Skandapurana 5.66

Sūta said: / Likewise, there is a renowned [tīrtha] there, remembered as Rāmahrada, / where his ancestors were propitiated by him with blood.

Whoever, having arrived on the new moon day in the month of Bhādrapada, / propitiates the ancestors with devotion there, obtains the fruit of a horse sacrifice.

The seers said: / This is a great wonder that you speak of, O wise one, / that his ancestors were propitiated there by him with blood!

Pure substances have been declared by the wise for the purpose of propitiating ancestors; / blood is prescribed for the propitiation of demons.

And an act contrary to Śruti and Smṛti is condemned by the virtuous. / Why was that done by Jāmadagnya? Tell us, O Sūta!

Sūta said: / Under the influence of anger, while keeping his vow, / that deed was done by him, by which those ancestors were propitiated with blood.

In ancient times, O brahmins, his father Jamadagni, abiding in his own duty, / was struck down without fault by a kṣatriya, O best of the twice-born.

Then, overcome with anger, that noble one declared: / 'The ancestors shall be propitiated by me with blood arising from kṣatriyas!'

For this reason, the ancestors were duly propitiated by that noble one / with devotion, using blood mixed with sesame seeds.

The seers said: / Why was the great sage Jamadagni killed by the kṣatriya? / And what was the name of that king? Tell that in detail, O Sūta.

Sūta said: / Formerly, the son of Ṛcīka, remembered as Jamadagni, / whose sins had been burned away, lived there in the sacred field born of Hāṭakeśvara.

And he had four sons endowed with good qualities; / though the youngest, Rāma was indeed the eldest among them in virtue.

Once, while that Jamadagni was residing in the great forest, / and his sons had gone outside the forest for the sake of roots and tubers,

in the meantime, the mighty ruler of the Haihayas arrived, / he who was renowned on earth as Sahasrārjuna.

Desiring game, wandering here and there in that forest, / he was overcome with fatigue at midday when the sun stood in the sign of Taurus.

Then, seeing that hermitage crowded with diverse trees, / he entered it along with his fourfold army.

Then he saw the great sage Jamadagni staying there, / seated, having bathed, devoted to the worship of the gods.

Then, seeing that king, the sage was filled with pleasure; / having offered the respectful water offering according to rule and greeted him with welcome,

the king too, bowing deeply to him and filled with humility, / replied to him and inquired after his well-being.

The king said: / "Is all well with you, O brahmin, and with your sons and disciples, / with your Agnihotra fires, your wife, and your retinue?

Today my birth is fruitful, and my life is fruitful, / since I have seen you, a treasure of austerity, revered by all the worlds."

Having spoken thus, that royal sage rested for a long time; / then, having drunk water and bowed down to that great sage, he said this:

"Grant me permission, O brahmin; I shall depart for my own home. / Command some task of mine by which I may be of service to you."

Jamadagni said: / "You have come to my home at the time of worshipping the gods, / like a cherished wish meditated upon—a guest embodying all the gods.

Therefore I have supreme pleasure and devotion, O best of kings; / accept, then, the meal offered by me with my own hand. // 25

Whether king or brahmin, śūdra or even an outcaste, / he who arrives at the conclusion of the Vaiśvadeva rite is a guest, a bridge to heaven. // 26

The king said: / These soldiers of mine, O brahmin, are in hundreds and thousands; / while they have not eaten, how is it fitting for me to eat? Tell me. // 27

Jamadagni said: / I will provide food for all your soldiers; / you need have no worry about this, for I am a sage devoid of worldly possessions. // 28

This cow you see tied near me, O king of kings, / yields whatever the heart desires whenever asked. // 29 // / Sūta said: / Then, filled with wonder, that king, O best of brahmins, / said, “So be it,” and remained in that very hermitage. // 6.66.30

Then, having gratified the gods and the ancestors thereafter, / and having honoured the fire and then the brahmins, // 31

he then sat down together with all his hungry attendants, / who were afflicted by fatigue and filled with astonishment, after he had done that, O best of brahmins. // 32

Then that best of sages addressed that cow: / “Whatever anyone requests to eat, give that to him, O auspicious one!” // 33

Then that cow yielded varied, auspicious food, / especially cooked food bringing supreme delight to the heart. // 34

Then [she yielded] food to be chewed, swallowed, licked, and sucked, / and diverse side-dishes—astringent and pungent, / sour, sweet, bitter, and wholesome. // 35

Having thus attained supreme satisfaction from that cow, that king, / together with his servants and army, with foods born of nectar, // 36

then, at the conclusion of the meal, filled with astonishment, / the king requested that cow from the great sage Jamadagni: // 37

“This wish-granting cow, O brahmin, is not fitting for forest dwellers, / sages of peaceful minds; therefore, give her to me yourself! // 38

By her power, I will today make the people tax-free, / and conquer enemies entrenched in strongholds endowed with great strength. // 39

When this is done, there will be your highest good and true renown / in this world and in the next; therefore, do what I have said!” // 6.66.40

Jamadagni said: / “This is my sacrificial cow, O king, dear to me as my very life; / she cannot be given, but must always be revered; therefore, you ought not to beg for her.” // 41

The king said:

“I will give you a hundred thousand cows in exchange for her, O twice-born, / or any other wealth, as much as you desire.” // 42

Jamadagni said: / “Even an ordinary cow is declared not to be sold, O great king; / what then of a sacrificial cow endowed with such powers? // 43

A brahmin who through delusion sells a cow out of desire for wealth, / sells his own mother in this world, without a doubt. // 44

Expiation is prescribed for brahmins who drink alcohol or kill a twice-born, / but no expiation exists for those who sell a cow.” // 45

The king said: / “If you do not give me this cow by peaceful means, O brahmin, / I will take her by force; therefore, let her be given peacefully!” // 46

Sūta said: / Hearing that, Jamadagni, filled with anger, O best of brahmins, / shouted, “A weapon, a weapon!” and rose from the floor of the assembly. // 47

Then those servants of the king, discerning his mind, / struck that brahmin with sharp weapons before he could reach a weapon. // 48

As the great-souled Jamadagni was thus being slain, / his beloved wife named Reṇukā fell over him in grief. // 49

She too, a fair-complexioned woman, was slashed with various sharp [weapons], / but because her lifespan remained, her life-breaths were somehow not separated. // 6.66.50

Having thus slain Jamadagni, the chief of brahmins, the king / drove that cow away toward where the city of Māhiṣmatī lay. // 51

Then that cow, being driven away and filled with wrath, / seeing Jamadagni slain, lowed plaintively again and again. // 52

As she bellowed, there emerged from her mouth / fierce Pulindas and Medas by hundreds and thousands, // 53

all bearing diverse weapons, like other messengers of Yama. / They said respectfully to the cow, “Give us your command swiftly!” // 54

She said, “Let this army of the ruler of the Haihayas be destroyed!” / Then, filled with anger, those fierce barbarian tribes / began to destroy [them] unchecked with sharp weapons. // 55

Not a single man could even face them in battle, / overcome as he was with great fear, much less fight suddenly. // 56

Then, seeing the army broken and being slaughtered on all sides / by the Pulindas of terrible form, the ministers spoke to the king: // 57

“A supreme loss of your lustre has occurred today from the slaying of a brahmin, O lord; / therefore, abandon the cow and go to your own palace, // 58

before his mighty son named Rāma arrives; / otherwise, slain right here along with your army, you will meet your death! // 59

This wish-granting cow of great majesty cannot be taken by force; / being of the nature of power, she herself brings forth [such a] creation!” // 6.66.60

Then that king, frightened, especially by their words, / abandoned that cow and went to his own place, his servants slain. // 61

Thus ends the sixty-sixth chapter, named “The Description of the Slaying of Jamadagni,” in the Māhātmya of Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] of the eighty-one-thousand-verse compendium of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. // 66