Ram Offers His Head beneath the Axe
Bala Kanda, Chaupai 278
Doha 281 · Movement 1 of 2
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Parashurama accuses Ram of approving his brother's bitterness while hiding behind folded hands. Fight me and justify the name Ram, he demands, or abandon it. Otherwise both brothers will die beneath the charge of hostility toward Shiva.
The sage raises his axe. Ram bows, smiling quietly within. Lakshmana's fault, he says, was anger toward one known to be severe. Everyone bows before what is crooked, just as Rahu does not swallow the slender crescent moon.
Then Ram makes humility physical. Release your anger, great sage. Here is my head before the axe. Do whatever ends your wrath, knowing me as your follower. The Lord who broke the bow without effort offers no resistance to the blow that could follow.
The axe rises, and Ram places beneath it the head that crowns have bowed to honour.
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AI-created devotional illustration · Chaupai 278
Full eight couplets preserved; selects Rama head bow and inward smile in couplet4. Last couplets continue PDF271.
Source reference and artistic choices
Gita Press code81 undated · PDF pages 270, 271 · printed pages 268, 269. Reader passage: bala-kanda-chaupai-278. Printed numbering may differ.
Source facts
- Parashurama accuses Rama of consenting to his brother's bitter words and deceptive folded-hands appeal.
- Battle challenge or abandon Rama name; threat against both brothers is spoken, not an executed act.
- Parashurama speaks with raised axe; Rama bows his head and smiles inwardly.
- Rama thinks Lakshmana at fault while anger falls on himself; sometimes straightforwardness is a great fault.
- People bow to the crooked; Rahu does not swallow crescent Moon: comparison, not literal transformation or humble immunity.
- Rama asks sage to drop anger, refers to axe in sage's hand and his head before him, asks anger-ending remedy as follower; spoken servant appeal, not depicted injury.
Artistic choices
- One Rama head, two connected arms and two own joined palms at chest, natural wrists/fingers; actual head bowed down-right, open eyes down-right, subtle closed-lip smile. Blue-grey Rama cap/feather, pearls, partly occluded inner green Tulsi and outer white-pink victory flower chest garland; no other figures/weapons/body injuries.
- Exact poses/gazes/numericalages/clothes/ornamentcounts/geargeometryfastening/materials/spatialframing artistchoices not history or wholeparticipant/anatomy/motion/audible/emotionmotive census. Fullsourceoffcrop facts retained noabsenceinference/corpuscorrection/inventedHindi/publishing. Source comparisons/characterinsults/threats not physicaltransformations/violentevents.
An imaginative interpretation, not a historical portrait or documentary evidence.
बंधु कहइ कटु संमत तोरें। तू छल बिनय करसि कर जोरें।। करु परितोषु मोर संग्रामा। नाहिं त छाड़ कहाउब रामा।। छलु तजि करहि समरु सिवद्रोही। बंधु सहित न त मारउँ तोही।। भृगुपति बकहिं कुठार उठाएँ। मन मुसकाहिं रामु सिर नाएँ।। गुनह लखन कर हम पर रोषू। कतहुँ सुधाइहु ते बड़ दोषू।। टेढ़ जानि सब बंदइ काहू। बक्र चंद्रमहि ग्रसइ न राहू।। राम कहेउ रिस तजिअ मुनीसा। कर कुठारु आगें यह सीसा।। जेंहिं रिस जाइ करिअ सोइ स्वामी। मोहि जानि आपन अनुगामी।।
'Your brother speaks bitter words with your full approval, while you fold your hands and offer deceitful humility. Either satisfy me in battle, or else surrender the name of Rama altogether. Drop your pretense and fight, O enemy of Shiva! Otherwise I shall slay you along with your brother.' So thundered the lord of the Bhrigu lineage, raising his axe. Rama bowed his head, a gentle smile hidden in his heart. 'Lakshmana's offense was his anger toward you. That is indeed a grave fault, and it must be set right. When all the world knows someone is crooked, everyone bows before them. Even Rahu does not swallow the crescent moon.' Rama said: 'Let go of your anger, O king among sages. Here is this head before your axe. Do whatever will release your wrath, my lord. Know me to be your own devoted follower.'