇa giving his only meal. The greatness of dāna lies in what proportion of one’s resources are given, not the quantity alone.

The mungīsa explained further, “A donor who can give a crore but gives only a lakh is not a true dātā. He may still acquire some puṇya but it is not tyāga. Tyāga is giving everything. Dāna leads to puṇya; tyāga leads to mokṣa. ‘

त्यागेनैके अमृतत्वम् आनशुः।
Tyāgenaike amṛtatvam ānaśuḥ

Only through tyāga (sacrifice) can one attain immortality.

Thus, the mungīsa, which was Jamadagni in his previous birth, fulfilled the condition set by the pitṛs—rejecting a universally accepted dharma in the right way, pointing out the deeper truth of tyāga versus dāna. By doing so, he was freed from his curse. This is recorded in the Aśvamedha Parva of the Mahābhārata.

Renukā Devi as Chinnamastā

There is a connection between Jamadagni’s narrative and the mantra śāstra. In the tradition of mantra worship, Renukā Devi is venerated as a deity in a specific form known as Chinnamastā. Her appearance is described as severed head; she holds her own severed head in her left hand. From her decapitated body, three streams of blood gush upward. This is the iconography of Chinnamastā in mantra śāstra. Among renunciates, this is also referred to as Kapāla Mokṣa—the final liberation achieved through severing the kapāla or the skull, symbolizing the ascent of the life force from the body to higher realms. Yoga texts mention that when the prāṇa leaves through the suṣumnā nāḍi, the jīvātma ascends through the arcirādi mārga and attains mokṣa. The worship of Chinnamastā is said to confer such siddhis. For ordinary practitioners, she bestows yogic strength and concentration power. Though she holds her own severed head, she remains alive and conscious.

The three blood streams symbolize the three vital prāṇa currents in the human body, indicating their ability to ascend all the way to Brahmaloka. This iconography represents a profound yogic mystery.

Chinnamastā has specific mantras and a formal practice of worship. This entire form of the goddess is rooted in the story of Renukā Devi. Tantric texts affirm that she eternally remains in this form as Chinnamastā.