260 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 9, Ch. 16

trih-sapta-krtvah prthivim
krtva nihksatriyam prabhuh

samanta-paricake cakre
Sonitodan hradaén nava

tat-raktena—by the blood of the sons of Kartaviryarjuna; nadim—a
river; ghoram—fierce; abrahmanya-bhaya-avaham—causing fear to
the kings who had no respect for brahminical culture; hetum—cause;
krtva—accepting; pitr-vadham—the killing of his father; ksatre—when
the whole royal class; amarigala-kdrini—was acting very inauspiciously;
trih-sapta-krtvah—twenty-one times; prthivim—the entire world;
krtvaé—making; nihksatriyam—without a ksatriya dynasty; prabhuh—
the Supreme Lord, Parasurama; samanta-parcake—at the place known
as Samanta-paficaka; cakre—he made; Sonita-udén—filled with blood
instead of water; hradan—lakes; nava—nine.

TRANSLATION

With the blood of the bodies of these sons, Lord Parasurima
created a ghastly river, which brought great fear to the kings who
had no respect for brahminical culture. Because the ksatriyas, the
men of power in government, were performing sinful activities,
Lord Parasurama, on the plea of retaliating for the murder of his
father, rid all the ksatriyas from the face of the earth twenty-one
times. Indeed, in the place known as Samanta-pajicaka he created

nine lakes filled with their blood.

PURPORT

Parasurama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his eternal
mission is paritrandya sadhiindm vinasadya ca duskrtam—to protect the
devotees and annihilate the miscreants. To kill all the sinful men is one
among the tasks of the incarnation of Godhead. Lord Parasuradma killed
all the ksatriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were dis-
obedient to the brahminical culture. That the ksatriyas had killed his
father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the ksatriyas, the rul-
