Parashurama

Parashurama (Sanskrit: IAST: Paraurma, His other names include:

Malayalam: , lit. Rama with an axe) is the
sixth avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. He is the son of Ramabhadra () - gracious Rama
Renuka and one of the saptarishis, Jamadagni. He lived
during the last Treta and Dvapara Yugas and is one of Bhargava () - descendant of Bhrigu
the Chiranjivi (immortals) of Hinduism. Parashurama, a Bhrigupati () - lord of Bhrigu dynasty
Brahmin, received his famous axe after undertaking ter-
rible penance to please Shiva, who in turn taught him Bhriguvanshi () - he who belongs to Bhrigu
Kalaripayattu (the mother of all martial arts). lineage
Parashurama is most known for ridding the world of Jamadagnya () - son of Jamadagni
kshatriyas twenty-one times over after the mighty king
Kartavirya Arjuna, not the famous one of Mahabharata,
killed his father. As per the Mahabharata, Parashurama 2 Birth
single-handedly successfully conquered the entire world
and killed crores of kshatriyas. Parashurama conducted
The exact location of Bhargavs birth is contested, al-
hundreds of Ashvamedhas and gave away the entire earth
though puranas claim that he was born at Renuka Tirth
he conquered as alms to sage Kashyapa.[1] He plays im-
as the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. His father, Ja-
portant roles in the Mahabharata and Ramayana, serving
madagni, was a direct descendant of Brahma. Renuka
as mentor to Bhishma, Drona and Karna.[2]
gave birth to four sons before Parashurama: Vasu, Visva
Parashurama and Indrajit (Ravana's son) are believed to Vasu, Brihudyanu and Brutvakanva. Before the birth of
be the only humans who ever possessed the three ul- their fth son, Jamadagni meditated with his wife Renuka
timate weapons: the Brahmanda astra, Vaishnava astra at Tape Ka Tiba near Renuka lake for divine providence.
and Pashupatastra. Parashurama was a disciple of Shiva With the blessing of Lord Shiva, Vishnu answered their
and learned the scriptures and the arts of warfare from wishes and was born from the womb of Renuka as their
Shiva. He then acquired celestial weapons from Shiva and fth and youngest son, whom they named Rambhadra.
the other gods on Shivas instructions. Shiva personally
trained Parashurama for decades in the art of warfare.The
Bhargavastra was his personal celestial weapon and vijaya 2.1 Renuka & The Clay Pot
was his personal bow which was gifted by Shiva. Parashu-
rama also fought back the advancing seas to save the lands Goddess Renuka was known for her chastity and devotion
of Konkan and Kerala. to her husband. Such was her faith, that she was able to
fetch water from the river in a pot of unbaked clay, with
Parashurama is worshipped as mlapurua, or male an-
the pot held together only by the strength of her devotion.
cestral founder by some Anavil , Dravidulu, Bhumi-
har,Tyagi ,Chitpavan , Nambudiri Brahmin communi- One day while at the river, a group of Gandharvas in a
ties. Along with the sages Vyasa, Kripa and Drona's chariot passed by in the sky above. Filled with desire for
son Ashwatthama, Parashurama is considered to be fore- only a moment, the unbaked pot she held dissolved in the
most among the rishis in the Kaliyuga.[3][4] Parashu- river. Afraid to return to her husband, she waited at the
rama will also become one of the saptarishi in the 8th river bank, uncertain of what to do next. Meanwhile, Ja-
Manvantara.[5] Parashurama is a mighty Maharathi and madagni noticed his wife had not returned. Through his
he will reappear as the martial instructor of Vishnu's 10th yogic powers, he divined all that had taken place and was
avatar Kalki. enraged. The rishi called his eldest son, handed him an
axe and asked the boy to kill his mother. Horried, the
boy refused and so Jamadagni turned him to stone. He
then asked each of his sons and as they refused, one by
1 Etymology one, he turned them to stone. Finally only his youngest
son, Parashurama was left. Ever obedient, the boy be-
The word Parashurama is derived from two words headed his mother.
parashu () meaning 'axe' and rama (). So lit- Pleased Jamadagni then oered two boons to Parashu-
erally, the word Parashurama means 'Rama with an axe'. rama. The boy asked that his mother be brought back to

1
2 4 GETTING VIJAYA BOW FROM LORD INDRA

life and his brothers to be returned from stone to esh of wielding weapons and in mastery of sacred scriptures.
and they should not remember anything about the inci- His second boon was to be unvanquishable and invinci-
dent happened. Impressed by the aection and devotion ble in battle. His third boon was to be free of sins and
of his son, Jamadagni granted his request. diseases and remain in his prime and health forever. His
fourth boon was to be renowned in the world. His fth
boon was to be capable of performing arduous tasks and
penances and to remain devoted to Shiva forever. Shiva
3 Visiting his forefathers and granted all these boons to him. Shiva gave him mas-
acquiring weapons from Lord tery over many celestial weapons as well as a chariot and
horses which could go anywhere at will, a celestial ar-
Shiva mour, divine bows, a conch shell and two inexhaustible
quivers of arrows.
Parashurama grew up to be a powerful youth. Though Once, Lord Shiva challenged Parashurama to a battle
a Brahmin by birth, Parashurama expressed unusual in- to test his skills in warfare. The spiritual master Lord
terest in weapons and studied warfare as well as sacred Shiva and the disciple Shri Parashuram became locked
scriptures under the tutelage of his father who was him- in erce battle, a dreadful duel that lasted for twenty one
self a powerful archer. Afterwards, Parashurama devoted days and while evading a blow by the Trident (Trishul)
himself in serving his parents and brothers, helping Ja- of Lord Shiva, Shri Parashuram countered and vigorously
madagni to run his hermitage. attacked him with his Parashu. It struck Lord Shiva on the
According to the Brahmanda Purana, when Parashurama forehead creating a wound. Lord Shiva was very pleased
was a teenager, he expressed his desire to meet his pater- to see the amazing warfare skills of his disciple and pas-
nal grandfather Richika. sionately embraced Shri Parashuram. Lord Shiva pre-
served this wound as an ornament so that the reputation
Jamadagni permitted his son and Parashurama visited
of his disciple remained imperishable and insurmount-
Richika in his hermitage. Richika and his wife welcomed
able. 'Khanda-parshu' (wounded by Parashu) is one of
him and Parashurama stayed with them for a few months,
the thousand names of Lord Shiva.
serving them and acquiring knowledge from Richika. Cu-
rious about his ancestors, Parashurama went to the her- Having been trained in warfare by Lord Shiva himself,
mitage of Richikas father Aurva and a few months later, Parashurama became the foremost of all wielders of
he went to Aurvas father, Chyavana. Parashurama was weapons.
devoted to them and they too gave him knowledge.
Many months later, Chyavana told Parashurama to meet
his own father, Sage Bhrigu, the very progenitor of the
3.1 Meeting Akritavana
Bhargava race himself. With Chyavanas instructions,
On his way home, Parashurama saw a Brahmin boy
Parashurama was able to enter Bhrigus hermitage and
chased by a tiger. Parashurama plucked a grass blade and
bowed down before his ancestor.
burnt the tiger to ashes. The boy recovered and decided
Parashurama lived with Bhrigu for many months and to follow Parashurama as a friend and disciple. Since he
Bhrigu trained his descendant in performing harsh was unwounded, he was called Akritavana.
penances. After his training, Bhrigu called Parashurama
The duo rst went to Bhrigu, then Chyavana, then Au-
and asked him to immediately go to the Himavat and
rva, then Richika and then Jamadagni and told them about
Gandhamadana mountains and perform penances to Lord
their adventures.
Shiva, in order to acquire divine weapons from him.
Lord Shiva was pleased with this, and appeared before
him and asked him for a boon. Parashurama expressed
his desire to obtain celestial weapons and skills in war- 4 Getting Vijaya Bow From Lord
fare from the God. Shiva told him that he would grant the Indra
boon only when Parashurama proved himself to be a wor-
thy soul. Shiva told Parashurama to undertake a Tirtha Shri Parashurama, clipped the thousand arms of
Yatra or holy pilgrimage. After years of penances, Shiva Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahastrarjun), one by one, with his
was pleased with Parashuramas devotion and summoned Parshu and killed him. He repelled his army by shower-
him. Shiva ordered Parashurama to slay the Daityas and ing arrows on them. The whole country greatly welcomed
Danavas who were the enemies of the Devas, to which the destruction of Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahastrarjun). The
the latter agreed. king of Deities, Indra was in possession of Lord Shiva's
After vanquishing the Daityas and Danavas in battle, Vijaya Dhanusha. Indra was so pleased that he presented
Parashurama proved himself worthy. He acquired many this most beloved Vijaya (bow) to Shri Parashurama on
boons from Lord Shiva. Parashuramas rst boon was that instruction from Lord Shiva. Dev Indra had destroyed
he should surpass everyone in divine weapons, in the skill demon dynasties with this bow. By the fatal arrows shot
 3

with the help of this Vijaya bow, Shri Parashurama de- had taken birth in human form. In addition, Kartavirya
stroyed the miscreant Kshatriyas twenty one times. worshipped a divine being known as Dattatreya, embod-
Later Shri Parashurama presented the Vijaya bow to his iment of Trimurti and descendant of the Saptarishi Atri.
disciple Karna when he was pleased with his intense de- For his obeisance, Dattatreya had granted the king a y-
votion to the Guru. Karna used this bow to ght on the ing golden chariot that would travel wherever he wished
17th day of the Kurukshetra war. Karna become uncon- and one-thousand arms.
querable with help of the Vijaya. With these boons, Kartavirya became immeasurably
powerful, conducting many military conquests after
which he made Mahishmati in present-day Maheshwar
5 Kartavirya Sahastrarjun and capital of his Kingdom. Kartavirya became so powerful
that he was even able to defeat and imprison the demon
The Haihaya Kingdom King Ravana at the Godavari. Ravana, in turn, would
later be the nemesis of the Ramayana.
Main articles: Kartavirya Arjuna and Haihayas

The time of Parashurama was a tumultuous one for the In- 6 The Sacred Calf, The Death of
dian subcontinent, with puranas indicating frequent bat-
tles between several rival Kshatriya clans and kingdoms.
Kartavirya Arjuna & the Geno-
Parashurama lived within the Haihaya Kingdom, located cide of the Kshatriyas.
in modern-day Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada
River. The generations of enmity between the Ksha- The violent persecution of Brahmins by Kshatriya had at
triya Haihaya and the Brahmin Bhargavas, from whom the time spanned generations. Aurva, great-grandfather
Parashurama hailed, were mentioned in the Mahabharata of Parashurama, recalled a vivid childhood experience:
numerous times.
While lying unborn, I heard the doleful
cries of my mother and other women of the
Bhrigu race who were then being exterminated
by the Kshatriyas. When those Kshatriyas
began to exterminate the Bhrigus together
with unborn children of their race, it was
then that wrath lled my soul. My mother
and the other women of our race, each in an
advanced state of pregnancy, and my father,
while terribly alarmed, found not in all the
worlds a single protector. Then when the
Bhrigu women found not a single protector,
my mother held me in one of her thighs.
Mahabharata 1:182

As the third book of the Mahabharata begins, Akri-

tavrana, a disciple of the avatar speaks:

With pleasure shall I recite that excellent

history of the godlike deeds of Rama, the son
of Jamadagni who traced his origin to the race
of Brigu.
Mahabharata 3:117

Dattatreya, embodiment of the holy trinity Trimurti, whom Kar-

As Rama grew older, he was sincere in his piety and
tavirya worshiped and who would later deliver the Tripura Ra-
hasya to Parashurama pleased Lord Shiva with the oblation of excruciating
tapas. As a blessing, he was granted the Parashu of Shiva,
The Haihaya were ruled by a powerful and cruel King after which he was known as Parashurama or 'Rama
named Kartavirya Arjuna. He was the incarnation of with axe'. Shiva also granted the boon of invincibility
Sudarshana, Lord Vishnus Celestial weapon, Chakra that to Parashurama along with many other boons.
4 6 THE SACRED CALF, THE DEATH OF KARTAVIRYA ARJUNA & THE GENOCIDE OF THE KSHATRIYAS.
During the time of Parashurama, there was once a Ya- towards Mahishmati to slay Kartavirya.
dava named Kartavirya Arjuna, who was the most pow-
erful king of his time. Kartavirya had a 1000 human arms
endued with tremendous strength and dexterity. He had 6.1 War between Parashurama and Kar-
acquired them as well as many Yogic powers as boons af-
ter pleasing the Sage Dattatreya with his penances. This
made him one of the most powerful warriors of all time. Parashurama reached the outskirts of Mahishmati and
Despite being a wise and righteous king, Kartavirya be- sent a message to Kartavirya, either return Kamadhenu
came arrogant as he never lost or failed in anything. He and surrender to the Bhargavas or death on the battleeld.
harassed his own subjects and the very gods were afraid
of him. One day, Kartavirya audaciously asked the god
Varuna if there was anyone equal to him in combat.
Varuna replied that Parashurama was equal to Kartavirya.
The answer enraged Kartavirya as he didn't believe any-
one would exist as his equal.
Soon after Parashurama received his blessing, King Kar-
tavirya of the Haihaya came upon the hermitage of Ja-
madagni The visit happened at a time Parusharama was
away in the forest gathering yagna and although the King
had a massive entourage, the saptarishi was able to serve
the King a grand feast. When Kartavirya asked how he
was able to do so, Jamadagni showed him a blessed Ka-
madhenu cow, given to Jamadagni by Indra, which was
able to grant wishes. Kartaviryas ministers urged the
king to steal the cow. Kartaviryas preceptor, Sage Garga
admonished the king not to follow the evil counsel, but
Kartavirya gave the orders to procure the cow. Jamadagni
refused to part with the cow despite being oered tremen-
dous wealth. The evil Haihayas forcibly beat up the sage
to unconsciousness, uprooted the trees around the her-
mitage and forcibly stole the cow.
Kartavirya regretted the incident but he decided not to
return the cow after what happened, fearing the wrath of
the sage.
Returning home, Parashurama was infuriated upon learn-
ing what happened and rashly swore that he would exter-
minate the race of Kshatriyas 21 times after seeing his
aggrieved mother beat her chest 21 times.
Parashurama prayed to Lord Brahma for guidance.
Brahma warned Parashurama that slaying Kartavirya was
an extremely daunting task since he had thousands of
powerful allies. Brahma told him to procure the Trailokya
Kavacha (armour) from Lord Shiva. Parashurama went
to Shiva and told him of his task. Shiva warned Parashu-
rama that Kartavirya also acquired the Kavacha from Dat-
tatreya. The God then gave the armour as well as many
divine weapons to Parashurama. However, Parashurama
was unable to use the Kavacha despite knowing the incan-
tations to use it. So he went to Agastya who imparted to
him a Vishnu Stotra or hymn which he heard from She-
shanaga and asked him to go to the Gangotri and practice
the hymn for one month.
Parashurama did as he was told and beheld Lord Vishnu
himself. Vishnu blessed Parashurama for victory and told
him what the future held. After completing his quest and
attaining mastery of the Kavacha, Parashurama headed
tavirya Arjuna
Outraged, Kartavirya summoned billions of kings who
were his vassals and allies and a thousand mighty ak-
shauhinis (each akshauhini consists of 21870 war ele-
phants each carrying seven soldiers, 21870 battle char-
iots each carrying four men, 65610 cavalry and 109350
footsoldiers).
Parshurama ascended on a single chariot and without
any ally, marched against the formidable Haihayas. War
broke out and Parashurama began to wreak havoc among
the Haihayas. He rst slew Mangala, the King of Mat-
sya and slew his soldiers with the Narayanastra. Fighting
continuously for three days, Parashurama slew 12 entire
akshauhinis.
Then the Ikshvaku King Suchandra advanced against
Parashurama with a 100,000 princes and seven akshauhi-
nis. Parashurama slaughtered the seven akshauhinis and
all the 100,000 warriors. Suchandra and Parashurama
fought one another.
Suchandra was able to counter all of Parashuramas at-
tacks. Enraged, Parashurama once more invoked the
Narayanastra, but Suchandra bowed in front of it and
the Narayanastra was rendered useless. Bewildered,
Parashurama hurled many weapons at the king, but the
latter easily caught them. Parashurama hurled the trident
of Shiva (Shivashula), but upon striking the chest of the
king, it turned into a garland of owers. Using his inner
vision, Parashurama realized that Suchandra was invinci-
ble due to the presence of the terrible goddess Bhadrakali.
Parashurama prayed to the goddess and prompted her
to appear before him. Bhadrakali oered to grant
him a boon. Parashurama asked her for the means to
slay Suchandra. Bhadrakali told him to use the Ag-
neyastra and slay him. Parashurama did so and incin-
erated Suchandra on the battleeld. Suchandras son,
Pushkaraksha rushed against Parashurama, but the latter
cleaved him into halves with his axe and slaughtered nine
akshauhinis.
Then Kartavirya himself, with a thousand hands and ve
hundred bows, mounted on a colossal golden chariot
drawn by a hundred horses proceeded against Parashu-
rama and both fought one another. The two rivals hurled
Brahmastras at each other. Worried that this would
destroy the world, Parashurama mentally recalled both
the Brahmastras. Parashurama then shot arrows, cut-
ting o Kartaviryas ears and smashing his crown. Kar-
tavirya, blinded in pain, shot many divine weapons at
Parashurama and the latter easily countered Kartaviryas
 5

attacks. Kartavirya hurled a trident he acquired from Dat-

tatreya at Parashurama and knocked him unconscious.
Parashurama recovered and hacked of Kartaviryas thou-
sand arms. He invoked the Pashupatastra and decapitated
the king, incinerating him to ashes. Thus Parashurama
slew Kartavirya Arjuna.
Parashurama then turned towards the 11,000 sons of Kar-
tavirya. In 48 minutes, he slaughtered a hundred ak-
shauhinis and killed many of Kartaviryas sons, while the
surviving sons ed from the battleeld in fear. Parashu-
rama slaughtered the remaining kings and allies of Kar-
tavirya and routed the Haihayas, emerging victorious and
returned with the Kamadhenu cow.

6.2 Death of Jamadagni

When he returned home, his father was pleased, but see-

ing the blood stained axe of Parashurama, also concerned.
He cautioned his son he must be aware of wrath and
pride. Parashurama accepted the reprimand of his father,
in penance and went on a pilgrimage to holy places for one
year in purication.
Meanwhile, the sons of Kartavirya discovered their father
at the palace and knew that only Parashurama could have Parashurama returning with the sacred calf with Jamadagni
killed him. In revenge, they traveled to the hermitage and cautioning him to not be controlled by anger
murdered Jamadagni, discharging arrows into him like
killing a stag. Afterwards, they decapitated his body and
One legend describes Parasharuma returning to a village
took his head with them.
after battle in what is now the Badami Taluka, in the
When Parashurama returned home, he found his mother Bagalkot district of Karnataka. While the warrior-sage
next to the body of his father, crying hysterically as she washed his axe in the river Malaprabha, unknown to him,
beat her breast twenty one times in a row. Furious, he downstream beyond a bend in the river, village women
hunted down the sons of Kartavirya at the palace. He were cleaning their clothes. His mighty axe stained the
killed them all and returned with the head of his father to entire river red and the women exclaimed Ai hole!"
conduct the cremation. Parashurama then vowed to enact translating to 'Oh, what a river!'. This is said to be the
a genocide on the war-mongering Kshatriyas twenty one etymology of the present-day village Aihole.
times over, once for each time his mothers hand hit her
After he had nally rid the world of Kshatriyas, Parashu-
chest.
rama conducted the Ashvamedha sacrice, done only by
sovereign kings and gave the land he had conquered to
Kashyapa, who performed the yagya . After seeing the
6.3 Vengeance Against Kshatriya impoverished condition of some Brahmins in northern
India involved in priestly services Parshuram gave him
Parashurama then travelled the whole of Earth, killing all the land that he had conquered. The Ashvamedha de-
men of the Kshatriya varna. The rst book of the Ma- manded that the remaining Kshatriya kings either submit
habharata reveals: to Parashurama or stop the sacrice by defeating him in
battle. They were unable to do either and so perished.
In the interval between the Treta and
Dwapara Yugas, Parashurama, great among
all who have borne arms, urged by impatience
of wrong, repeatedly smote the Kshatriyas.
7 Ramayana
And when that ery meteor, by his own valour,
annihilated the entire varna of the Kshatriyas, Parashurama is unique in that although he is the sixth
he formed at Samanta-panchaka ve lakes of avatar of Vishnu, as an immortal, he has also lived to
blood. see the subsequent incarnations of Vishnu in Rama and
Mahabharata 1:2 Krishna. Parashurama played an important role in both
Ramayana and Mahabharata.
6 8 MAHABHARATA

7.1 Shivas Bow

Meeting of Rama and Parashurama

In the Ramayana, Parashurama had given the bow of

Shiva to King Janaka, the father of princess Sita for her
swayamvar. As a test of worthiness, suitors were asked to
lift and string the mystic weapon. None were successful
until Rama, but in the process of being strung, the bow
snapped in half. This produced a tremendous noise that
reached the ears of Parashurama as he meditated atop the
Mahendra Mountains.
In Valmiki Ramayana, Parashurama stops the journey
of Sri Rama and his family after his marriage to Sita. Bhishma taking the bhishana pratigya
He threatens to kill Sri Rama and his father, King
Dasharatha, begs him to forgive his son and punish him
instead. Parashurama neglects Dasharatha and invokes
Sri Rama for a challenge. Sri Rama proves to be equal Parashurama and Bhishma, two of the greatest warriors
with him in all common weapons. Hence Parasurama of the epics, shared an interesting history together as guru
gives him the divine Sharanga bow (the personal bow of and student. Bhishma was a Kuru prince and Parashu-
Supreme Lord Vishnu) and tells him to string it. Rama rama instructed him in the martial arts as a boy. Their
does that in a blink and points an arrow at Parasurama. conict began years later, with the beautiful princess
The warrior-sage realized he was looking at his own sub- Amba. Along with her sisters Ambika and Ambalika,
sequent reincarnation and gives his divine weapons to Princess Amba had been abducted by Bhishma in a mis-
Rama and retires to further penance. understanding between two kingdoms. Now, with her
honor tainted, no man would take her for bride and she
In one version played in Ramlilas across India, Parashu-
was condemned to remain destitute. Bhishma himself
rama arrived to the scene deeply angry. The Kshatriyas
was unable to marry due to his bhishana pratigya, or
were advised by Brahmarishi Vasistha not to confront the
vow of celibacy and allegiance to Hastinapur. Amba then
sage, but Sita still approached. Parashurama blessed her,
sought the help of Parashurama to kill Bhishma.
saying Dheergha Sumangali bhavah, or You will have
your husband alive for your lifetime. Taking pity on her plight, the avatar agreed to ght his for-
mer student on her behalf. The battle lasted twenty-three
When he then turned to confront Rama, Parashurama
days, by the end of which, both warriors were blood-
was unable to lift his axe. He was held back by his own
ied and pierced by arrows. On the 23rd day of bat-
word and pacied by the brilliance of Rama. When the
tle, Bhishma attempted to use the Prashwapastra against
warrior-sage realized he was looking at his own subse-
Parashurama. Learned of in his previous birth as Prab-
quent reincarnation, his own bow ew to Rama along with
hasa (one of the Ashta Vasus), this weapon was unknown
the essence of Vishnu, and thus the seventh avatar was
to Parashurama and would put the aicted to sleep in the
fully realized.
battleeld. This would have given Bhishma the victory.
Before he could release it, however, a voice from the sky
warned him that if he uses this weapon it would be a
8 Mahabharata great insult towards his Guru.
Pitrs then appeared and obstructed the chariot of
8.1 Vow of Bhishma Parashurama, forbidding him from ghting any longer.
The spirit of Parashuramas father, Jamadagni and his
For more see Vow of Bhishma. grandfather, Ruchika, spoke to him:
8.3 Fate Of Karna 7

O son, never again engage in battle with 8.3 Fate Of Karna

Bhishma or any other Kshatriya. Heroism
and courage in battle are the qualities of a Karna was brother to the Pandavas and the son of Surya,
Kshatriya and study of the Vedas and the but was raised by a Suta charioteer. Karna lies to
practice of austerities are the wealth of the Parashurama that he is a Brahmin and a descendant of
Brahmans. Previously, you took up weapons Brigu Maharishi. Parashurama then accepts him as his
to protect the Brahmans, but this is not the student and teaches him of all the powerful Brahmanda
case now. Let this battle with Bhishma be astra weapons. Parashurama trains Karna to such a point
your last. O son of the Bhrigu race, it is not that he declares Karna to be equal to himself in the art of
possible to defeat Bhishma. warfare and archery.
Mahabharata 188:5 One day, as Parashurama slept, resting his head on the
lap of Karna, a scorpion crawled up the leg of the stu-
dent and bit Karnas thigh. In spite of the pain, Karna
In the end, the Gods showered praise on Bhishma and neither inched nor cried to avoid disturbing his gurus
he sought the blessing of Parashurama as his guru. The rest. Warm blood, however, trickled down his leg and
avatar then acknowledged that his former student was woke Parashurama. In some versions, Lord Indra became
truly invincible, telling Amba: afraid of the ghting prowess of Karna and he himself
took the form of a bee and stung Karnas thigh in order
to benet his son Arjuna.[6] Convinced that only a Ksha-
Using even the very best of weapons I triya could have borne such pain in silence, Parashurama
have not been able to obtain any advantage realized that Karna had lied and cursed his student that
over Bhishma, that foremost of all wielders his knowledge would fail him when it was most crucial.
of weapons! I have exerted now to the best Upon Karnas pleading, Parshurama gifted him the celes-
of my power and might. Seek the protection tial weapon called Bhargavastra, along with his personal
of Bhishma himself, you have no other refuge bow called Vijaya, for being such a diligent student.
now.
Years later, during the Kurukshetra war, Karna had a
Mahabharata 189:1
dream in which he envisioned his guru and asked him to
take back the curse he had placed years back. Parashu-
rama revealed that he had known all along Karna was a
Kshatriya, but because he was a worthy student Parashu-
8.2 Mentorship Of Drona rama had instructed him regardless. The avatar explained
to Karna that the Brahmanda astra had to fail him when he
At the end of his time in the Vedic period, Parashurama needed it most. If he killed Arjuna, Duryodhana would
was renouncing his possessions to become a sannyasi. be king instead of Yudhishthira and chaos would ensue.
As the day progressed, Drona, then a poor Brahmin, ap- Parashurama asked Karna to accept his curse and asked
proached Parashurama asking for alms. By that time, the him to die at the hands of Arjuna, so that the world might
warrior-sage had already given the Brahmins his gold and live in peace. Karna accepted his gurus words and in re-
Kashyapa his land, so all that was left were his body and turn the grateful guru, Parashurama blessed Karna with
weapons. Parushurama asked which Drona would have, immortal glory and everlasting fame.
to which the clever Brahmin responded:
All three students of Parashurama - Bhishma, Drona and
Karna fought on the Kaurava side (for dierent reasons)
O son of Bhrigu, it behoveth thee to give and were killed by unfair tricks.
me all thy weapons together with the mysteries
of hurling and recalling them.
Mahabharata 7:131 9 Dierent Epochs
There are a number of stories of Parashurama in dierent
Thus, Parashurama gave all his weapons unto Drona, Puranas, detailing his interactions with dierent gods of
making him supreme in the science of arms. This be- the Hindu pantheon and even occurring during dierent
comes crucial as Drona later became the guru to both the Yuga due to his being Chiranjivi.
Pandavas and the Kauravas who fought against each other
in the Kurukshetra War.
9.1 Ekadanta
It is said that Lord Parashurama carried Lord Vishnus
Sudharshana Chakra and Bow and Lord Balrams According to Puranas, Parashurama travelled to the
Gadha while they fullled their education with Guru Himalayas to pay respect to his teacher, Shiva. While
Sandipani. travelling, his path was blocked by Ganesha, son of Shiva
8 9 DIFFERENT EPOCHS

and Parvati. Parashurama threw his axe at the elephant- statues were in gratitude for their baneful cleansing of the
god. Ganesha, knowing the weapon had been given to land.
Parashurama by his father, allowed it to sever his left tusk. Then he took a winnowing basket, or Surpa, and threw
His mother Parvati was infuriated and declared she would it at the sea. The water retreated and from the place the
cut o the arms of Parashurama. She took the form of basket fell at Gokarna, land rose again. This land is called
Durga, becoming omnipotent, but at the last moment, Kerala, or 'Siirparaka'(Brahmanda Purana, Chapters 98
Shiva was able to pacify her by making her see the avatar and 99). It is also said that while beating back the sea,
as her own son. Parashurama also asked her forgiveness Parashurama red an arrow from his mystical bow that
and she nally relented when Ganesha himself spoke on landed in Goa at Benaulim, creating Salkache Tollem or
behalf of the warrior-saint. Parashurama then gave his di- 'Lotus Lake'.
vine axe to Ganesha and blessed him. Another name for
Ganesha because of this encounter is Ekadanta, or 'One
Tooth'.
9.3 Request To Shiva
9.2 Beating Back The Arabian Sea
According to Hindu tradition, Parshurama reclaimed the
land of Konkan after donating the earth to Maharshi
Kashyap. Then he requested dierent Gods and God-
desses to settle in the newly created land and to take re-
sponsibility of various clans. Parshuram, being a devo-
tee of Shiva, requested Shiva to give him audience every-
day, while he is living in the newly created land. Lord
Shiva accepted his request. Lord Parshuram also brought
60 'Vipras to settle in Konkan. One such Vipra named
'Vyad' installed a Shivalinga at Guhagar. In this era, since
evil thoughts are supposed to prevail, Gods are to remain
in their invisible forms. Accordingly, Lord Shiva decided
to grace the Shivalinga installed by Vyad Muni. This
same Shivalinga is the well known Vyadeshwar. Thus,
Lord Shiva blesses 0Guhagar in the 'Vyadeshwar' Shiv-
alinga from those years thereto now. According to an-
Lord Parashurama with Saraswat Brahmin settlers demanding other history, in the era of King Sakuran, the Vyadeshwar
Varuna make the seas recede to save the lands of Konkan and Shivalinga was re-invented and the Temple, which we see
Kerala
today, was constructed.
Puranas write that the western coast of India was threat-
ened by tumultuous waves and tempests, causing the land
to be overcome by the sea. Parashurama fought back the
advancing waters, demanding Varuna release the land of 9.4 Rambhoja
Konkan and Malabar. During their ght, Parashurama
threw his axe into the sea. A mass of land rose up, but
Kshetra scripture has a legend in which a king named
Varuna told him that because it was lled with salt, the Ramabhoja worshipped Parashurama. He was the ruler
land would be barren.
of the lands between Gokarna and Kanyakumari and
Parashurama then performed a tapasya for Nagaraja, the was proclaimed king of the entire Parashurama Kshetra.
King of Snakes. Parashurama asked him to spread ser- While performing aswamedha yajna, he was plowing the
pents throughout the land so their venom would neutralize land, but mistakenly killed a snake that was a raksha
the salt lled earth. Nagaraja agreed and a lush and fertile in disguise. In repentance, Rambhoja was directed by
land grew. Thus, Parashurama pushed back the coastline Parashurama to build a rajathatpeetha or large silver
between the foothills of the Western Ghats and the Ara- pedestal, with the image of a serpent at its four corners
bian Sea, creating modern day konkan and malabar. in obeisance. Parashurama also ordered that he distribute
The coastal area of Kerala, Konkan, Karnataka, Goa gold to the needy equal to his own weight as Tulabhara.
and Maharashtra, are today also known as Parashurama Rambhoja performed the ashwamedha yajna successfully
Kshetra or Land of Parashurama in homage. Puranas and Parashurama appeared before him again, declaring
record that Parashurama placed statues of Shiva at 108 that he was pleased. To this day, the silver pedestal re-
dierent locations throughout the reclaimed land, which mains a center of pilgrimage. The surrounding land is
still exist today. Shiva, is the source of Kundalini energy known as Thoulava, in remembrance of the Tulabhara of
and it around his neck that Nagaraja is coiled and so the Rambhoja.
 9

sis on weapons than striking and grappling. Southern

kalaripayattu was developed by Agastya and focuses more
on weaponless combat. Kalaripayattu is known as the
'mother of all martial arts.
Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, also prac-
ticed kalaripayattu. When he traveled to China to spread
Buddhism, he brought the martial art with him, which in
turn was adapted to become the basis of Shaolin Kung
Fu.

11 Sanyasi & End Time

By the end of the Vedic period, Parashurama had grown
weary of bloodshed and became a sannyasi, giving up his
possessions to practice penance. The rst book of the
Mahabharata writes:

The son of Jamadagni, after twenty-one

times making the Earth bereft of Kshatriyas,
wended to that best of Mountains Mahendra
and there began his ascetic penance.
Mahabharata 1:14
Surya, the sun god, riding across the sky in his chariot

He traveled to central India at the northern end of the

9.5 Surya Eastern Ghats and Western Odisha and ascended the
Mahendra Mountains. Before he left, Parashurama dis-
Parashurama once became annoyed with the sun god tributed the territories he conquered among Brahmins,
Surya for making too much heat. The warrior-sage shot who ruled for many centuries. Kingdoms included Ker-
several arrows into the sky, terrifying Surya. When ala, Mushika, Karnata and Konkana.
Parashurama ran out of arrows and sent his wife Dha-
Unlike other incarnations of Vishnu, Parashurama is a
rani to bring more, the sun god then focused his rays on
Chiranjivi and is said to still be doing penance today
her, causing her to collapse. Surya then appeared before
in Mahendragiri. The Kalki Purana writes that he will
Parashurama and gave him two inventions that have since
reemerge at the end of Kali Yuga to be the martial and
been attributed to the avatar, sandals and an umbrella.
spiritual guru of Kalki, the tenth and nal avatar of
Vishnu. It is foretold that he will instruct Kalki to per-
form a dicult penance to Shiva, and receive the celestial
9.6 Dattatreya weaponry needed to bring about end time.
Nath tradition holds that Parashurama, after enacting Along with the sages Vyasa, Kripa and Ashwatthama,
his vengeance, sought out Dattatreya atop Mount Gand- Parashurama is considered to be foremost among the
hamadana for spiritual guidance. Their conversations rishis in Kaliyuga. Parashurama will also become one
gave rise to Tripura-rahasya, a treatise on Advaita of the Saptarishi in the 8th Manvantara along with sages
Vedanta. It was here the deity instructed the warrior-sage Vyasa, Kripa and Ashwatthama.
on knowledge of scripture, renunciation of worldly activ-
ities and non-duality, thus freeing him from the karmic
cycle of death and rebirth. 12 Parashurama Temples
There are numerous temples and statues of Parashurama
10 Kalaripayattu throughout the Indian subcontinent, some of which in-
clude:
Parashurama and the saptarishi Agastya are regarded as
Parashurama temple, Attirala, a vernacular name for
the founders of kalaripayattu, the oldest martial art in the
Hatyarala. Cuddapah district, Andhra Pradesh.
world. Parashurama was a master in the art of weaponry,
as taught to him by Shiva. As such, he developed north- Parshurama temple, Sohnag, Salempur, Deoria Dis-
ern kalaripayattu or vadakkan kalari, with more empha- trict, Uttar Pradesh
10 14 SEE ALSO

Shivsar Talao Pond Statue, Phalodi, Jodhpur,

Rajasthan

Sri Parasurama Swamy Temple, Thiruvallam, 6 km

south of Thiruvananthapuram Kerala

Tosh, Manikaran, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

Padubelle, Udupi, Karnataka, India

Kojra, Sirohi, Rajasthan, India

Parashurama Mandir, Mokama, Bihar, India

Janapav Hill, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Parshuram Kutiya, Nirmand, Kullu, Himachal

Pradesh

Kalki, tenth and nal avatar of Vishnu
Parashurama Kunda, Lohit District, Arunachal
Pradesh, where Parashuram washed his sins after
committing matricide
Akhnoor, (Jammu),Jammu and Kashmir
13 Parashurama Kshetras
The ancient Saptakonkana is a slightly larger region
described in the Sahyadrikhanda which refers to it as
Parashuramakshetra (Sanskrit for the area of Parashu-
rama).
Seven Kshetras are popularly known as Parashurama
Srishti:[7]

Fort [Songadh], Gujarat 1. Udupi

Gudimallam, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh 2. kukke Subramanya

Harpur, Zamania, Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh 3. Kumbasi

Jalalabad, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh 4. Koteshwara

Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan 5. Shankaranarayana
Khatti, near Phagwara, Punjab, India 6. Kollur
Maniyar, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh 7. Gokarna
Mahurgarh, Maharashtra

Parashurama Mandir, Chiplun, Maharashtra 14 See also

Sri Kalakama Parashurama Temple, Darbetadka,
Belthangady, Karnataka Bhagavad Gita

Shree Parashurama Temple, Sanyasikatte, Chiranjivi

Karnataka
End time
Parashurama Temple, Banavasi, Karnataka
Haihayas
Painguinim, Canacona, Goa
Heheya Kingdom
Rajkot, Gujarat
Kalachuri Kingdom
Shivpuri, Akkalkot, Khopoli, Maharashtra
Parasuram Express
Parashurama Mandir, Peetambara Peetham, Datiya,
Madhya Pradesh Ramayana
 11

15 Notes
[1] Ganguly KM (1883). Drona Parva Section LXX. The
Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Sacred
Texts. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

[2] Kisari Mohan Ganguli (1896). Mahabaratha ,Digvijaya

yatra of Karna. The Mahabharata. Sacred Texts. Re-
trieved June 11, 2015.

[3] K M Ganguly (1883-1896). The Mahabharata, Book 13

Anusasana Parva, Section CL sacred-texts.com, October
2003, Retrieved 2014-02-11

[4] Vishnu Purana -Drauni or Asvathama as Next Vyasa Re-

trieved 2015-03-22

[5] Vishnu Purana -Asvathama,Kripa,Vyasa & Parashurama

as Next saptarishis

[6] K M Ganguly(1883-1896) Karna to Salya about the cheat-

ing of Lord Indra for benting Arjuna October 2003,Re-
trieved 2015-03-08

[7] Chandra, Suresh (1998). Encyclopedia of Hindu Gods &

Goddesses. Sarup & Sons. p. 376.

16 References
KM, Ganguly (2016) [1883], The Mahabharata of
Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Drona Parva Section
LXX ed.), Sacred Texts
Mackenzie, Donald A, Indian Myth and Legend, Sa-
cred Texts

17 Additional Sources
Parkhe B, Ramayashogatha (1975, 2008)
Sharma DR,
Potdar J, Bhagwan Parashurama
Mehrotra NC, Shahjahanpur Etihasik Evam San-
skritik Dharohar (1999) Pratiman Prakashan 30
Kucha Ray Ganga Prasad Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
Parashurama Patrika Quarterly Magazine
Bhagwan Parashuram-K M Munshi

18 External links
Media related to Parashuram at Wikimedia Com-
mons
108 Parashurama Kshetras published by Shaivam
and Google Maps
12 19 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

19 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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