Parshuram Avatar

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March 13, 2012 by Apurva Beniwal

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Chiranjiv (Immortal) Parshuram was the sixth Avatar of Vishnu.

He was the son of sage Jamadagni and Renuka.Rishi Jamadagni was known for his temper.
Parshuram was a devotee of Shiva and he received a Parshu (a weapon) from Lord Shiva as a
boon thus the name Parshram was given to him. Shiva also tought him war skills. As a child
Parshuram was a keen learner and he always obeyed his Father Rishi Jamadgani. Parshurama
was the first Warrior Brahmin and he is also called Brahmakshatriya (both Brahmin and
Kshatriya means warrior) his mother Renuka Devi was a daughter of Kshatriyas .And after
receiving a Parshu from Lord Shiva it has become impossible for any one on the earth to
defeat him.
Parshuramas parents were great spiritual achievers his Mother Renuka devi had command
over the water elments and his father Jamadgani over fire. its even said that Renuka devi
could fetch water in the even in a wet clay pot. Once Rishi Jamadgani asked Renuka Devi to
fetch water in the clay pot, some how Renuka Devi was distracted from the thought of being a
women and the clay pot broke. Seeing Renuka Devi wet the enraged Jamadgani called his son
Parshurama. He ordered Parshurama to cut Renuka devis head. Parshuram obeyed his father.
Rishi Jamadgani was so pleased with his son that he asked him for a boon. Parshurama asked
Rishi Jamadgani to restore the breaths of his mother, thus Rishi Jamadgani who was the owner
of Divya Shakties (divine Powers) brought back the life of Renuka Devi.
Rishi Jamadgani and Renuka Devi both were blessed not only for having Parshuram

as their son but they were also given the Kamdhenu Cow. Once Rishi Jamadgani went out
from his Ashram and in the mean while some Kshatriyas (worriers) arrived at their Ashram.
They were in search of food, the Ashram Devies gave them food they were so surprised to see
the magical cow Kaamdhenu, the cow would give any Dish she asked for. They were so
amused and they put up the purposal of buying the cow for their king Kartavirya
Sahasrarjuna, but all the Ashram sahadus (sages) and Devies refused. they forcefuly took
away the cow. Parshurama killed the entire army of King Kartavirya Sahasrarjun and restored

the magical cow. In Revenge Kartavirya Sahasrarjuns son killed Jamadgani. When
ParshuRama returned to the ashram he saw his fathers body . He noticed the 21 scars on
Jamadganis body and took the pledge to kill all unjust kshatriyas 21 time on this earth. he
killed all the sons of king.
Parshurama tought war skills to Bhishma Pitamha, Dronacharya and even to Karana. (all these
are characters of Mahabharata). Parshurama is Immortal it is even belived that he still lives on
the earth and he will even teach war skills to Kalaki, the tenth Avatar of Vishnu who is come
on the earth in the end of Kalyug.
Once Parshurama went to see Lord Shiva on Kailasha . Lord Ganesha came into his

way, who was ordered by his mother Parvati to prevent anybody to come and disturb them.
Parshurama threatned ganesha and ask him to fight with him if he want to stop him from
meeting Shiva. In this fight Parshurama cutt off Ganesha left Tusk. when Goddess Parvati saw
this she lost her temper. godess took the form of Adhhi Shakti in anger that even shiva was
unable to please him. She told that Parshurama is not satisfied with the blood of Kastriyas
that he wants to harm my son. Ganesha asked his Mother to forgive Parshurama and he some
how succeded in pleasing his mother. Parshurama was so pleased with Ganesha that he gave
him his parshu and blessed him.

Lord Parashuram

Lord Parashuram

Lord Parashuram was the Great Grandson of Bhrugu Rishi, after

whom the "Bhruguvansh" has been named. Bhrugu's Son, Richeek,

married King Gadhi's daughter, Satyavati. One day, Satyavati
requested Bhrugu for a Son for herself and her mother. Bhrugu
prescribed separate regimens for the two ladies in terms of
worshipping a particular kind of tree, keeping in mind that
Satyavati was married to a Brahmin and Her mother to a kshatriya.
However, the two ladies got confused - Satyavati followed the
regimen of her mother and Vice Versa. Consequently, Bhrugu
foretold that Satyavati's son will display Kshatriya traits and her
mother's son will display Brahmin Traits. After some pleading,

Satyavati convinced Bhrugu to have this effect, not on her son

(Jamadagni) but her Grandson (Parashurama)
Jamadagni married Renuka, daughter of King Prasenjit. They had
five Sons, Parashurama being the youngest, the others being
Rukmvan, Sushen, Vasu and Vishvasu. As Bhrugu had foretold,
Parashurama, despite of being born in a Brahmin family, had
Kshatriya traits in terms of valour, as was displayed after Haihaya
King Sahasrarjuna killed his father Jamadagni.
The Killing of Jamadagni and Parashurama's mother's instruction
A Haihay King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna - purported to
possess a thousand arms) and his army visited Jamadagni, a
Brahmin sage, who fed his guest and the whole army with his
divine cow Surabhi. The king demanded the magical cow.
Jamadagni refused because he needed the cow for his religious
ceremonies. King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) took the cow
forcibly and devastated the ashram. Angered at this, Parashurama
killed the king's entire army and, after cutting each one of his
thousand arms, the king himself with his axe. As a revenge, the
King's sons killed Jamadagni in Parashurama's absence.
Furious at his father's murder, Parashurama killed all sons of
Sahasrajuna and their aides. His thirst for revenge unquenched, he
went on killing every adult Kshatriya on earth, not once but 21
times, filling five ponds with blood. These are the actions which
highlight his warrior characteristics. Ultimately, his grandfather,
Richeek Rishi appeared and stopped him. Subsequently, he donated
the whole of the earth won from the Kshatriyas to Brahmins. Drona
reaped the benefit of this donation by Parashurama; he went to
Parashurama and requested for Parashurama's warfare skills.
Parashurama agreed.
Haihaya-Kshatriya Background
It appears that the Haihayas may have been enemies and at war
with several groups, including other Kshtriyas themselves. For
example the Haihayas sacked Kashi during the reigns of King
Haryaswa and King Sudeva (whom they killed), King Divodas and
his son Pratarddana (who finally expelled them outside of the Vatsa
Kingdom). All these kings were born in the Kingdom of the
Ikshvaku, a solar clan and the Haihayas were a lunar clan.

The hostile Haihaya King Arjuna Kartavirya also defeated the Naga
Kshatiryas, defeated Karkotaka Naga and made Mahishmati
(present day Maheshwar) the capital of his own kingdom.
All the five Haihaya clans called themselves together as Talajangha
(Vishnu Purana IV.11).
According to numerous Puranas, the military corporations of the
Shakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Pahlavas and Paradas, known as five
hordes (pnca-ganah), had militarily supported the Haihaya and
Talajunga Kshatriyas in depriving Ikshvaku King Bahu (the 7th
king in descent from Harishchandra) of his Ayodhya kingdom.
A generation later, Bahu's son, Sagara recaptured Ayodhya after
totally destroying the Haihaya and Talajangha Kshatriyas in the
battle. King Sagara had punished these foreign hordes by changing
their hair-styles and turning them into degraded Kshatriyas.
Extermination of the Haihaya-kshatriya caste
Parashurama is said to have cut off 1,000 of King Kartavirya
Arjuna's arms
The enmity between the Haihaya and the Bhargavas are mentioned
in the Mahabharata Hindu text numerous times. In the Srimad
Bhagavatam SB 9.8.5-6, the Haihaya are mentioned as "the
uncivilized"[2].
Once, when Parashurama returned home, he found his mother
crying hysterically. When asked why she was crying, she beat her
chest 21 times. In a rage, Parashurama vowed to exterminate the
world's Haihaya-Kshatriyas 21 times. He killed the entire clan of
Kartavirya Arjuna (or Sahasrarjuna), thus conquering the entire
earth. He offered his dead father's soul tarpana with the blood of
the kings and warriors he slew. He then conducted the Ashvamedha
sacrifice, done only by sovereign kings, and gave the entire land he
owned to the priests who performed at the yagya, viz. Kashyapa.
Parashurama then became responsible for killing the world's
corrupted Haihaya kings and warriors who came to attack him in
revenge for the killing of Kartavirya Arjuna, to prevent a Brahmin
from being emperor and threatening their position. The
Ashvamedha demanded that the kings either submit to
Parashurama's imperial position or thwart the sacrifice by defeating
him in battle. They did neither and were killed. Parashurama

exterminated the world's Haihaya-Kshatriyas 21 times, thus

fulfilling his vow.
Legends
It is said that when Parashurama saved and reclaimed Kerala, he
settled Kerala from the retreat of the sea, that was the beginning of
the Kollam Era (AD 825) (possibly named after the city Kollam) for
the Malayalam Calendar.
According to one legend, Parashurama also went to visit Shiva once
but the way was blocked by Ganesha. Parashurama threw the axe
at him and Ganesha, knowing it had been given to him by Shiva,
allowed it to cut off one of his tusks.
There is an interesting side to Parashurama's conquest of
Kshatriyas. After one his conquests, he returns to Aihole (Badami
Taluka, Bagalkot district in Karntaka) which, some say was where
he lived. Those who know Aihole would know that the river
Malaprabha does a near 180 degree turn there. While Parashurama
washed his blood soaked axe upriver, beyond the bend, there were
village belles washing clothes downriver. The axe was so bloody that
it turned the entire river red. This, the women washing clothes saw
and exclaimed "Ai hole!" (oh, what a river!). The name stuck and the
village is now known as Aihole. There is an another legend that
Nairs (Nagas)of Kerala removed their sacred thread and hide in
forest to avoid Parasuramas revenge against Kshatriyas. Parasuram
donated the land to Nambuthiri Brahimns and Nambuthiris denied
the Nairs Kshatriya status (though they did Kshatriya duties and
almost all the royal houses in Kerala come from them)
Shiva's Bow
In the Ramayana, Parashurama came to the betrothal ceremony of
the seventh Avatara, Rama, to the princess Sita. As a test of
worthiness the suitors were required to lift and string the bow of
Shiva, given to the King Janaka by Parshurama. Rama successfully
strung the bow, but in the process it broke in two, producing a
tremendous noise that reached the ears of Parashurama.
In one such version, played in ramlilas across India, Parshurama
arrived after hearing the sound of the bow of Shiva breaking. The
kshatriyas were afraid to confront the sage, but Sita approached the

sage. He blessed her, saying "Saubhagyawati bhavah", literally

meaning "be thou blessed with good luck". So when he turned to
confront Rama, the destroyer of Shiva's bow, he could not pick up
his axe to do so. This was so because, as he blessed Sita with good
luck, he could not cause any harm to her husband. At the same
time, he recognised Rama for what he truly was, namely, the avatar
of Vishnu as his bow fent flying in the hands of Lord Rama.
The Mahabharata
In the Mahabharata, Parashurama was the instructor of the warrior
Karna, born to a Kshatriya mother but raised as the son of a
charioteer, or lower class of Kshatriyas. Karna came to
Parashurama after being rejected from the school of Drona, who
taught the five Pandava and one hundred Kaurava princes.
Parashurama agreed to teach Karna, believing him to not be of
Kshatriya birth[citation needed], and gave him the knowledge of the
extremely powerful Brahmastra weapon. But an incident would
render the Brahmastra almost useless to Karna.
One day, Parashurama was sleeping with his head resting on
Karna's thigh, when a beetle crawled up and bit Karna's thigh,
boring into it. In spite of the bleeding and the pain, he neither
flinched or uttered a cry so that his teacher could continue his rest.
However, the blood trickled down, reaching Parashurama and
awakening him. Convinced that only a Kshatriya could have borne
such pain in silence and that Karna had therefore lied in order to
receive instruction, he cursed Karna that his knowledge of the
Brahmastra would fail him when he needed it most. Later, during
the Kurukshetra war, Karna had a dream at night when he thought
of his guru and asked him to take back the curse he had warranted
years back. Parashurama explained that he knew that the day
would come; he knew that Karna was a Kshatriya[citation needed],
but deemed him to be a worthy student and instructed him
nevertheless. However, the outcome of the war would have left the
world in ruins if Duryodhana were to rule, as opposed to
Yudhishthira. For that reason, Parashurama requested that Karna
accept the curse and fall at the hands of Arjuna, inadvertently
saving the world.[citation needed]
Parashurama was the guru of both Bheeshma (Devavrata) and

Dronacharya[citation needed]. Also, the Sudarshan chakra (or

Sudarshan Vidya) is said to be given by Parashurama to Krishna.
The Sixth Avatara
The purpose of the sixth incarnation of Vishnu is considered by
religious scholars to be to relieve the earth's burden by
exterminating the sinful, destructive and irreligious monarchs that
pillaged its resources, and neglected their duties as kings.
Parashurama is of a martial Shraman ascetic. However, unlike all
other avatars, Parashurama still lives on earth, even today.
Secondly, he is an Avesha Avatara, a secondary type of Avatara. In
such an Avatara, Vishnu does not directly descend as do Rama or
Krishna but instead enters the soul of a man with His form.
Accordingly, unlike Rama and Krishna, Parashurama is not
worshipped. But in South India, at the holy place Pajaka, there
exists one major temple commemorating Parashurama.
Parshurama, the creator of the Konkan coast, is also worshipped in
a temple at Lote Parshurama in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri
district.The people of the Konkan call their land 'Parshurama
Bhoomi' or the land of Parshurama in accordance with the legend
that the sage reclaimed the land from the sea.
There are several Parashurama temples throughout the western
coast of India as well as North India, but especially more in the
costal areas from Bharuch in the west Indian state of Gujarat right
up to Kerala, the southern tip of India. One can see a Parshurama
Temple with a Agni Mandir in Shivpuri, Akkalkot, Khopoli in
Maharashtra and Fort Songadh in Gujarat.
Kalki Purana
The Kalki Purana states Parashurama will be the martial guru of
Sri Kalki, the 10th and final avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is he who
instructs Kalki to perform a long penance to Shiva to receive
celestial weaponry.
Parashurama and Deities' Temples
In the Kanyakumari Temple in Kanyakumari town, Parasurama
installed the Idol made of blue stone. Parashurama installed the
idol of Dharma Sastha (Ayyappa) on the peak on the Sabarimala
Hill in the forest.[1] Parashurama trained Ayyappa[2] just as

Parashurama had trained Karna in the Mahabharata and is

believed will train the future Kalki.
He created a temple of worship right after he resurfaced Kerala from
the sea. He placed statues of various deities in 108 different places
and introduced martial arts ("Kalari Payattu") to protect the temple
from the evils.[3]
Also, while the other pilgrimages created by Parashurama are
devoted to Lord Shiva, Lord Subramanya and Lord Ganesha, Kollur
is the only one devoted to goddess Parvati.[4]
There are "Seven Mukti Stalas" of Karnataka, which were created by
Parashurama and some of the above such as Kollur belong to them.
Parashurama Kshetras
eight kshetras are popularly known as Parashurama kshetras and
a.k.a. 'Parashurama Srishti'. They are:
Chiplun
Udupi
Subramanya
Kollur
Shankaranarayana
Koteshwara
Kumbasi (Annegudde)
Gokarna

History on the Yamdagni Family

PARASHURAMA

Parashurama (Bhargav - couplet 13)

6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was a son of Jamdagni a sage. His
name Parashurama is derived from his weapon - Axe which is 'Parshu'
in Sanskrit. He went round the earth 21 times and punished the evildoers who were harassing the subjects. He was the Parashurama
(Bhargav - couplet 13)
The sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was a son of Jamdagni a
sage. His name Parashurama is derived from his weapon - Axe which
is 'Parshu' in Sanskrit. He went round the earth 21 times and punished
the evil-doers who were harassing the subjects. He was the preceptor
of great Acharyas like Bhishmas and Drona. He even taught the art of
Archery to Karna from Mahabharata. He is supposed to be one of few
immortals on this earth.
Author : Kayyara Kinhanna Rai

Links

Parashurama - the epic hero with an axe - was a real 'Yama' (God of
Death) to the evil and arrogant. He traversed the earth twenty- one
times and punished the evil-doers who were harassing the people. He
was the 'Guru' (Master) of such royal stalwarts and savants as
Bhishma and Drona. Parashurama is recognised as one of the
immortals and an incarnation of God Vishnu
Ages ago, in pauranic times, several kings who had turned into evil
beings because of their royal wealth, arrogance of power, and
people's allegiance, ruled our Bharatavarsha. They had posed a
serious threat to the pious, religious and scholarly life-pursuit of those
who wanted to lead a life of moral and social rectitude.

A Prayer Fulfilled
It was at this time that a great man, an incarnation of God, manifested
himself on the earth. He achieved an adventurous, romantic and
revolutionary desire. Because of his campaigns, injustice was done
away with and justice established on earth.
This virile, powerful and towering person picked up an axe, went
round the earth twenty-one times and killed the evil Kshatriya kings
like felling trees in the forests, and thus brought solace to the people.
The country again smiled with peace and prosperity. And it was as if a

new world had been created.

That was Parashurama's creation. Because his weapon was 'Parashu'
(axe), he was known as 'Parashurama'. Our epics tell us that
Parashurama 'IS the sixth incarnation of Vishnu on this earth and one
among the ageless, immortal beings, like Ashwatthama. Hindus
believe this story and worship Parashurama as God.

The Rishi's Prayer

A 'rishi' (sage) named Rucheeka was on a tour of the country looking
for a bride.
At that time there were two most famous royal clans ruling in BharatSuryavamsha (Solar Race) and Chandravamsha (Lunar Race). King
Gadhi belonging to the latter had a daughter named Satyavati who
had blossomed into a lovely damsel imbued with fine moral qualities.
The king was on the look-out for a suitable bridegroom for her. Just at
that time Rucheeka, in the course of his travels, visited the king at his
palace. The king entertained the sage with traditional honours.
Pleased with the warm reception he received there, Rucheeka asked
of the king: "O Maharaja, I have come to seek a favour from you. Will
you fulfil it?"
"Respected sage ! I deem ft a privilege and pleasure to make any
offering to you. Please let me know what you desire."
"King ! I would like to marry your daughter Satyavati"

From Palace To Hut

The king was taken aback at the thought of sending his beloved
daughter, grown up in royal environment, to the poor life in a thatched
hut. But he had given word to the sage that he would fulfil his desire.
The king said: "O sage! You can marry my daughter upon one
condition. Can you give us one thousand horses, all with one ear
black and the body white-complexioned, as dowry?'
Rucheeka agreed, He made a penance to please Varuna (the raingod), obtained the thousand fine horses of the desired prescription
and presented them to king Gadhi. The king was happy and now
convinced of his son-in-law's worth, married off his daughter to the
sage.

Though she had grown up amidst royal riches and pleasures,

Satyavati easily adjusted herself to the simple living mode of the
hermitage. She served her husband with devotion, considering him to
be her god.
The couple had no children for some time.

An Exchange
King Gadhi had only one daughter and no sons. He was worried about
succession to the throne. His daughter Satyavati also knew his
father's worry. One day sage Rucheeka asked her : "Tell me what is
worrying you. I will give you a boon to solve your problem."
Gladdened, Satyavati requested him to bless her and her mother that
they might beget male children to perpetuate the lineage. The sage
gave them a consecrated herbal concoction separately to each and
asked them to drink it. Satyavati's mother, thinking that the sage may
have given her daughter something special, took the offering intended
for her daughter while the latter consumed that meant for her mother.
Thus the sage's offerings were reversed in consumption.

Valiant Grandson
Both became pregnant in due course. Rucheeka noticed a 'Kshatriya'
(royal) brightness on the face of his wife and was surprised. By his
insight, he understood the reason, and upon his mentioning this to
Satyavati, she realised the mishap. She prayed that her son might
become a sage and the grandson a valiant royal hero. Her husband
blessed her accordingly.
Rucheeka's son was Jamadagni and Jamadagni's son was
Parashurama who, wielding an axe, toured the land getting rid of evil
kings and assuring the pious peace and freedom from evil.

Kartaveeryarjuna
Parashurama's mother was Renuka. She was the adopted daughter of
king Prasenajit. She had married sage Jamadagni and was serving
him faithfully. Parashurama was her first son and he was followed by
four others- Rumanvanta, Sushena, Vasu and Vishwavasu. Several
incidents enraged Parashurama, forcing him into the vow of getting rid
of Kshatriya families from this land.

There was a king named Kritaveerya belonging to the Lunar Race.

Born to him was Kartaveeryarjuna, a heroic personality. He had
worshipped Lord Dattatreya and been blessed with invincibility. He
possessed the strength of a thousand arms on the battle-front. He had
defeated Ravana at war and was reigning at Mahishmati, full of glory
and arrogance.
One day Kartaveeryarjuna went on a gaming expedition to the forest
accompanied by his huge army. After the expedition had progressed
for some time he began to feel hungry and thirsty and asked his men
to look for any sage's hermitage around. Nearby they sighted the
ashram of Jamadagni. When the king arrived there the sage extended
him a warm welcome and also requested that the royal personage
could rest at the ashram for the day and move out later. The king, tired
after the day's hunting adventures, could wish for nothing better. He
was ceremoniously and sumptuously treated there.

The Surprised King

The sages perform penance for securing welfare to the world. Not only
the people on earth but those in heaven also assist them in their task.
Indra, the Lord of Heaven, had sent the divine cow-Kamadhenu-for
assisting Jamadagni who was in penance at the time.
Kamadhenu was a wish-fulfilling divine cow. The king of the land had
been visiting the hermitage and he had to be treated with a reception
fitting the majesty of royalty. The sage requested the divine cow to
oblige him by helping to arrange for a sumptuous lunch. Soon, the
ceremonial lunch was ready. The sage treated the guests to a royal
feast and all felt happy and contented.
"What a wonderful feast I had never tasted such fine meals even at
the palace. And it is practically impossible to prepare such a festive
meal at such a short notice even at the palace. How did you arrange
this?", the king queried in surprise.
"O king! This is the grace of Kamadhenu. Lord Indra has sent this
sacred cow to assist me. The cow can bestow any favours instantly.
All these are her blessings."

'I Demand This!'

A strong selfish desire gripped the king and he entreated the sage
thus.: "O sage! It would be very useful d such a distinguished cow

remained at the palace. Thousands of people visit us and we will be

obliged to treat them without delay. But your ashram will not be under
such pressure as a routine. I shall leave a lot of. land and other
property for you. You can look after your guests comfortably. Please
hand the cow over to me."
The sage replied "O king ! I can't present this cow to others. I can get
her to help with only the needs of the ashram. I have no right to
present her to anyone else. Please don't ask for her."
The arrogant king was angry. He ordered his soldiers to take the cow
by force and they tied her and drove away to the capital Mahishmati.
Jamadagni was distressed. Is this how the king should express his
thanks for the reception he received ?

Parashurama Acts
By this time, Parashurama who had gone to the woods to collect
material for sacrificial worship ('Yagna') returned and learnt about the
king's taking away Kamadhenu by force.
Enraged, Parashurama decided to go in pursuit of Kartaveeryarjuna
and bring Kamadhenu back. "The king is to suffer proper punishment,"
he thought and armed with his sharp axe and bow and arrows, left on
the chase.
What are sages' children before a king? Kartaveeryarjuna's soldiers
pounced upon Parashurama who however confronted them boldly and
began to chop them off mercilessly. Finally Kartaveeryarjuna himself
appeared before Parashurama and the two were engaged in a fierce
battle. Parashurama axed down the king's thousand arms and killed
him. His sons and remaining soldiers ran for their lives leaving
Kamadhenu behind. Parashurama brought her back and respectfully
handed her over to his father.

'A Hero, But-'

Jamadagni was naturally happy over his son's heroism. He was very
happy at the return of Kamadhenu. But he wondered whether a
Brahmin could afford to get so terribly angry.
He advised his son: "Dear Parashurama, no doubt you are a great
hero. Such valour should be the pride of anybody. But you should

have kept your wrath under check. See now, you have killed so many
people and the responsibility for that cruelty lies upon you. You should
rid yourself of this sin. Go on a pilgrimage and visit holy places. Return
to the ashram purified."
"As you order, father", said Parashurama and bowing to him left upon
pilgrimage. He travelled for a year and returned to help his father in
his chores.

The Sudarshana Chakra Story

There is a story prevalent about the incarnation of Parashurama.
Sage Narada was once visiting Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu.
He extolled the Lord in very colourful terms. Vishnu's major weapon
was the 'Chakra' (sharp-edged swinging wheel) known as
'Sudarshana Chakra'. So far none could face it and come out of the
attack victorious. The Chakra had a deity associated with it and he
used to boast that all the powers the Lord had were due to him and He
couldn't kill the demons without his help. Narada's praising of Vishnu
angered him ; he was sore that Narada had ignored his prowess.
Learning of this, Vishnu called him and said : 'Dear Sudarshana, it is
true I defeated the Asuras with your help. Go to earth and be born a
thousand-armed hero; I will come and appear as the son of a sage.
Let us match our strength there!'
The Sudarshana Chakra could no longer remain in Vaikunta and came
down to earth. Kritaveerya, belonging to the Lunar Race, was
childless for a long time and later a son without arms was born to him.
However, he acquired one thousand arms and invincibility by the
grace of Lord Dattatreya. But this arrogant man, Kartaveeryarjuna,
faced Parashurama in battle and died.
The Sudarshana Chakra was thus subdued.

'Kill Renuka !'

It was a pleasant day in spring when the colourful nature had made
the surroundings shine with charm and fragrance. Renuka, the
devoted wife of Jamadagni, had to get the Ganga water for her
husband's Fire worship, and accordingly, proceeded to the river with a
pot.

The Ganga was flowing majestically. At that time a 'Gandharva'

(celestial being) named Chitraratha was enjoying a festive bath and
was engaged in frolic with his wives. Renuka was watching these
activities for some time. She had been somewhat mesmerised and
after a while awakened herself realising her duty to carry the pot of
water to her husband. She rushed back to the hermitage.
Jamadagni was a sage possessing supreme vision. He visualised the
reason for his wife's delayed arrival. He was angered at her and took
umbrage at her becoming 'impure' by witnessing Chitraratha with
unbecoming interest. He called out his sons and ordered them to kill
her!
The children were shocked ; they could not believe their own ears.
How can they kill their own mother?
They stood transfixed. Jamadagni was now furious, seeing that his
sons were not obeying him. Parashurama returned after a while, and
Jamadagni asked his son to kill his mother and also the 'disobedient'
brothers.

Revived
Parashurama did not hesitate even for a moment. Readily he raised
his axe, chopped off his mother's head and later killed his brothers. As
he bowed before his father in reverence, the latter's anger subsided.
However, five persons had been killed.
Jamadagni said : "My son, your devotion to your father has pleased
me. Tell me what is your desire and I shall fulfil it."
Parashurama replied: "O father, nothing satisfies me more than
fulfilling your desire. If you want to grant me a boon, kindly oblige by
making my mother and brothers come back to life. Please forgive their
disobedience."
"As you wish," agreed Jamadagni.
The dead rose to life and prostrated before the sage. The ashram's
rituals were resumed unhindered. Thus Parashurama saved his
mother and brothers.

Vengeance
At the same time, the sons of Kartaveeryarjuna at Mahishmati were

pining for vengeance. Having once faced the wrath of the axe-wielding
Parashurama, they were afraid of confronting him again and hence
conceived a secret plan.
Parashurama, accompanied by his brothers, had gone out on an
errand. Hearing of this from their spies, the sons of Kartaveeryarjuna
laid siege to the hermitage of Jamadagni. They vowed to seek their
revenge by killing the sage. The sage was sitting in meditation.
Kartaveeryarjuna's sons stormed the place. Renuka, realising the
danger confronting them, entreated the invaders to spare the life of
her husband. But her plea went unheeded. Jamadagni, in penance,
was beheaded and his skull was taken away to Mahishmati and to
ashram was destroyed.

Again The Axe-man

Renuka shouted 'O Rama! O Rama! O Rama!' Parashurama and his
brothers who were approaching the ashram heard their mother's cry
and rushed to the place. They were shocked to see the body of their
father lying in a pool of blood; his head was missing. Their mother had
lost consciousness and collapsed. The children helped her to regain
consciousness. She wept and narrated the happenings. Renuka and
the boys surrounded the headless body of Jamadagni and wailed and
wailed.
But Parashurama did not sit quietly and cry. He learnt from the
inmates of the ashram the details of the incidents. Reddened with
anger, he picked up his axe and hurried towards Mahishmati.
On reaching the city, he first butchered the guards at the main
entrance. Breaking down the heavy gate, with his eyes like a couple of
fireballs, he stalked to the palace like an enraged lion. There he
destroyed the whole army which came to attack him. He killed all the
princes, picked up his father's head and returned to the ashram. There
the children performed all the obsequies in honour of the departed
soul.

His Wrath
Even after this, Parashurama's wrath did not subside. He felt uneasy
and full of anguish whenever he saw his sorrowful mother
In his anguished heart was slowly taking shape a plan of action.

Finally, Parashurama vowed:

"All these kings are evil men. They stole the cow which had fed them;
they killed my father. They made my mother suffer widowhood. This
entire kingly class should be destroyed. The pious cannot five in
peace till then. Let me sharpen the axe. I am going to wipe out the
whole lot of them.'
Carrying the axe on his shoulder, he traversed the earth twenty-one
times, chopped off all the anogant Kshatriyas, wiping out the entire
royalty.

Generosity, Altruism
It is said Parashurama built five lakes out of the blood of the evil
princes he killed. There he prayed for peace to his father's soul. These
lakes are known as 'Syamanta Panchaka'. He conducted
'Ashwamedha', 'Vajapeya' and other sacrifices to purify himself and
gifted the land he had acquired after killing the princes to the priestly
men who had come to these sacrifices. Finally, he bathed himself in
the river Saraswati, built a hermitage at the foot of the Mahendra
mountain and settled down for penance.
It is believed Parashurama is living there even today, as he is ageless.
When Parashurama decided to build a hermitage for himself, a
problem confronted him. He had given away all the land he had
acquired. Now, any plot upon which he settled down would mean his
taking back the land he had donated, and it would be a wrongful act.
He then found a solution for the problem. He threw his axe into the
sea and requested the King of the Ocean to give him land up to the
spot where the axe hit the sea-waters. There he built his ashram. This
came to be known as 'Parashurama Srishti'. It is an age-old belief that
this stretch of land would always be prosperous and no drought or
disease would ever affect the region.

The Merciful
Though bloody, Parashurama's rebellion contains many instances of
his submission to 'Dharma'. He did not kill those kings who performed
religious sacrifices ('yajnas') and kings like Janaka were thus saved ;
he did not kill married princes, and thus king Dasharatha and others
were spared. He did not attack women. In fact, it is said that upon

knowing that Parashurama would not harm women, some Kshatriya

princes donned the robes of women and escaped amidst female
groups. One such person came to be known as 'Nari-kavacha' (one
who sought protection amidst women.)

Parashurama And Sri Rama

There are stories pertaining to Parashurama in Ramayana and
Mahabharata. Vishnu appeared on the earth as Sri Rama, son of king
Dasharatha, and his consort Lakshmi was born as Sita, daughter of
King Janaka. On her reaching marriageable age, a 'Swayamvara' (an
assembly wherein a princess chooses a prince as her mate from
amongst the invitees) was arranged. Many were those who came with
high hopes of securing her hand. At the palace of Janaka, there was
an ancient bow said to have been blessed by Lord Shiva. Janaka
announced that his daughter would marry the prince who could bend
the bow and tie it up. All the assembled princes attempted it and failed
while Sri Rama easily accomplished the task, broke the bow into two
and Sita married him.
Dasharatha was returning to his kingdom Ayodhya with his sons and
daughters.
Parashurama, upon learning of Sri Rama's breaking the bow, became
angry. Parashurama had learnt archery from Lord Shiva. Added to his
anger was the fact that the feat had been accomplished by a Kshatriya
prince.
As Sri Rama was heading towards Ayodhya with his father
Dasharatha, wife Sita and others, Parashurama confronted them and
a battle ensued between him and Sri Rama. The former wielded his
axe while Sri Rama replied with his famous 'Kodanda' bow. As they
stood confronting each other, their eyes met ; and both instantly
realised that they were the incarnations of the same Supreme Power.
The Vishnu-effulgence of Parashurama merged itself with Sri Rama's
personality. Parashurama realised that his incarnation had come to an
end and returned to his hermitage in the Mahendra mountain.

In The Mahabharata
According to references in the Mahabharata, there was a king ruling
Kashi (Benaras). He had three daughters named Amba, Ambika and
Ambalika. They had reached marriageable age and the king arranged
a 'Swayamvara' for finding bridegrooms for them. The contenders had

to participate in a battle and the victorious princes would marry the

princesses.
A king named Shantanu was ruling in another kingdom Hastinavati.
Devavrata was his son. The queen had left Shantanu for some reason
and the latter wanted to marry again. To fulfil his father's desire,
Devavrata undertook to fulfil two vows - that he would not become a
king and that he would not marry. He came to be known as Bhishma
signifying these vows. Upon the death of Shantanu, Bhishma crowned
his stepbrother Vichitravirya as the king.
Bhishma came to know of the 'Swayamvara' of the Kashi king's
daughters and thought it would be a good idea to marry the girls to his
brother. He attended the assembly, defeated ail other princes, brought
the three princesses and asked Vichitravirya to marry them. Ambika
and Ambalika agreed for this proposal. However....

But Amba ?
Amba, from the beginning, wanted to marry the king of Salwa. She
requested Bhishma to send her to that prince. He accordingly agreed
and sent her away. But the Salwa king refused to marry her as she
had been taken away after victory in a battle.
Amba came back to Bhishma and entreated him to marry her. An
avowed celibate, he did not wish to depart from that state of life.
Amba knew that Bhishma highly respected Parashurama and would
not say 'no' to the latter's words. So she went to him and narrated her
story. Parashurama thereupon accompanied her to see Bhishma and
said : 'Bhishma, marry this girl.'
'I cannot do so. If I do, it would be breaking my vow.'
Parashurama and Bhishma thereupon engaged themselves in a battle
and the fighting went on for many days. Both were valiant and could
not be vanquished. Ultimately, they stopped fighting and returned to
their places. Amba, a dejected damsel, threw herself into fire and died.
Later she was reborn as Shikhandi and took revenge on Bhishma.

Karna
As mentioned earlier, Parashurama had learnt archery from Lord
Shiva himself and had mastered all the finer points of that discipline. It

was said that Shiva was very pleased with his disciple's prowess and
had bestowed him with the axe; Goddess Parvati had blessed and
given him many fine weapons. Many young men were coming to him
for training in the art of archery.
But Parashurama would not teach the Kshatriyas. He felt that a
weapon in the hands of an evil person would pose a danger to the
pious. Karna was a hero of Mahabharata. He was separated from his
mother at a very young age. He desired that he should learn archery
from Parashurama. But how to achieve ft ? Karna decided to act as a
Brahmin boy and went to Parashurama; Parashurama taught Karna
and in fact was very pleased to notice the keen interest and
capabilities of Karna. He became a particularly beloved pupil of
Parashurama and continued his training to reach greater heights.

Karna's Misfortune
One day, Parashurama, resting his head on the lap of Karna, was
sleeping.
Indra, the king of the Devas, had a special affection towards Arjuna,
one of the five Pandava brothers, because the latter had been born to
Pandavas' mother Kunti by his (Indra's) own blessings.
Indra knew that Pandavas had to wage war against their cousins, the
Kauravas led by Prince Duryodhana, and that Karna would be the
right-hand man of the prince. He decided that Karna had to be
vanquished so as to ward off danger to Arjuna.
Indra pondered over how to realise this objective. Karna had
completed his training from Parashurama successfully; who can
match him now? Indra had to think of some incident wherein the
Guru's wrath would descend upon his disciple. He assumed the form
of a diamond-sharp insect and began to bite into the flesh of Karna's
lap. Can anybody withstand such severe torture for long ? But Karna
was worried that even the slightest dislodging of his lap would disturb
the Guru's sleep. He suffered all the severe pain of the insect's biting
with tenacity. His lap began to bleed, and as the floor got wet with
blood, Parashurama suddenly woke up. And what did he see ? His
disciple is sitting quiet, while his lap was bleeding ! He was suffering
such great pain silently.
A doubt confronted Parashurama. This boy is certainly not a Brahmin,
for only a Kshatriya could suffer this pain in silence. The boy must be

a Kshatriya, he had deceived him and learnt archery.

Parashurama was red with anger. He cursed : "Let the training you
have had from me be of no avail to you at the time of your difficulties!"
Later, during the great Mahabharata war, a fierce battle ensued
between Karna and Arjuna. The 'Sarpaastra' (the serpent-arrow) let off
by Karna failed to kill Arjuna ; and Karna also could not remember
another great 'astra' taught by Parashurama. He succumbed to
Arjuna's arrows.

Exalted Personality
Thus the story of Parashurama is one of the most exciting episodes in
our mythology. Parashurama was not only a great hero ; he was also a
savant rich in wisdom. Just before the Mahabharata war, Lord Krishna
visited Duryodhana and advised him to hand over half of the kingdom
in a just manner. Parashurama at that time was sitting at
Duryodhana's court along with other dignitaries, and he too counselled
Duryodhana 'Pandavas have kept their word. You should now act
justly. Give them their share of the kingdom Otherwise, that injustice
may destroy you." But Duryodhana was adamant. He waged war in
which thousands of people died. His own brothers, near and dear
relatives, friends - all perished, he had his leg broken and breathed his
last.
Parashurama embodied several noble qualities. His utter devotion to
his father whose words he readily fulfilled, his great respect for his
mother and regard for his brothers for whose resurrection he ardently
prayed, the determination with which he set about to destroy the kingly
clan which had brought about the death of his father, the generosity
with which he donated the lands he had conquered, his asking the
sea-king for land up to the point where the axe hit sea waters, his
mastery in archery, and above all his magnificent sense of 'Dharma'
(virtuousness) -all these features shine in his life like pure diamonds.
And therefore, Parashurama is hailed as the sixth incarnation of Lord
Vishnu.
There is a traditional verse which is popular:

'Ashwatthamo Balir Vyasah

Hanumanscha Vibhishanah

Kripah Parashuramascha
Saptaite Chirajeevinah'

Ashwatthama, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripa and

Parashurama these are the seven eternal, ageless, immortal souls
according to our traditional belief. In particular, it is believed
Parashurama is sitting even today in penance at Mahendra mountain.
Why this great penance ? Not for himself, but for the peace and
happiness of the whole world.
Parashurama is thus one of our celebrate epic heros who, down the
ages, is acclaimed as Vishnu's incarnation.

Story Of Lord Parshuram

Once King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) and his army visited Jamadagni, a brahmin sage, who fed his guest
and the whole army with his divine cow Surabhi; the king demanded the magical cow and Jamadagni refused
because he needed the cow for his religious ceremonies. King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) sent his soldiers
to take the cow and Parashurama killed the entire army and the king with his axe. In return, the princes
beheaded Jamadagni the father of Parshuram.
When Parashurama returned home he found his mother crying hysterically. He asked why she was crying, she
beat her chest 21 times. In a rage, Parashurama vowed to exterminate the world's Kshatriyas 21 times. He killed
the entire clan of Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna), thus conquering the entire earth. He offered his dead father's
soul tarpana with the blood of the kings and warriors he slew. He then conducted the Ashwamedha sacrifice,
done only by sovereign kings, and gave the entire land he owned to the priests who performed at the yagya.
There are several legends regarding Baghwan Parshuram with Lord Shiva and Lord Ram .

Ironically,
next
Sunday,
May
12
is Mother's
Day and Shri
Parashuram Jayanti. Why
do
I
say
"ironically"?
Because,
Shri Parashuram , the sixth reincarnation of Shri Vishnu is also accused of
killing his Mother. Let us find out why did he do it?

Once, Parashuram's Mother went to the river to fetch water. Upon

reaching the river, she was attracted to a handsome prince sporting in the
water with women and desired his company. Dazed, she lost all sense of
time and forgot that her husband was awaiting her return for his fire
sacrifice. When she eventually arrived, her husband was furious to learn of
her adulterous thoughts by means of his meditative power and ordered his
sons to kill their Mother.

The sons weren't sure what to do. In Vedic culture, murdering any woman
(what to speak of one's own Mother) is a horrible sin. On the other hand,
disobeying an elder's command (especially the father's) is also a great
offense. When the sage's confused elder sons declined to obey his
command, the sage instructed his youngest son, Parashuram, to kill his
disloyal Mother and disobedient brothers.

Parashuram, knowing the power of his father, thought that if he refused to

carry out his fathers order he would be cursed, but if he carried out the
order, his father would be pleased and would give him a benediction. he
would then be able to bring his Mother and brothers back to life with that
benediction. Parashuram therefore killed his own Mother and brothers.
When Jamadagni, Parashuram's father being very pleased, offered to give
him a benediction, Parashuram requested that his Mother and brothers be
brought back to life and that they would not remember having been killed
by him. His Mother and brothers immediately came to life as if awakened
from sound sleep. Parashurama was fully aware of his fathers power of
austerity and had therefore decided to kill his Mother.

Jamadagni was certainly very powerful due to his austerities, but because
of a slight offense by his poor wife, Renuka, he ordered that she be killed.
This certainly was a sinful act, and therefore the stage was set for him to
bear the consequences of his actions. As a karmic reaction to the sage's
killing of his wife and sons, the princes killed him.

The pastimes of the Lord and His devotees and incarnations are
transcendental affairs that we cannot imitate. Still, the story of Sri
Parashuram's family teaches us to be wary of lust and anger, which can
disrupt the lives of even such great souls as Parashuram's parents.

Sixth Parashurama Avatar The

Warrior Incarnation
JUNE 20, 2014

Vishnu incarnated Parshurama Avatar in Treta- Yug to exterminate

kshatriyas kings who strayed from their path and had become a
great burden to Bhoomidevi (Mother Earth) and her children. In
treta yug their was a kshatriya king named Arjuna, who had
thousand arms. He had appeased Lord Dattatreya and has
secured boons from him which had made him invincible. But
Arjuna misused his powers and became a merciless tyrant.

To end his bad deeds and avenge

all kshatriyas kings who had become evil and were troubling the
brahmins, Lord Vishnu came to earth in Parashurama
avatar.Parshu means axe and so his name means Rama-with-theaxe. He was born in Brighu clan to Sage Jamadagni and Renuka.
They had four sons and Parashurama was the youngest son and
the most powerful and aggressive one. Parashurama always
carried an axe which he received from Lord Shiva after pleasing
him with his meditation. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva
and from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other
skills.Though a Brahmins son Parashurama had inordinate love
for weapons and had kshatriya (warrior) traits in him. He is also
referred as Brahma-Kshatriya -one who possesses both the
qualities of Brahmins and kshatriyas (since his mother was a
daughter of kshatriya and his father was a brahmin).
Ashram of Sage Jamadagni was situated on the banks of the river
Narmada where he educated his sons and his
disciples. Parshuramas parents were spiritual people, his mother
Renuka had command over water elments and his father
Jamadgani over fire. Once Sage Jamadagni was performing a
yajna in his ashram. He asked his wife Renuka to fetch water from
the river to offer oblation to gods.

At that time a celestial singer named

Chitraratha was making sport in the river with his wives.Out of

curiosity Renuka stood there to see them and missed the time of
oblation. Jamadagni was so angry that he ordered his sons, Cut
off her head as she has failed in her duty! None of the sons came
forward. Parashurama obeyed his command and killed his
mother.Rishi Jamadgani was so pleased with his son that he asked
him to ask for a boon. Parashurama said,Kindly bring our
innocent mother to life again. By now Jamadagnis anger had
subsided and with his divine powers he brought back life of
Renuka.
Sage Jamadgani and Renuka both were blessed not only for
having Parshuram as their son but they also had the wish fulfilling
cow Kamdhenu and her calf- a symbol of abundance. Once when
Parashurama & his brothers were away, some Kshatriya
warriors entered Jamadagnis Ashrama.Renuka was alone at that
time, she greeted them and offered them with delicious dishes
and with tasty milk of their cow Kamadhenu and her calf.
Everyone was amused to see such a magical cow which produced
whatever dish they asked for. They thought,If Kamadhenu can
feed so many people in such a short time then our king Arjuna
must possess her. They asked for that cow and Renuka refused.

After their meals they took rest for a while

and at the time of departure Kshatriya warriors seized the cow &
her calf & forcefully took them to their capital. Renuka loved
Kamadhenu and her calf more than her life. When Parashurama
returned to his ashram, he saw his mother Renuka crying. He
inquired and she said, My son, what a misery! Arjunas men has
robbed us of Kamadhenu and her calf.
How dare he commit such a sin, do not worry I shall deal with
him? shouted Parashurama . Parashurama stormed into
Mahishmati, Arjunas capital carrying his axe and challenged him,
You have stolen our Kamadhenu. Return it if you love life. Arjuna
was alarmed at first but then he took Parashurama as a meek boy.
So he insolently said, Kshatriyas have claim over the best things
in this world. You and your father should practice penance only.
Kamadhenu will live well in my palace. Arjuna sent his powerful
army to face Parashurama but they were all killed. Enraged at the
destruction of his army, Arjuna himself rushed towards him with
uprooted trees and rocks but in the air of arrogance Arjuna had
forgotten the curse. ***
(***THE CURSE Arjuna had once burnt to ashes the Ashram of
Muni Vashist while destroying a forest and Vashist had cursed
him, Youll one day encounter with a mighty person who will cut
off all your thousand arms. )

Parashurama attacked him and cuts off his

arms just like one cuts off the branches of a tree and then brought
his axe down on the tyrants neck and killed him. When the king
fell, his frightened soldiers began to run away for
life. Parashurama then returned with Kamadhenu and her calf
after killing Arjuna. At the ashrama Renuka was eagerly waiting
for them. Parashurama touched her feet and handed her the
beloved Kamadhenu and calf. Jamadagni did not appreciate the
adventure of his son. He retorted, You have developed enmity
between the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas. You have to go on a
pilgrimage to atone this sin. And Parashurama obeyed his
fathers command.
But on the other side, Arjunas sons were hankering for revenge.
Once when Jamadagni and Renuka were alone in their Ashrama
they invaded the Ashrama and killed Jamadagni. Renuka fainted
after seeing this extreme sight. On returning, Parashurama saw
this tragedy and asked her mother, Who did this? But Renukas
agony was so deep that she could not utter a word. He noticed 21
scars on his fathers body and full of grief and anger Parashurama
swore to annihilate the entire Kshatriya race.

Outraged by King Arjunas sons, and with a terrible axe in his

hand he headed straight for Kshatriya prince palace. He attacked
and killed all the princes, catching them from their hiding places,
and slicing them to death. He killed every male member of
Kshatriya king Arjunas clan his sons, brothers, cousins, uncles,
even the elderly. Knowing that people living around that place
were all kshatriya, he went around the neighborhood and killed
every Kshatriya he found. With a killing spree in his mind he
moved in every direction and all over the country killing every
kshatriya that confronted him and he made sure no male
kshatriya was left. His axe was glimmering in red color. In a
mission to avenge his fathers death, Parashurama had filled five
ponds with the blood of Kshatriyas and the place was later on
known as Samant-panchaka. He took bath in that lake, washed his
axe and performed rituals in honor of his father. The existence of
the Kshatriyas was wiped out from the surface of the
globe. Parasurama waged war after war for 21 years and
destroyed the unrighteous Kshatriyas.
Now when Parashurama revenge was complete, he turned to
penance believing that he had made the Brahmins absolutely free
from the fears of Kshatriyas. Parashurama is considered
Chiranjeevi or immortal and is said to rule until Maha Pralaya or
the end of the world.

OTHER DEEDS IN HIS LIFETIME-

1) Both Parashurama and Lord Rama were the incarnation of lord

Vishnu. When Lord Rama took birth on earth, his path crossed
with Parshurama at a swyamvar ceremony. As a small boy Rama
once went to attend the yagna performed by Vishwamitra. In the
meantime King Janak of Mithila had arranged a Swayamvara
(choice marriage) for his daughter. Parashurama had presented a
Shiva dhanushya, the Pinaka (a bow of Lord Shiva) to Janak, and
Sita was to be married to the person who could lift that bow.
Under the instructions of Vishwamitra Rama

lifted the bow to string it but it snapped into two while bending
it. Parshurama, had a violent temper and when he heard of Rama
breaking the bow at Sitas swayamvara, he became furious.
Who has broken Lord Shivas bow.The bow that was designed by
Vishwakarma was given to me by Lord Shiva himself. Speak up
who is responsible for this heinous crime? , screamed
Parshurama.
On behalf of Rama, Laxmana replied, It was an old bow and
therefore it was broken. What makes you so angry at it?
His words infuriated Parasurama more. As he was ready to say
more Lord Rama in his humble voice apologized to Parshurama
and the deep respect and modesty in his voice took Parasurama
completely by surprise. He looked at Rama and realized that
Rama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and that his duties were

over. To confirm, he handed his own bow that slung across his
shoulder to Rama, and challenged Rama to string this bow of Lord
Vishnu. Rama bowed and with ease he strung it and notched an
arrow. Rama then asked Parshurama that where should he release
the arrow. With a smile on his face Parshurama said, Cancel all
my duties on this land of Kashyap. You send this arrow towards
the North and Ill go and live there forever. Rama obliged him
and aimed the arrow on Parashurams destiny making him one of
the chiranjeevis (immortals). Parashurama then settled on
mountain Mahendra.
READ MORE ABOUT LORD RAMA AVATAR

Parashurama had a prolonged life. He was alive even during the

incarnation of Krishna. In this way Lord Vishnu in Parashuram
aavatar killed kshatriya kings, who were unrighteous, proud, and
cruel to their subjects, and unfriendly to Brahmins.

Vishwamitra and Parashurama

Do you know that Brahmarishi Vishwamitra is related
to Parashurama the great warrior sage who is the

sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu?

Their story starts with a king called Gadhi. Gadhi had
a beautiful and intelligent daughter Satyavati.
Once a great sage called Ruchika came to the kingdom
of Gadhi. When he entered the kingdom, he saw
Princess Satyavati who was out with her maids. The
sage was mesmerised with the princess.
The very next day he went to the King's court.
'Your Majesty! I am Ruchika, the son of Sage
Chyavana.' The king was thrilled in welcoming the
sage. Chyavana was one of the most powerful sages in
the world.
As the king enthusiastically welcomed the sage, the
sage told the king about his mission. 'I saw your
daughter, Princess Satyavati yesterday....' The sage
said with glazed eyes. 'She looks beautiful and is very
intelligent. I am a sage....' Ruchika said confidently,
'By the power of my penance, I can keep your
daughter very happy....If you and your daughter
have no objections, I would like to marry her....'
Gadhi was taken aback. He certainly did not expect
his daughter, who had been born and brought up in a
palace to live like the wife of a hermit, in the forests.

But then he could not downright refuse a sage.

He looked at the sage slyly, 'Great sage! I am glad
you want to marry my daughter. But before I give my
daughter away, I request that you grant me a
thousand white horses with one black ear!'
The king was confident that the sage would never be
able to find more than ten such horses....
The unassuming Sage Ruchika left the kingdom and
meditated on Lord Varuna. After a powerful
meditation, Varuna appeared before him. Ruchika
requested the Lord of the Ocean to give him a
thousand pure white horses with one black ear.
By the power of the meditation, Varuna gave the sage
the horses.
Gadhi was astounded when Sage Ruchika came for the
second time with a thousand horses. He knew he did
not have a choice in this matter. He gave his only
daughter in marriage to the rishi.
Much to the surprise of everyone, Satyavati adjusted
to the life in the hermitage very well. She was loved
by everyone in the hermitage and around it. However
she had one worry which was eating her.

Ruchika saw his worried wife and spoke to her.

'Satyavati! I thought you were happy in the
hermitage. Is there something wrong? You were
happy...now...something is bothering you...'
Satyavati sadly nodded her head. 'You have been
keeping me very happy here and I am happy beyond
my wildest dreams...But you need to understand...I
am worried about my father!'
Ruchika looked surprised at his wife, 'What is wrong
with your father?'
Satyavati looked unhappily at the sage, 'My father...I
am the only child of my father....And I am now in this
hermitage....My father has no one who will look after
the kingdom after him....'
Ruchika smiled at his wife, 'If you had told me this
earlier, I would have solved your problem earlier...'
By the power of his meditation he picked up two
potions and handed them over to his wife. 'Give this
potion to your mother! This potion has the power of
the warrior's energy stored in it...The child born
would be a powerful warrior and a good king...'
Satyavati gladly nodded her head as the sage picked

up the second potion. 'This my dear is for you...This

has the power of the sages stored in it...The child
which would be born from it, would be a powerful
rishi...' Satyavati looked shyly at her husband as she
took the potions.
She told her mother all about the two potions and
gave the warrior's potion to her mother....However
Satyavati's mother was doubtful...She did not believe
the sage....I am sure that sage would love his wife

more than he would care about me...I am sure the

other potion would give a better child than the one he

has given me....So Gadhi's wife interchanged the
potions.

So Satyavati drank the warrior's potion and Gadhi's

wife drank the sage's potion....
Born to Gadhi's wife was Kaushika. The story of
Kaushika is very famous in Hindu mythology. He was
the king who fought with Sage Vasishta for the
heavenly cow Nandini. Kaushika was humiliated when
he was defeated by the power of Sage Vasishta's
penance. Disgusted Kaushika gave up his kingdom
and decided to become a sage. Kaushika was no
normal sage. By the power of his penance, Kaushika

became Brahmarishi Vishwamitra.

True to the Ruchika's power, though the child was
born as a king,the child grew up and went on to
become one of the most powerful rishis ever....
As Satyavati had a child in her womb, Ruchika was
surprised...The aura emanating from his wife was not
that he had expected. He looked at his wife. 'My dear!
The child....the child in your womb...It does not have
the aura of a sage...in fact it looks like a warrior...'
Satyavati was surprised as Ruchika using the powers
of his mind sensed what Satyavati's mother had done.
Ruchika told Satyavati everything that her mother
had done.
Satyavati looked at Ruchika, 'NO! I do not wish for
the child to be a warrior! Please, change it...please, I
do not want to be the mother of a warrior! I want him
to be like you...a great sage one who is well versed in
the Vedhas and the Scriptures...'
Ruchika looked at his wife and sadly nodded his head.
'Because you ask for it, I can only make sure that
your child is not a warrior....But the power of the
warrior cannot just go away....At the best I can just

shift it by one generation....If not your child, then

your grandchild will be a warrior!'
Satyavati agreed to it gladly. So Ruchika using the
fruits of his penance, took away the warrior powers in
the child. The child born to Ruchika and Satyavati was
Sage Jamadagni. He was a great sage, who was one of
the Saptarishis of the world....
However such a power could not be totally taken
away. It was only shifted by one
generation. Jamadagni's son was Parashurama, [In
Sanskrit it literally means the Rama with the axe].
True to Ruchika's power, Parashurama though born to
a sage was one of the greatest warriors in the world.
It is believed that he was an incarnation of Lord
Narayana, born to destroy all the kings in the world,
because they had become haughty and arrogant.
Parashurama's fighting prowess is out of the world. It
is believed that he got the world rid of the haughty
and arrogant kings and warriors 21 times.
There were very few warriors who could match the
power of Parashurama. Bheeshma, the grandsire of
the Mahabharatha was one of the few people whom
Parashurama considered his equal.

However Parashurama was stopped by another

Avatar of Lord Vishnu - Lord Rama of Ayodhya.
When Parashurama met Rama, Parashurama realized
that it was no longer necessary to destroy the
warriors and kings of the world. After meeting
Rama, it is believed that Parashurama left the realm
of humans never to come back.....

The Axe of Parshuram

Published in Sunday Midday on 26 July 2009

In Vedic times Rishis used to perform yagnas to harness the power of the cosmos for
the benefit of the king or Raja and his kingdom. The Raja in turn ensured the
livelihood of the priests by gifting them cows. The Puranas, however, refer to a
period, when this symbiotic relationship soured, transforming both the kings and their
priests forever.
This shift happens before the arrival of Ram and is marked by another of Vishnus
avatar, Parashuram, which literally translates as the axe-bearing Ram. He is also
called Bhargava Ram or Ram of the priestly Bhrigu clan, distinguishing him from
Raghava Ram or Ram of the royal Raghu clan.
Parshurams grandmother, Satyavati, was a princess, daughter of Gadhi. She was
given in marriage to Richika, Parashurams grandfather. It was common practice for
Rajas to offer their daughters to Rishis, along with cows.
Parshurams father, the Rishi Jamadagni, had received a cow from a king of the
Haihaiya clan. The kings son Kritarjuna or Kartaviryarjuna demanded the cow back.
When Jamadagni refused, the king took the cow by force, angering Parshuram, who
refused to take things lying down. He raised an axe and hacked the king to death.
The kings sons retaliated by beheading Jamadagni. An infuriated Parshuram went
on to slaughter five clans of warriors, some say five generations of warriors, creating
five lakes of blood. These lakes were later filled and became the dreaded battlefield
of Kurukshetra.
It is said that Parashuram continued killing every Kshatriya in his path until there
were no more warriors left on earth. To restore the Kshatriya clans the widows had to
marry priests. There is one story of a man called Nari-kavacha, meaning one whose
armor was made of women. He survived by hiding in womens quarters. All women
went to this one surviving warrior and from this coward were born all future warriors.
Perhaps stories such as these were propaganda crated by Rishis to insult kings who
did not behave as Rajas are supposed to, as custodians rather than masters of their
kingdoms.
Rishis were known to oppose kings who did not do their duty. There are tales of how
Rishis ousted Pururava who went mad after his wife, the nymph Urvashi, left him.
There are stories of how Rishis killed Vena who abused his power and exploited the
earth. Parshurams massacre of kings only stopped when he met Ram, the son of

Dashrath, who was so perfect a Raja that he restored Parashurams faith in kings
and ended his slaughter.
Parshuram threw his bloodstained axe into the sea but the sea recoiled in horror and
drew back revealing a new coast now known as the Konkan and the Malabar, which
is why Paashuram worship is most prevalent in the western coast of India. Many
Rishis and Brahmins shunned Parshuram as they felt he was contaminated with
blood and murder. Determined to pass on his knowledge of warfare to priests who
could balance the power of kings, Parshuram is supposed to have gone to a
crematorium and resurrected dead priests, who became his students. One theory
states that the Chitpavan Brahmans of Pune who dominated Indian political scene in
the 18th century sprang from these resurrected priests hence the name Chitpavan
meaning purified from the funeral pyre. Parshuram even passed on his martial skills
today known as Kalaripayattu to families who were of mixed blood, whose mothers
were from warrior clans but fathers were of priestly clans, like, some say, the Nair
community in Kerala.
It is interesting to note that Parshurams granduncle was one of those who abused
his royal power against the Rishis. His name was Kaushik and he was Satyavatis
brother. Kaushik tried to steal the cow that belonged to Rishi Vasishtha. Unlike
Jamadagni, Vasishtha was able to defend himself using his spiritual powers.
Humiliated in defeat, Kaushik decided to acquire spiritual powers for himself. Just as
Parshuram had abandoned his priestly ways to become a warrior, Kaushik gave his
warrior ways to become the Rishi Vishwamitra. Just as Parashuram became a
warrior to create a better world, free of corrupt kings, Vishwamitra became a teacher
and a priest to create a better world, where spiritual powers were used to bring
material growth. Vishwamitra was a teacher of Ram.

The Story of Parasurama Avatar

(Posted By Administrator)

In PARASURAMA Avatar, Lord Vishnu incarnates himself as a brahmana(priest) in this

world. He was brought in this world to avenge all kshatriyas who had become arrogant
and were suppressing the brahmans in the world. He was born to Jamadagni and
Renuka, and belonged to the Brighu clan. Parashurama was always carrying an axe
presented to him by Lord Shiva of whom he was an ardent devotee. Kartavirya a
powerful king, once went to Jamadagni's home when he was out, and after a meal,
stole the Kamadhenu cow, which was supposed to give endless quantity of milk.
Jamadgni was enraged and he went and killed the king and brought Kamadhenu back.
On hearing this the son of the king came back and killed Jamdagni.
Parasurama was enraged at this and went and avenged the death of his father by
killing all kshatriyas in 21 battles. His story is story of the supremacy of brahmans over
the kshatriyas.

The story of Parasurama

Introduction

There are three famous characters in Indian epics with name Rama. All the three are included
among the ten important incarnations of Vishnu. They are all famous for their skill in warfare, too.
The first was Parasurama or Rama with the axe (Parasu) as weapon. The other two are Sree Rama
of Ramayana. The last is Balarama who was the elder brother of Krishna.
Parasurama was born to sage Jamadagni in Renuka in the family of Brahmins. He belonged to the
lineage of the renowned sage Bhrigu. Because of this, he is also known as Bhargava Rama.
Our Rama with an axe was considered an authority on all the fields of warfare, especially in the
science of archery. Several characters of Mahabharata, for example Drona and Karna, were disciples
of this sage. One may wonder why he ended up being a warrior in spite of being born in an
illustrious family of Brahmins. The following story throws some light on this point.
Another important character in our story is a Hehaya king by name Arjuna. He was the son of
Kritavirya and hence is known as Kartavirya Arjuna. It is said that he meditated on sage Dattatreya
and got one thousand arms with his blessings.
An obedient son
Jamadagni had five sons in Renuka, the last being Rama. One day, Renuka went to the nearby river
for bath. She happened to watch a king by name Chitraratha enjoying himself in the company of his
wives in the same river. The good lady, Renuka, was infatuated with the king and forgot herself for
a while watching him. When she came to her senses she quickly returned to the hermitage. But,
sage Jamadagnis watchful eyes noticed the change in mood in his wife and knew the reason with
his special powers. He was enraged. He ordered his sons to kill his wife for this impropriety. The
first four refused to do such a heinous crime. Jamadagni was angry with his sons and cursed them
that they would lose their senses and become like animals.
Rama did not think twice and chopped the head of his mother with his axe. Jamadagni was pleased
with his youngest son. By then, his anger had also left him.
The sage asked his son, Rama, for a boon. Parasurama promptly asked for the life of his mother.
The Maharshi (sage) asked Rama to ask for another boon. Rama requested his father that his
brothers get back to their normal senses. Jamadagni blessed Rama by way of the third boon that he
would become the best in the world in warfare.
An encounter with Kartaveeryarjuna
One day sage Jamadagni had gone out. At that time the Hehaya king, Arjuna, came to the
hermitage with his soldiers. Renuka received the king cordially. Sage Jamdagni had a special cow
which served all the needs of the sage for his rituals. Arjuna was impressed with the extraordinary
gifts of the cow and forcefully carried the animal away.
Soon Rama arrived, hearing the cry of the cow on the way. His mother told him all that happened.
Parasurama was furious. He rushed to Kartaviryarjuna and challenged him for a battle. Parasurama
chopped all the one thousand arms of the powerful Arjuna. Then, he pierced the breast of the king
of Hehaya with his arrows and killed him.
The soldiers of Arjuna took flight unable to face the onslaught of Rama. They met sage Jamadagni
collecting firewood for his daily rituals on the way. They took revenge for the killing of their king
with the life of the unsuspecting sage.
Parasuramas vow

Rama was deeply saddened to know about the killing of his father. He thought that the entire
Kshatriya (royal) community had become arrogant beyond limit. He took an oath that he would
teach them a lesson. It is said that he went around and killed all the kings whom he could find. This
he did to twenty one generations of kings. He came to a place called Samanta Pancaka in between
and washed his axe there in homage to his dead father. It is said that five rivers of blood started as
a result from that place. (The Mahabharata war took place near there)
We now return, again briefly, to Arshajnanam to keep track of the progress of the Pandavas
pilgrimage.
Posted by Kunjunny at 5:21 AM

10 comments:

bim said...
Was wondering why is it that sometimes people get one boon and sometimes they get 3
or sometimes even more than that. Is there any particular reason for this?
March 6, 2007 at 10:47:00 PM PST

bim said...
Also it would be good to know how and when parasurama stopped killing kings.
March 6, 2007 at 10:48:00 PM PST

Kunjunny said...
I do not think there is any criterion by which one or more boons are offered.
Sometimes, there is a sort of indirect prompting, have you observed? The one offering
expects a particular result. Until that has been asked, he goes on offering more. I shall
keep this question in mind in our stories in future.
March 18, 2007 at 2:30:00 AM PDT

Kunjunny said...
Parasurama killed all in the ruling class (Kshatriya) 21 times. That is what the story
tells us. He, naturally, spared the women. Because, that is prohibited by the code.
Royal women accepted Brahmins and begot children. That is how the race (of
Kshatriyas or the royals) survived. I am not aware of any date or event indicating that
he was through his work.
March 18, 2007 at 2:34:00 AM PDT

Kunjunny said...
There was an event that marked the end of Parasurama's revenge on the royalties
(Kshatriyas). He Invited Brahmins for a grand ritual (Yajna) and donated all the land he
had acquired by winning over kings to them. Hope, this answers one query of Bimal, at
least partly.
March 19, 2007 at 12:17:00 AM PDT

bim said...
Thanks kunjunyetta
March 21, 2007 at 1:04:00 AM PDT

gurudas said...
There is a project for us,to write about Parasurama.this site has helped me to that
project
Gurudas
Kanhangad
Kerala
July 2, 2008 at 8:11:00 AM PDT

Bharathi said...
Re: Boons
I have heard the Bharamins get 3 boons and Kshatriya are allowed only 2 boons.
When the Pandavas lost all their wealth in the game of dice, and the vastra haran of
draupathi took place. In the end, Dhritarashtra gave Draupathi 3 boons.. She asked for
her husband to be freed, their riches to be returned and said to him that since she is a
kshatriya, only 2 boons are allowed for her.
Hope this helps
August 24, 2012 at 7:54:00 AM PDT

Vishnu Sevak said...

Queen draupadi said it is prescribed in vedas that it is not wise to give women more
than 2 boons.
November 5, 2013 at 7:05:00 AM PST

Margi Shiveshwar said...

Nice to read the story of Parasurama. Parasurama is the 6th avatar of God Vishnu,
where he takes the form of a Brahmin. The main purpose of Parasurama was to restore
balance in the world and make sure all the kings who were not abiding by their duties,
were put in their place. He was part of the Brighu clan and was born to Jamadagni and
Renuka. He was an devout worshiper of Lord Shiva who bestowed him with an axe
which Parasurama carries with him all the time. Parashurama is considered 'Chiranjeevi'
or immortal and that he is said to rule until 'Maha Pralaya' or the end of the world.
July 20, 2015 at 11:25:00 PM PDT

Lord Parashurama's Revolution

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Back to Godhead May/June 2009

By Aja Govinda Dasa
In a former age, God's empowered incarnation employed extreme measures to deal with an extreme
situation.

Sectarian and political disputes are common not only today but occurred even during the time of Sri
Parashurama, an empowered incarnation of the Supreme Lord who appeared several ages before
Lord Ramachandra, millions of years ago. The kings at that time, proud of their strength and fighting
for absolute power, revolted against the spiritually advanced sages, who generally guided
government. Since these kings had offended the devotees of Lord Krishna and deviated from the path
of righteousness and care of the citizens, they had to be punished. Sri Parashurama fulfilled that
mission. Though born in the family of learned brahmanas, he developed a keen interest in archery
because he knew he would battle the vile warriors who opposed the saintly authorities.
How was Lord Parashurama incited to kill the kings?
Once, tired while hunting in the forest, a king visited the hermitage of Parashurama's father. Despite
the royalty's hostility toward brahmanas,the sage cordially received and fed the king and his
attendants. The king was awestruck at the heavenly reception, which he discovered was possible
because the sage owned a wish-fulfilling cow (kamadhenu) that could produce anything. The jealous
king commanded the sage to surrender the cow to him. But, knowing that the king would exploit the
cow, the sage did not comply. The king's soldiers captured the cow, however, and dragged her away.

To punish the king and reclaim the cow, Parashurama charged toward the king's palace. With the
speed of mind, the scriptures say, Lord Parashurama chopped his way through the huge army. The
king aimed many arrows at Parashurama, but before he could release them, Parashurama sliced
them to pieces. The enraged king dashed forward with uprooted trees and hills, but Parashurama
skillfully severed the king's arms and beheaded him. The king's cowardly sons fled. As a lion hunts
down an elephant, Parashurama subdued the king and returned the cow to his father.
The massacre displeased Parashurama's father, who advocated forgiveness. Parashurama, however,
preferred to fight to establish justice.
Which of the two is to be followed by the Krishna conscious-to tolerate like Lord Jesus Christ or to
fight like Arjuna? According to Vedic principles, when personally insulted a devotee does not retaliate.
But if someone offends God, the scriptures, the sages, women, cows, or old or weak persons, then
the devotee must defend them and subdue the offender as an act of justice.
To protect the cow, Parashurama had done no wrong in fighting the wicked warriors. Still, since he
had killed a king-the representative of God and protector of the people-his father instructed him to
atone by visiting holy sites, which are the abodes of pure saints and pastime places of the Lord. To
exemplify proper behavior, Parashurama followed his father's command. From his story we learn that
violence is to be avoided as much as possible, but is sometimes necessary to uphold justice.

Avenging the King's Death

Taking advantage of Parashurama's absence, the princes avenged their father's death by beheading
Parashurama's father, brutally disregarding the desperate appeals of the sage's wife. How could such
a great sage, father of God's incarnation, be murdered? This was a karmic reaction to an offense the
sage had committed. Once, Parashurama's mother went to the river to fetch water. Upon reaching the
river, she was attracted to a handsome prince sporting in the water with women and desired his
company. Dazed, she lost all sense of time and forgot that her husband was awaiting her return for his
fire sacrifice. When she eventually arrived, her husband was furious to learn of her adulterous
thoughts and ordered his sons to kill their mother.
The sons weren't sure what to do. In Vedic culture, murdering any woman (what to speak of one's
own mother) is a horrible sin. On the other hand, disobeying an elder's command (especially the
father's) is also a great offense. When the sage's confused elder sons declined to obey his command,
the sage instructed his youngest son, Parashurama, to kill his disloyal mother and disobedient
brothers.
Parashurama knew that his powerful father could bring his mother and brothers back to life.
Therefore, he did as his father had asked. He killed his mother and brothers-not for any selfish
interest, but only to obey his father's command.
Pleased with Parashurama's obedience, the sage offered to fulfill any desire of his. Parashurama
asked his father to give life back to his dead mother and brothers and to free them from any memory
of the trauma. Realizing his needless rage, the sage brought back to life his beheaded wife and sons,
who then stood up as if just waking from deep sleep.

As a karmic reaction to the sage's killing of his wife and sons, the princes killed him.
The pastimes of the Lord and His devotees and incarnations are transcendental affairs that we cannot
imitate. Still, the story of Sri Parashurama's family teaches us to be wary of lust and anger, which can
disrupt the lives of even such great souls as Parashurama's parents.

Parashurama's Revolve
Upon hearing his mother crying out to him when the princes attacked his father, Parashurama rushed
back to the hermitage. But before he arrived, the princes escaped with the sage's head. Leaving his
father's body with his sad brothers, Lord Parashurama resolved to end the reign of irreligious kings.
He started his mission at the king's capital, where he reduced all his opponents and their armies to
severed limbs and heads afloat in a river of blood. On seeing this, some of the frightened kings fled
the Indian subcontinent. The bloodbath filled huge lakes at Kurukshetra, the site where
the Mahabharata battle would take place. The twelfth-century Vaishnava poet Jayadeva writes: "O
Keshava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Bhrigupati
[Parashurama]! All glories to You! At Kurukshetra You bathe the earth in the rivers of blood from the
bodies of the demoniac kshatriyas [warriors] that You have slain. The sins of the world are washed
away by You, and because of You people are relieved from the blazing fire of material existence."
His mission complete, Lord Parashurama prayed to Lord Krishna to elevate his father to heaven and
retired to the mountains to perform penance.

Necessary Violence
Why did Lord Parashurama kill so many people? Isn't it better to establish peace than to wage war?
The massacre must have left many families unprotected, children orphaned, towns devastated, and
communities disrupted. As Arjuna asks in the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, how can any good
come from war?
Parashurama's extermination of the warriors seems to destroy peace and harmony. His war, however,
was a just revolution against injustice. It was necessary to establish true peace, which had been
disrupted by the aggressive leaders. To fulfill His promise to protect His devotees, Lord Krishna as
Parashurama destroyed the corrupt leaders, who were harassing the saints. The devotees of the Lord
are the bearers of peace and prosperity because they constantly serve the all-auspicious Lord
Krishna, husband of the goddess of fortune. Since government leaders were neglecting religious
principles and torturing innocent citizens, their hostile reign had to end at any cost.
Could Parashurama have avoided the war through nonviolent protest? Here's what Prabhupada
writes about a similar situation: "Lord Krishna and Arjuna, the Lord's eternal friend, had no need to
fight in the Battle of Kurukshetra, but they fought to teach people in general that violence is also
necessary in a situation where good arguments fail. Before the Battle of Kurukshetra, every effort was
made to avoid the war, even by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the other party was
determined to fight. So for such a right cause, there is a necessity for fighting." (Bhagavad-gita 3.20,
Purport) During the time of Lord Parashurama, nonviolence was out of the question because the
warriors would not listen to any advice, continuing their aggression unchecked.

Perhaps if the sages had silently tolerated the torture, compassion would have arisen in the
aggressors and they would have stopped their atrocities. But in their envy, the aggressive leaders had
relentlessly harassed the sages for generations. The sages had been forgiving the kings'
misdemeanors, until the situation got out of hand.
When God or one of His incarnations kills opponents in battle, they are liberated from material
existence. That's the difference between Lord Krishna and us. Also, if we kill someone, sin touches
us, but if Lord Krishna kills someone, He remains ever pure. He never acts with selfish motives. He
says in the Bhagavad-gita (4.14): "There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of
action." The Lord is transcendental, and those who understand His pure nature remain unaffected by
acts in the material world, just as lotuses in a pond remain untainted by even a drop of the muddy
water.
Every action by Lord Krishna is absolute. Whether He kills or protects, He does so out of compassion.
The devotional come to the Lord to offer flowers of worship, and the irreverent come to attack Him
with weapons. The Lord reciprocates according to their motives. He reciprocates with death for His
self-professed enemies and with love for His devotees. Krishna's killing is compassionate because He
liberates His opponents. Both the devotee and the miscreant are spirit souls, eternal parts of Lord
Krishna. When the Lord kills His opponents, His touch purifies them and they merge into His
existence.
Whether during Lord Parashurama's time or at present, whenever the wicked and dishonest corrupt
society, the Supreme Lord Himself incarnates or sends an empowered representative to curb the
offenders, protect the virtuous, and establish the true principles of dharma. Just as Lord Parashurama
was an archer empowered by Lord Krishna to defeat all unruly leaders, in our times, His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the representative of the Lord empowered to defy all
atheistic philosophies. Just as Lord Parashurama is present today as he performs penance atop
sacred mountains, Prabhupada lives with us today in the form of his divine teachings.

Parshuram Kund, How It Helped Parshuram Wipe off His Sins

Hare Krishna

Parashuram is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, son of Renuka and the saptarishi Jamadagni. He is one of
the immortals and witnessed Mahabharat war during the end of Dwapar Yug. He received a blessed
parashu (axe) after undertaking penance for thousands of years to please Shiva, who in turn taught
him the martial arts, hence the name Parashuram.
Parashurama won over Kshatriyas for 21 times after the mighty King Kartavirya having thousands of
arms killed his father. He was mentor to Bhishma, Karna and Dronacharya. Parashurama was able to
save masses of land around Konkan, Malabar and Kerala from the wrath of advancing sea.
Contents [hide]

1 Parashuram Kund Location

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1.1 Parashuram in Ramayan

1.2 Mystery of Parshuram Kund

1.3 Sage Parshuram Is A Vishnu Avatar for All Ages

1.4 Sage Parshuram, Did He Knew About Sidheshvar Nath Shiv Lingam of Ziro ?

1.5 Bhagwan Parshuram Gayatri Mantra

1.6 Surprise Me More:

Parashuram Kund Location

Parshuram Kund is a shrine of Indians located in the lower reaches of the Lohit River on the
Brahmaputra region. The Kund is 165 kilometres form Tinsukia, the nearest railway station, 97
kilometres via Tezu. A fleet of the State Transport Department of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh make
elaborate arrangements for plying buses form Tinsukia to Namsai, Wakro and Tezu.
Thousands of pilgrims go to the kund in winter every year, last reported around 80,000 people visited
the place, especially on the Makar Sankranti day for a holy dip in the sacred kund to wash away sins.
The history behind the belief recorded in the Kalika Purana, is that the great Sage Parashuram
washed away his sins of killing warriors who killed his fater. Being Brahman, as per Varna System,
Parshuram cannot resort to using arms and ammunitions for fighting war so he had to wash off his
sinful act of killing in the waters of Brahma kund.
Parashurama is one of the few blessed ones like Jamvant who was present to witness Avatars of
Bhagwan Ram (Tretayug Ramayan) and Bhagwan Krishna (Dwapar Yug Mahabharat).
Parashurama played an important role in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Parashuram in Ramayan
Parshuram had given the bow of Bhagwan Shiv to King Janak, father of Sita. Lifting of the same bow
and knotting string to it was condition of theswayamvar. Prince and Kings from various places of
Bharat came for the swayamvar to marry Sita. No one was able to move the powerful bow, only
Bhagwan Ram was able to successfully lift the bow, but in trying to place string at one end, the bow
broke into half and thunderous sound shook the place, which was even heard by Parashuram while
he was meditating in Mahendra mountain range.
Later on, as per history of Ramayan, when Parashuram met Bhagwan Ram, he realized that
Bhagwan Ram is also incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu. Bhagwan Ram was 7th incarnation of
Bhagwan Vishnu.

Mystery of Parshuram Kund

The current site of Parshuram Kund is slightly different in shape and size. The old site of the
Parashuram Kund was in existence till 1950 but it completely changed due to massive earthquake
that shook the whole of the North-East and the kund was completely covered. A very strong current is
now flowing over the original site of the kund but massive boulders have in a mysterious way
embedded themselves in a circular formation in the river bed thus forming another kund in place of
the old. In a way, naturally resurrecting the kund for the Hindu pilgrims.

Sage Parshuram Is A Vishnu Avatar for All Ages

Sage Parsurama, has been serving the people in all ages Satyug, Tretayug, Dwapar Yug and this
Kaliyug is in deep penance in one of the unreachable caves in India (Bharat) now and would end his
meditation when the opportune time comes and save the humanity at the end of present Kali Yug
(4.32 lakh years) before the resumption of Satya Yug (17.28 lakh years) to complete the cycle of ages
for dharma.

Sage Parshuram, Did He Knew About Sidheshvar Nath Shiv

Lingam of Ziro ?
Sage Parshuram must have witnessed the historical events around swayambhu, 25 foot Shiv Lingam,
which was recently rediscovered.
The discovery of the tallest Shiv Linga at Ziro (as mentioned in 17th chapter of 1893 reprint edition of
Shivapuran that the tallest Shiva Linga will appear at a place to be called Lingalaya and later the
whole place will be known as Arunachal).
Tree cutter Prem Subba, the chosen one by god himself, had discovered the 25 feet tall and 22 feet
wide Linga in July 2004, now believed to be the largest discovered Shiv Lingam in the world.
There one can also see the Lingam with the moorti of Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha with trunk
turning leftward. Where Shiv Lingam appears, we do find water Ganga flowing around or over it.
Therefore, the constant flow of water from the base of the Lingam can be clearly seen.

According to Puris Govardhan Pith Peetthadhish Jagat Guru Shankaracharya Adhokshajanandji

Devtirth, The purity of the area and its natural environment should not be disturbed as Lord Shiva
with a natural garland around the neck has appeared with complete family to bless his devotes.
This Sidheshvar Nath Temple, an ancient temple for lord Shiva and His family is self-made and
worshipped by millions of Hindus.

Bhagwan Parshuram Gayatri Mantra

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: :
: :

Parshuram Gayatri Mantra:Om jamdgnyay vidhmhe mahaaviraay dhimhi ! tannH prashuram prachodyat !
om ram ram om ram ram om parshuhstaay namHiti moolmantra !
:

om raam raam om raam raam om parashu hastaay namah |

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In this passage of the Vishnu Purana, the various incarnations of Vishnu's wife
Lakshmi are described:
For in like manner as the lord of the world, the god of gods, Janrddana,
descends amongst mankind (in various shapes), so does his coadjutrix r.
Thus when Hari was born as a dwarf, the son of Adit, Lakshm appeared from
a lotus (as Padm, or Kamal); when he was born as Rma, of the race of
Bhrigu (or Paraurma), she was Dhara; when he was Rghava
(Rmachandra), she was St; and when he was Krisha, she became
Rukmin. In the other descents of Vishu, she is his associate.
I asked about the wife of Vishnu's incarnation Vamana in the dwarf in this
question. But now I'm wondering about Vishnu's other incarnation
Parashurama. I had always assumed that Parashurama was either a
Brahmachari or Sanyasi, but it looks like he was married. My question is, what
is the story of Parashurama's wife Dharani? Who is she, and how did
Parashurama marry her? At what point during his life did he get married, and
what was Dharani doing while Prashurama went around killing the kings of the
world?
The only information I can find at first glance is from this Wikipedia article,
which mentions a brief incident involving Parashurama and Dharani:
Parashurama once became annoyed with the sun god Surya for making too
much heat. The warrior-sage shot several arrows into the sky, terrifying Surya.
When Parashurama ran out of arrows and sent his wife Dharani to bring more,
the sun god then focused his rays on her, causing her to collapse. Surya then
appeared before Parashurama and gave him two inventions that have since
been attributed to the avatar, sandals and an umbrella.
In any case, are there any other scriptures that mention Dharani?


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Parasurama

After the wedding of Sita and Sri Rama, Viswamitra left for the Himalayas. Janaka
showered Dasaratha, his sons-in law and his daughters with gifts. The gifts included
cows, horses, elephants, chariots, gold, pearls and corals. He then took leave of
Dasaratha and left for Mithila.
Suddenly there was a solar eclipse, a big gale, trees fell, birds shrieked and the
deer ran right. Vasishtha interpreted these as a mixture of bad and good omens.
Other than the rishis, Dasaratha and his sons, everyone lost their consciousness.
Parasurama

In that fearful darkness the army looking as though it was covered with ashes, king
Dasaratha beheld the repressor of kings, the descendent ofBhrugu and son of
Jamadagni who was dreadful and wearing a crown of matted hair. He was
inaccessible like Kailasa mountain and difficult to endure like the fire at the time of
dissolution. Common people were incapable of gazing at his blazing energy. Hanging
his axe on his shoulder and holding a bow in his hand resembling a group of
lightenings and a principal arrow, he looked like Siva at the time of slaying of
Tripura. Ramayana
Vasishtha and the other rishis started talking to each other, wondering whether
Parasurama, who had stopped exterminating the Kshatriyas in revenge for his
fathers death at the hands of Karthaveerya Arjuna, wanted to restart the fight
again. They offered him water (Arghyam water for washing hands?) and spoke to
him in sweet tones.
Parasurama then addressed Sri Rama.
Valmiki Ramayanam, Balakanda 75th Sarga, as per this version:

Parasurama told Sri Rama, the story of the two bows, one of Vishnu and one of Siva,
both made by Viswakarma for a duel between the two, organized by Brahma to see
who was stronger, to satisfy the curiosity of the Devas. There was a fierce and
thrilling fight. When Vishnu was able to stretch Sivas bow, Siva was disappointed
and gave that bow away to Devarata, a poorvaja (one born before) of Janaka.
Vishnus bow went to Richika and was then inherited by Jamadagni and then
Parasurama.
When Parasurama heard that Sri Rama had broken Sivas bow, he wanted to see of
Sri Rama was strong enough to break Vishnus bow. Neglecting Dasarathas protests
he told Sri Rama to string and draw Vishnus bow and to fit it with Vishnus arrow. If
Sri Rama passed that test then he wanted a duel with him. He also told Sri Rama
how he had decimated the Kshatriyas in revenge for his fathers death, conquered
the entire earth (Prithvi area ruled by Pruthu), and given it as a gift to his
teacher Kasyapa, after he had laid down his arms.
Valmiki Ramayanam, Balakanda 76th Sarga, as per this version:
Sri Rama said, I commend you for avenging your father, but I resent your
insinuations about my prowess. He seized Vishnus bow from Parasuramas hands
and fitting it with an arrow, he spoke again. I am not going to kill you because you
are a brahman and a relative of Viswamitra (sisters grandson). Tell me whether I
should immobilize you or take away your acquired tapobalam (strength acquired
through tapas (penance)).
The devatas with grand-sire, brahma in the forefront, accompanied by sages in
groups assembled there to see Rama holding that mighty bow. Gandharvas,
apsaras, siddhas, charanas, kinnaras, yakshas, rakshsas and nagas also came there
to see that great wonder.. Ramayana.
Parasurama gazed at Sri Rama weakly and said, I promised Kasyapa that I would
not stay here during the nights and so I have to go back to the Mahendra Hills. I
cannot afford to be immobilized. You can take away my tapobalam. But do it quickly
for I have to leave soon. I now know that you are Vishnu himself, who else could
handle his bow?

So Sri Rama used the arrow to take away Parasuramas tapobalam and Parasurama
quickly left for Mahendra. As he left, the darkness too left the place, and all
the Devas amd Rishis praised Sri Rama.