The end of the Kshatriya line

As you know, in India we think of society as a great family. Within that family there are four classes or castes which, ideally, work to make the family function harmoniously. The four classes are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Brahmins protect the family from hostile forces by virtue of their prayers and meditations. Kshatriyas are warriors. They protect the family from enemies by virtue of their physical prowess. Vaishyas are businessmen and merchants. They support the family. And Shudras serve others. They do not have money or intellect, but with their strong hands they serve the rest of the family.

The spiritual Masters of India’s past have come from either the Brahmin class or the Kshatriya class. Sri Ramachandra, Sri Krishna, Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Aurobindo, to name a few, were all either Brahmins or Kshatriyas.

Both Brahmins and Kshatriyas have tremendous pride because of their status in society. Although Vaishyas support the family, they do not show that much pride. They feel that they do not have the prayerful capacities of the Brahmins or the strength and valour of the Kshatriyas. The Shudras, since they are the servant class, do not have any pride.

This story is about the wrath of a Brahmin’s son towards the entire Kshatriya caste. There was once a king who prayed to Brahma to make him supremely powerful. Brahma gave him thousands of weapons and the king was truly all-powerful on earth. One day the king went out hunting with his retinue. After hunting for some time, the king became tired. He discovered a small cottage nearby, and he went there to have a glass of water.

The cottage was occupied by a sage named Jamadagni. This sage said to the king, “You have asked me only for some water. But you are the king. If you and your soldiers would like to eat also, I will be able to feed you all.”

The king was simply amazed. “You are so poor! How can you provide food for all of us? Do you not see how many soldiers are accompanying me?”

The sage was adamant. “I shall definitely be able to feed you,” he said. “Please invite all your soldiers to come.”

At the king’s command, the soldiers came and sat down, and Jamadagni served them a sumptuous meal. Meanwhile, the king was curious as to how the sage had been able to feed so many people. The king saw that the sage owned nothing save one cow. The name of this particular cow was Kamadhenu. Dhenu means “cow” and kama means “desire”. This cow was able to grant any desire.

The sage had asked the cow to provide a feast for the king’s army, and she had brought forth food and drinks in abundance. The king said to the sage, “A cow such as this should belong only to a king. Please give her to me.”

“Even though you are the king, I cannot part with this cow,” proclaimed the sage.

The king was stunned by the sage’s refusal. He implored the sage to hand over the cow, but the sage would not give her up. Finally, the king, who was a Kshatriya, decided to use force and seize the cow. He and his soldiers all fought with the sage, but the sage was very, very powerful. With his divine weapons, he killed many of the king’s soldiers and defeated the king.

Burning with anger, the king returned to his kingdom and assembled a more powerful army. A few months later, he returned to attack the sage and capture the cow. This time, unfortunately, the sage was killed during the ensuing fight and the cow was stolen.

It happened that Jamadagni’s son, Parashuram, had been absent from his father’s home when this fighting took place. When he returned and found that his father had been killed and the cow taken away, Parashuram was furious. He took a vow that he would kill all the Kshatriyas. “Whomever I see belonging to that caste, I will kill,” he said.

According to our Indian mythology, all the Kshatriyas were killed twenty-one times over by Parashuram because the king had killed his father. After wiping out the entire Kshatriya line, Parashuram said, “Now it is time for me to meditate.” He started meditating and he gave up his life-breath in a state of trance.

Somehow, though, our Kshatriya line was revived and it came to pass that even the highest spiritual Masters were born into Kshatriya families.