Lord Parshuram Stories
It is thought that to eradicate evil from the earth, Lord Vishnu took on the human form of Parshurama. After completing the Putreshti Yajna, he was born to Sage Jamadagni and his wife Renuka. Despite being a Brahmin, he possessed the traits of a Kshatriya. Jamadagni’s mother Satyavati made a mistake before his birth, which caused Jamadagni to be born with the abilities of a Kshatriya. This was due to Jamadagni’s father, Jamadagni, having characteristics of a Kshatriya. Along with patience and wisdom, Lord Parshuram is considered to possess a variety of qualities, such as bravery, aggression, and battle. Parshurama has been mentioned as Rama Bhargava, Veera Drama, and Rama Jamadagnya in several Hindu texts.
He came to Earth at a time when the Kshatriya class had started to bully others and evil had taken over. Among the seven Chiranjeevi (immortal creatures) are Lord Hanuman, Lord Parshurama, Vibhishana, Mahabali, Ashwathama, and Kripacharya. As a result, according to the Kalki Purana, Lord Parshurama is thought to be still alive today to assist Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
There are several Parshuram stories that differ from place to place in India. Some claim He was born in Indore, while others claim Maharashtra is also where His existence was traced.
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Parshuram in the Ramayana:
Lord Parasurama is a unique avatar in the sense that he makes an appearance in the story of Rama, another avatar of Lord Vishnu.
King Janaka had laid down the condition that he would offer his daughter Sita’s hand in marriage to anybody who would be able to string Shiva’s celestial bow which was in his possession. When Rama arrives at Janaka’s court and very easily manages to string the bow, he becomes eligible to marry Sita. After the wedding, when the procession leaves Mithila, the capital city of Janaka and proceeds towards Ayodhya, they suddenly witness strange omens and a fierce tempest.
Out of the darkness and dust that had engulfed the procession, there emerged the fearsome form of Parasurama dressed in tiger skins with matted locks of hair on his head. The warrior sage Parasurama had a reputation as being a fierce warrior who had single-handedly overcome the Kshatriya race on earth multiple times. He now stood before the procession with his battle-axe in one hand and an arrow which resembled lightning in the other hand.
After accepting the honor accorded to him by Dasharatha’s priests, Parasurama addresses Rama O Rama, I have heard of your strength and prowess. By stringing and breaking Shiva’s bow, you have performed an incredible feat.
You have surely heard of my vow against the Kshatriyas. How can I tolerate such prowess in a Kshatriya such as yourself? I have here another sacred bow of Vishnu. Fit this celestial arrow upon this bow and draw it to its full strength. If you are able to do, I challenge you to single combat.
Dasaratha was horrified at this turn of events. Parasurama’s unforgiving hatred against all Kshatriyas was something that all of them had heard about and learnt to be scared of from the time they were all little children. He approached the sage with folded arms and entreated him to spare the young prince. Parasurama ignored him and continued to address Rama.
Both the bow broken by you and the one I carry now were crafted by the architect of the gods, Visvakarma. The one you broke earlier belonged to Shiva, but this one belonged to Vishnu and is therefore more powerful.
This bow has been passed on by Vishnu to my ancestors and thereafter to me. I now offer it to you, Rama. Considering your sacred duty as a warrior to always accept a challenge, exhibit your strength to me.
Unperturbed by Parasurama’s anger and demeanor, Rama addressed him thus You are a Brahmin sage and are therefore worthy of my worship. However since you despise the entire Kshatriya class, you despise me and I therefore have no choice but to display my prowess to you.
Shri Rama took the bow and arrow from Parasurama, easily fit the arrow in the bow and drew it to its fullest extent, and asked the sage Where shall I discharge this deadly arrow? As you are my superior, I cannot aim it at you.
Impressed and astonished Parasurama immediately realized that this was no ordinary Kshatriya standing there in front of him. You surely must be Lord Vishnu himself. I accept defeat but am not ashamed as you are indeed the lord of all the worlds.
You have already divested me of all my power and my pride. Please release this arrow on my desires for heavenly pleasures and burn them to ashes. The only thing that I now desire is to become your eternal servant.
Saying so Parasurama bowed down before Rama who released the arrow. The sage immediately vanished along with the arrow. Varuna, the god of the water then appeared before Rama and gave him the celestial bow to keep, on behalf of all the gods.
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Parshuram in Mahabharat:
Karna was cursed by Parashuram once to forget his skills just when he needed them most. One day, Karna went to Dronacharya and begged him to teach him the Brahmastra’s uses, including its release and withdrawal. Dronacharya imparted some knowledge of the Brahmastra to Ashwathama, his son, and exclusively to Arjuna. Thus, he declined to instruct Karna. Karna went up to Parashuram, Dronacharya’s guru. Nevertheless, Karna was a Kshatriya, and Parashuram solely instructed Brahmins. Karna told Parashuram a falsehood, claiming to be a Brahmin. He was trained by Parashuram as a student. At last, he said that Karna was on par with him in both archery and combat. Even the Brahmastra was taught to him. When Parashuram was sleeping on Karna’s lap one day, a scorpion bit him, but he did not scream in pain since he did not want to wake up his guru. Upon awakening and realizing the circumstances, Parashuram understood that only a Kshatriya could endure the pain for an extended period. And so he found out that Karna had told him a falsehood. He assisted important fighters on both sides of the conflict and taught weapon arts. Despite having given Karna the best training possible, he cursed that just when Karna needed the talents the most, he would forget everything he had learned. Parshuram did this after realizing that Karna was a Kshatriya.
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Parshuram and Lord Ganesha:
Parshuram once traveled to Mount Kailash to meet Lord Shiva because he was a devotee of the latter. Ganesha halted him at the door since it was forbidden for anybody to enter during the Rama Katha by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Parshuram took up the challenge after Ganesha blocked his path with the terrorist and warned him about the impending war. Ganesha’s left tusk was severed by Parshurama during this battle, earning him the epithet “Ekadanta.”
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Why did Parshuram kill his mother?
Renuka Devi, the mother of Parshurama and the spouse of the Sage Jamadagni, was a woman who dedicated her life to her husband. When she saw a Gandharva at the river, her unchaste longing was sparked by her unwavering dedication, which also allowed her to bring water in an unbaked pot. When Sage Jamadagni learned of this through his yogic abilities, he became enraged and gave his sons orders to murder their mother. The moment Parshuram’s sons refused to execute Renuka Devi, they turned into stone, but Parshuram obeyed and beheaded her. He requested the resuscitation of his brothers and mother after receiving two boons as compensation.
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Parshuram fights with Shiva:
Shiva once issued Parashuram a challenge to combat to assess his military prowess. A bloody conflict broke out between them that lasted for 21 days. He struck Shiva on the forehead one day as he attacked him with his ax. Shiva hugged him, impressed by his extraordinary abilities. Shiva is also referred to as Khanda-Parshu for this reason.
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Parshuram Killing of Kartaveerya Arjuna:
According to legend, King Kartaveerya stole the sacred calf from his father’s ashram, which set off Lord Parshurama’s 21-time massacre of the Kshatriyas. King Kartaveerya engaged Lord Parashurama in combat and lost, with the latter ending up dead. After learning of his father’s passing, the King’s son assassinated Sage Jamadagni in retaliation. This infuriated Lord Parashurama, who then launched an insane murderous rampage that culminated in the Kshatriyas’ obliteration.
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Lord Parshuram gifted Sage Kashyapa:
The Planet It is stated that Lord Parshuram exterminated all Kshatriya and kings from the planet 21 times. With the assistance of Sage Kashyapa, he then carried out a yagna, and as a result, he was granted all of the earth’s territory. However, he had no desire to rule the planet. As a result, he handed Sage Kashyapa the entire land as an alms donation.
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