FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.7.22

క్షత్రం క్షయాయ విధినోపభృతం మహాత్మా బ్రహ్మధ్రుగుజ్ఝితపథం నరకార్తిలిప్సు । ఉద్ధన్త్యసావవనికణ్టకముగ్రవీర్య- స్త్రి:సప్తకృత్వ ఉరుధారపరశ్వధేన ॥ ౨౨ ॥
kṣatraṁ kṣayāya vidhinopabhṛtaṁ mahātmā
[kshatram kshayaaya vidhinopabhritam mahaatmaa]
brahma-dhrug ujjhita-pathaṁ narakārti-lipsu
[brahma-dhrug ujjhita-patham narakaarti-lipsu]
uddhanty asāv avanikaṇṭakam ugra-vīryas
[uddhanty asaav avanikantakam ugra-veeryas]
triḥ-sapta-kṛtva urudhāra-paraśvadhena
[trih-sapta-kritva urudhaara-parashvadhena]
kṣatram — the royal order kṣayāya — for the sake of diminishing vidhinā — by destination upabhṛtam — increased in proportion mahātmā — the Lord in the form of the great sage Paraśurāma brahma-dhruk — the ultimate truth in Brahman ujjhita-patham — those who have given up the path of the Absolute Truth naraka-ārti-lipsu — desirous to suffer pain in hell uddhanti — exacts asau — all those avanikaṇṭakam — thorns of the world ugra-vīryaḥ — awfully powerful triḥ-sapta — thrice seven times kṛtvaḥ — performed urudhāra — very sharp paraśvadhena — by the great chopper.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kṣatraṁ kṣayāya vidhinopabhṛtaṁ mahātmā
kṣatram
the royal order
kṣayāya
for the sake of diminishing
vidhinā
by destination
upabhṛtam
increased in proportion
mahātmā
the Lord in the form of the great sage Paraśurāma
brahma-dhrug ujjhita-pathaṁ narakārti-lipsu
brahma-dhruk
the ultimate truth in Brahman
ujjhita-patham
those who have given up the path of the Absolute Truth
naraka-ārti-lipsu
desirous to suffer pain in hell
uddhanty asāv avanikaṇṭakam ugra-vīryas
uddhanti
exacts
asau
all those
avanikaṇṭakam
thorns of the world
ugra-vīryaḥ
awfully powerful
triḥ-sapta-kṛtva urudhāra-paraśvadhena
triḥ-sapta
thrice seven times
kṛtvaḥ
performed
urudhāra
very sharp
paraśvadhena
by the great chopper.
When the ruling administrators, who are known as the kṣatriyas, turned astray from the path of the Absolute Truth, being desirous to suffer in hell, the Lord, in His incarnation as the sage Paraśurāma, uprooted those unwanted kings, who appeared as the thorns of the earth. Thus He thrice seven times uprooted the kṣatriyas with His keenly sharpened chopper.

The kṣatriyas, or the ruling administrators of any part of the universe, either on this planet or on other planets, are factually the representatives of the Almighty Personality of Godhead, and they are meant to lead the subjects towards the path of God realization. Every state and its administrators, regardless of the nature of the administration — monarchy or democracy, oligarchy or dictatorship or autocracy — have the prime responsibility to lead the citizens toward God realization. This is essential for all human beings, and it is the duty of the father, spiritual master, and ultimately the state to take up the responsibility of leading the citizens towards this end. The whole creation of material existence is made for this purpose, just to give a chance to the fallen souls who rebelled against the will of the Supreme Father and thus became conditioned by material nature. The force of material nature gradually leads one to a hellish condition of perpetual pains and miseries. Those going against the prescribed rules and regulations of conditional life are called brahmojjhita-pathas, or persons going against the path of the Absolute Truth, and they are liable to be punished. Lord Paraśurāma, the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, appeared in such a state of worldly affairs and killed all the miscreant kings twenty-one times. Many kṣatriya kings fled from India to other parts of the world at that time, and according to the authority of the Mahābhārata, the kings of Egypt originally migrated from India because of Paraśurāma’s program of chastisement. The kings or administrators are similarly chastised in all circumstances whenever they become godless and plan a godless civilization. That is the order of the Almighty.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
With his sharp axe, the greatly powerful Lord twenty-one times killed the kṣatriyas, thorns in the earth, who had committed violence against the brāhmaṇas, had strayed from the path of the Vedas, had desired suffering in hell, and thus became an offering to death according to the rules.
Commentary

This verse describes Paraśurāma. He killed the kṣatriyas, who were an offering (upabhṛtam) to death (kṣayāya) according to the rules. This means that they were offered up as a gift to Paraśurāma who was filled with raudra-rasa. The kṣatriyas committed violence against the brāhmaṇas. That was the reason why he killed them.

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