Jamadagni

In Hindu mythology, a great sage and
father of Parashuram avatar. Like many
sages, Jamadagni is a man of explosive
and incendiary temper. In one of the
most famous episodes, when his wife
Renuka returns home late because
she has spent some time watching a
king and his wife sport in the water,
Jamadagni orders his sons to kill her. All
of them refuse except Parashuram, who
cuts off his mother’s head. Jamadagni is
pleased with Parashuram and tells him
to choose whatever reward he wants.
Parashuram requests that his mother be
restored to life again, which she is.
Jamadagni is also famous as the
owner of a divine cow that can provide all sorts of food on demand. The
local king grows covetous of the cow
and offers to buy it. When Jamadagni
refuses to sell her, the king’s men grow
angry, kill Jamadagni, and take the
cow back to the palace. It is in retaliation for this heinous act that
Parashuram attempts to exterminate
the kingly class (kshatriyas) from the
face of the earth.