Dashaka 36

अत्रे: पुत्रतया पुरा त्वमनसूयायां हि दत्ताभिधो
जात: शिष्यनिबन्धतन्द्रितमना: स्वस्थश्चरन् कान्तया ।
दृष्टो भक्ततमेन हेहयमहीपालेन तस्मै वरा-
नष्टैश्वर्यमुखान् प्रदाय ददिथ स्वेनैव चान्ते वधम् ॥१॥

Long ago Thou were born as Dattatreya to the sage Atri and Anasooyaa. Mentally tired by the pesterings of Thy various disciples, Thou wandered about with Thy wife immersed in blissful peace. Thus Thou were seen by the great devotee Kaartaviryaarjuna, the king of Hehaya. Pleased, Thou bestowed on him all psychic powers consisting of the eight Sidhis and also promised him death at Thy hands in the end.

सत्यं कर्तुमथार्जुनस्य च वरं तच्छक्तिमात्रानतं
ब्रह्मद्वेषि तदाखिलं नृपकुलं हन्तुं च भूमेर्भरम् ।
सञ्जातो जमदग्नितो भृगुकुले त्वं रेणुकायां हरे
रामो नाम तदात्मजेष्ववरज: पित्रोरधा: सम्मदम् ॥२॥

To fulfill the boon given to Kaartaviryaarjuna, Thou were born to Jamadagni and Renuka in the line of the Bhrigus, by the name Raama. Thou were the youngest among Jamadagni's sons and gave Thy parents great joy. Thy purpose to be born as Raama was also to kill the whole clan of kings who were very impious and were a burden on the earth, and were partly held in check only by Kaartaviryarjuna's valour.

लब्धाम्नायगणश्चतुर्दशवया गन्धर्वराजे मना-
गासक्तां किल मातरं प्रति पितु: क्रोधाकुलस्याज्ञया ।
ताताज्ञातिगसोदरै: सममिमां छित्वाऽथ शान्तात् पितु-
स्तेषां जीवनयोगमापिथ वरं माता च तेऽदाद्वरान् ॥३॥

By the age of fourteen years Thou acquired the knowledge of the Vedas. Thy father was greatly enraged with Thy mother who was a little bit attached to the Gandharva king Chitraratha. By the command of Thy father Thou cut of Thy mother's head and also of Thy brothers' as they had failed to carry out the same order of Thy father. After Thy father had calmed down, as a boon from him, Thou got to restore them to life. Thy mother also being pleased gave Thee boons.

पित्रा मातृमुदे स्तवाहृतवियद्धेनोर्निजादाश्रमात्
प्रस्थायाथ भृगोर्गिरा हिमगिरावाराध्य गौरीपतिम् ।
लब्ध्वा तत्परशुं तदुक्तदनुजच्छेदी महास्त्रादिकं
प्राप्तो मित्रमथाकृतव्रणमुनिं प्राप्यागम: स्वाश्रमम् ॥४॥

To please Thy mother Renuka, Thy father Jamadagni, brought by prayer the heavenly cow Kaamdhenu to his aashrama. On the advice of Bhrigu, Thou set out from Thy aashrama to the Himaalayaa and worshipped Shiva. Thou were bestowed with his battle-axe and other various divine missiles, and killed the asura pointed out by him.Then making friends with sage Akritvrana, Thou returned to Thy aashrama.

आखेटोपगतोऽर्जुन: सुरगवीसम्प्राप्तसम्पद्गणै-
स्त्वत्पित्रा परिपूजित: पुरगतो दुर्मन्त्रिवाचा पुन: ।
गां क्रेतुं सचिवं न्ययुङ्क्त कुधिया तेनापि रुन्धन्मुनि-
प्राणक्षेपसरोषगोहतचमूचक्रेण वत्सो हृत: ॥५॥

The king Kiraatarjuna came hunting to the forest and was treated well by Thy father with the riches and luxuries obtained from the celestial cow Kaamadhenu. When the king returned to his town, he was ill advised by his ministers to buy the cow. The king sent an emissary for the purpose and as Thy father, the sage tried to resist his taking away of the cow, he was killed. Several warriors emerged from the furious divine cow and destroyed the whole army. But the calf was stolen.

शुक्रोज्जीविततातवाक्यचलितक्रोधोऽथ सख्या समं
बिभ्रद्ध्यातमहोदरोपनिहितं चापं कुठारं शरान् ।
आरूढ: सहवाहयन्तृकरथं माहिष्मतीमाविशन्
वाग्भिर्वत्समदाशुषि क्षितिपतौ सम्प्रास्तुथा: सङ्गरम् ॥६॥

Thy father was brought back to life by Shukraachaarya. When Thy father related the whole incident Thou were very angry. With Thy friend Akritavrana Thou meditated upon Mahodara who then equipped Thee with bow, arrows and the battle axe. Boarding the chariot with the horses and the charioteer, Thou entered Maahishmati. Even when the king was requested, he did not give the calf back, Thou started the battle.

पुत्राणामयुतेन सप्तदशभिश्चाक्षौहिणीभिर्महा-
सेनानीभिरनेकमित्रनिवहैर्व्याजृम्भितायोधन: ।
सद्यस्त्वत्ककुठारबाणविदलन्निश्शेषसैन्योत्करो
भीतिप्रद्रुतनष्टशिष्टतनयस्त्वामापतत् हेहय: ॥७॥

Kaartveerya with his ten thousand sons and seventeen Akshauhini armies and numerous friends and great commanders fiercely fought the battle. Soon by Thy battle axe and arrows the entire army was destroyed and all his sons were killed except those who had fled in fright. The king of Hehaya then attacked Thee.

लीलावारितनर्मदाजलवलल्लङ्केशगर्वापह-
श्रीमद्बाहुसहस्रमुक्तबहुशस्त्रास्त्रं निरुन्धन्नमुम् ।
चक्रे त्वय्यथ वैष्णवेऽपि विफले बुद्ध्वा हरिं त्वां मुदा
ध्यायन्तं छितसर्वदोषमवधी: सोऽगात् परं ते पदम् ॥८॥

Kaartaveerya had once with his thousand arms cleverly impounded the waters of the river Narmadaa, and almost drowning Raavana had destroyed his pride who was meditating on the banks downstream. That Kaartaveerya, wielded various weapons with those thousand arms and finding the Vaishnava discus also powerless against Thee, knew Thee to be Hari, and with joy meditated upon Thee. Then, he whose sins were purified, was killed by Thee and he went to Thy Supreme abode.

भूयोऽमर्षितहेहयात्मजगणैस्ताते हते रेणुका-
माघ्नानां हृदयं निरीक्ष्य बहुशो घोरां प्रतिज्ञां वहन् ।
ध्यानानीतरथायुधस्त्वमकृथा विप्रद्रुह: क्षत्रियान्
दिक्चक्रेषु कुठारयन् विशिखयन् नि:क्षत्रियां मेदिनीम् ॥९॥

Thereafter the sons of the king of Hehaya were in great rage and killed Thy father. Grieved at this Thy mother Renuka was wailing and beating her breast many times, seeing this Thou took a terrible vow. Thou then got the chariot and weapon by meditation and fought against the Kshatriyaas who were enemies of the Brahmins. With the battle axe Thou killed the Kshatriyaas in all the quarters and rendered the earth devoid of them.

तातोज्जीवनकृन्नृपालककुलं त्रिस्सप्तकृत्वो जयन्
सन्तर्प्याथ समन्तपञ्चकमहारक्तहृदौघे पितृन्
यज्ञे क्ष्मामपि काश्यपादिषु दिशन् साल्वेन युध्यन् पुन:
कृष्णोऽमुं निहनिष्यतीति शमितो युद्धात् कुमारैर्भवान् ॥१०॥

Thy father was revived and Thou defeated the clan of kings twenty one times. Thou then performed tarpana to the ancestors in the vast lake of blood named Samant Panchaka. In the sacrifice Thou also gave away land to Kaashyapa and other Rishis. Thou fighting again with Saalva, refrained, on being restrained by Sanata Kumaars who told Thee that he was destined to be killed by Krishna.

न्यस्यास्त्राणि महेन्द्रभूभृति तपस्तन्वन् पुनर्मज्जितां
गोकर्णावधि सागरेण धरणीं दृष्ट्वार्थितस्तापसै: ।
ध्यातेष्वासधृतानलास्त्रचकितं सिन्धुं स्रुवक्षेपणा-
दुत्सार्योद्धृतकेरलो भृगुपते वातेश संरक्ष माम् ॥११॥

Abandoning all weapons, Thou resorted to the Mahendra mountain for meditation, practicing penance. Finding the land up to Gokarna submerged in the sea, on the request of the sages, who meditated upon Thee, Thou frightened the ocean with the bow bearing fire missile. By throwing a sacrificial ladle Thou pushed back the sea and scooped out the land of Kerala. O Bhrigupati Parashuraama! The Lord of Guruvaayur! Deign to protect me.