Jamadagni
जमदग्नि
Jamadagni
Father of Parashurama (6th avatara) + uncompromising tapasvi of the Bhargava lineage
Consort
Renuka
Presiding deity
Agni + Surya
Principal sons
- • Parashurama (the 6th avatara of Vishnu)
- • Rumanvan
- • Sushena
- • Vasu
- • Vishvavasu
Veda contribution
Composer of many sukta of Rigveda Mandala 9 (the Soma Mandala) and Mandala 10
Associated tirthas
- • Jamadagni ashrama (Chitrakoot)
- • Renuka Lake (Sirmour, H.P.)
- • Parashurama Kund (Arunachal Pradesh)
Story
Jamadagni, descendant of the great Bhrigu, is the father of the avatara Parashurama. He kept a forest ashrama with the divine cow Kamadhenu, which the king Kartavirya Arjuna of the Haihayas coveted; when the king's men killed Jamadagni and stole the cow, Parashurama in fury vowed to destroy the kshatriya kings of the earth twenty-one times. Earlier, when Jamadagni's tapasic perception detected a momentary lapse in his wife Renuka's mind, he commanded each of his sons in turn to slay her; only Parashurama obeyed, and was then granted the boon to ask for her restoration — which he did. Jamadagni is one of the most uncompromising of the seven rishis, embodying tapasic fire in its most concentrated form.
Key teaching
Tapas is the fire that admits no compromise. It can shatter the unjust order of kings — but it requires absolute mastery of the senses to wield without harm.
Principal scriptures
- • Rigveda Mandalas 9, 10
- • Mahabharata Vana Parva 115-116
- • Bhagavata Purana 9.15-16
Modern relevance
The Jamadagnya / Bhargava lineage gave the Parashurama tradition that founded the coastal Konkan and Kerala. Parashurama Kund in Arunachal Pradesh remains a major pilgrim site; the Renuka Lake in Himachal is one of the most sacred sarovars.