An incarnation of महाविष्णु , as man.

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Descending in order from माहाविष्णु -- ब्रह्मा - भृगु - च्यवन - ऊर्व - ऋचीक - जमदग्नि - परशुराम .

Cause for incarnation

Once god अग्नि went to कार्तवीर्यार्जुन and begged for food. The king allowed him to take from his vast territory as much food as he wanted from anywhere he liked. अग्नि started burning forests and mountains and consuming them. Deep inside. one of the forests a sage named आपव was performing penance and the fire burnt the आश्रम of आपव also. Enraged at this the sage cursed thus: " कार्तवीर्यार्जुन is at the root of this havoc. The arrogance of क्षत्रियस् has increased beyond limits. महाविष्णु would therefore be born on earth as परशुराम to destroy this arrogance of the क्षत्रियस् ." Accordingly माहाविष्णु was born as परशुराम in the भार्गव race. (Chapter 40, Harivaṃśa).

ब्रह्माण्ड पुराण gives another version: विष्णु promised भूमिदेवी (mother earth) that he would be born on earth as परशुराम when भूमिदेवी went to him in the form of a cow and complained to him about the atrocities of the wicked क्षत्रिय kings.

Birth ---

परशुराम was born as the son of sage जमदग्नि of his wife रेणुका . Their आश्रम was on the shores of the नर्मदा river. रेणुका , mother of परशुराम , was the daughter of King प्रसेनजित् . She had four sons even before the birth of परशुराम (Chapter 58, Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa) .

Boyhood and education

परशुराम spent his boyhood with his parents in the आश्रम . An important event in his life then was his slaying his mother at the behest of his father. (See under Jamadagni, Para 6) . Though परशुराम was a ब्रह्मिन् there is nothing on record to show that he did study the वेदस् . Perhaps he might have had the Vedic instructions from his father during his life with him. He had even from the beginning shown an interest in learning धनुर्विद्या (archery). For obtaining proficiency in archery he went to the हिमालयस् and did penance to please शिव for many years. Pleased at his penance शिव on several occasions extolled the virtues of परशुराम . At that time the असुरस् (demons) acquired strength and attacked the देवस् . The देवस् complained to शिव . शिव called परशुराम and asked him to fight with and defeat the semdon . परशुराम was without weapons and he asked शिव how he could go and fight the demons without weapons. शिव said: "Go with my blessings end you will kill your foes." परशुराम did not wait for a moment. When शिव thus assured him of success, on he went straight to fight with the demons. He defeated the असुरस् and came back to शिव when the latter gave him many boons and divine weapons.

Till that time his name was only राम and he became परशुराम because among the weapons given to him by शिव was a weapon named परशु (axe). There is a story behind this weapon परशु . Once शिव was not invited for a याग conducted by दक्ष . An angered शिव threw his spike into the यागशाला (sacrifical hall). The spike spoiled the याग and smashed the hall and after that roamed about aimlessly for sometime and then turned towards बदर्याश्रम where at that time नरनारायणस् were engaged in penance. The spike went straight to the heart of sage नारायण . नारायण made the defiant sound 'hum' ( हुंकार ) and the spike turned away. शिव felt angry for thus showing disrespect to his spike and he attacked the sage. At once नरर्षि plucked a grass and reciting a mantra threw it at शिव . The grass became a परशु (axe) and it attacked शिव . शिव broke it into two. Then नर-नारायणस् bowed before him and worshipped him. Thereafter the two pieces of the परशु remained with शिव . It was one of these that शिव gave to परशुराम . When परशुराम was returning happy and glorious with boons and weapons he got on his way a disciple named अकृतव्रण . (See under Akṛtavraṇa) . Guru and disciple lived in an आश्रम and परशुराम became a noted Guru in धनुर्वेद (archery). [mh-8-34-1 ] Mahābhārata • Karṇa parva • [mh-12-49-1 ] Mahābhārata • Śānti parva • [mh-13-18-1 ] Mahābhārata • Anuśāsana parva None

Instruction in archery

According to पुराणस् परशुरामा did not spend his life as an instructor in archery. There are statements, however, mentioning that कर्ण and द्रोण took instructions from him.

Pretending to be a ब्रह्मिन् कर्ण commenced taking instructions in अर्छेऋय् from परशुराम . When his education was complete परशुराम taught him ब्रह्मास्त्र . One day tired after a long walk in the forests परशुराम took rest placing his head on the lap of कर्ण and soon fell asleep. At that time a beetle came and started sucking blood from the thigh of कर्ण . कर्ण remained still, bearing the pain, lest any movement of his body should disturb the sleep of his Guru. Blood was oozing from his thinghs and it slowly made the body of the Guru also wet. परशुराम woke up and the sight of the bleeding thigh and the calm demeanour of कर्ण raised doubts in him. He questioned कर्ण saying that no ब्रह्मिन् could ever bear such a pain with such calmness and कर्ण had to tell the truth. Then परशुराम cursed him for deceit against his Guru saying that he would never be able to remember the ब्रह्मास्त्र when the time to use it came.

There is a story behind अलर्क , the beetle that bit कर्ण . This beetle was in his previous birth a demon named दंश . दंश once tried to molest the wife of the sage भृगु . The महर्षि cursed him and made him into a beetle. On his request for mercy he said he would get release from the curse by परशुराम . So the beetle became the राक्षस again and left the place. कर्ण took leave of परशुराम and went to हस्तिनापुर . [mh-12-3-1 ] Mahābhārata • Śānti parva

Another famous disciple of परशुराम was द्रोण . There is a story behind द्रोण getting धनुर्वेद from परशुराम . After travelling throughout the world exterminating the क्षत्रिय race परशुराम gave all his wealth to कश्यप . On hearing that परशुराम was giving away all his riches as gifts to ब्रह्मिन्स् द्रोण rushed to महेन्द्रपर्वत to see परशुराम . By then परशुराम had distributed all his wealth excepting धनुर्वेद . परशुराम called द्रोण to his side and said that only two things remained with him, his body and धनुर्वेद . द्रोण , he added, could take anyone of the two and then द्रोण took धनुर्वेद from him. After that परशुराम went to महारण्य for the sake of penance. [mh-1-130-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva

There are some apparent inconsistencies in the above stories: It is said द्रोण taught धनुर्वेद to कर्ण . द्रोण was the last person to receive धनुर्वेद from परशुराम because the latter, surrendering his धनुर्वेद in entire, left for the forests for doing penance. Then, when did कर्ण learn धनुर्वेद from परशुराम ? Could it be before द्रोण went to परशुराम ? Then it must be accepted that द्रोण had not studied under परशुराम when he was teaching the the पाण्डवस् and कौरवस् . He learnt it from somewhere before he became the preceptor of the पाण्डवस् . कर्ण after studying under द्रोण for some time went to परशुराम for higher studies and द्रोण approached परशुराम after कर्ण had left him.

The destruction of the क्षत्रियस्

The most important event of his life was the total extermination of the क्षत्रिय race. The पुराणिच् belief is that he went round the world eighteen times to massacre the क्षत्रियस् .

In many places in the पुराणस् it is stated that परशुराम fought against the क्षत्रियस् eighteen times. But in chapter 29 of अश्वमेध पर्व it is stated that परशुराम fought against the क्षत्रियस् twentyone times So it is to be surmised that परशुराम fought eighteen big battles and three minor ones.

There are some old stories to explain this revengeful enmity of परशुराम towards the क्षत्रियस् .

Family enmity

The हेहय dynasty was the most powerful kingly race then. परशुराम was a descendant of भृगु , a brahmin sage. That is why he gets the name भार्गव also. The भार्गवस् were for generations the family preceptors of the हेहय kings. Taking advantage of their supreme position in the royal palace the भार्गवस् accumulated great wealth at the cost of the royal riches. Gradually the भार्गवस् rose in prosperity in inverse proportion to the decline of the हेहय wealth. It was at the time of ऋचीक , grandfather of परसुराम that they touched the rock-bottom of their wealth and they found funds lacking even for the day to day administration of the state. In despair they went and requested the ऋचीकस् to lend them some money. But they hid their money and refused to give them anything. The क्षत्रिय kings got angry and killed the brahmins. What stock was left of them went to the base of the हिमालय s. The wife of ऋचीक who was pregnant then kept the child in her womb for twelve years afraid to bring forth the child. After that the child came out breaking open the thigh ( ऊरु ) and so the child was called और्व . Even at the time of his birth और्व shone like a brilliant torch and not only that; the child cried aloud "Oh, wicked क्षत्रियस् , I will kill every one of you. I heard from my mother's womb the din of the swords you raised to kill my ancestors. I will never wait for another moment to wreak vengeance on you."

The fire that emanated from the face of और्व burnt even देवलोक . क्षत्रियस् as a class came and prostrated before him. The देवस् came and requested him to abandon his anger and और्व agreed. The देवस् picked up the fire sparks from और्व 's face and deposited them in the ocean. From those sparks put in the ocean was born बडवाग्नि alias और्व .

Curse of the sage

From और्व was born जमदग्नि and from जमदग्नि was born परशुराम . In the race of the हेहयस् was born at that time a very valorous king named कार्तवीर्यार्जुन . Once कार्तवीर्यार्जुन gave a dinner to अग्निभगवान् . अग्नि began to devour all the mountains and forests in the world. The burning was so indiscriminate that it burnt the आश्रम of a sage named आपव also. The sage cursed कार्तवीर्यार्जुन saying that the thousand hands of the latter would be cut off by पसशुराम born in the family of भार्गवस् . From that day onwards the latent feud in him against the भार्गवस् was roused into action.

वरुण 's ridicule

कार्तवीर्यार्जुन who got a thousand hands by a boon from a sage named दत्तात्रेय subdued all enemies of his status and not satisfied with that he went to the shores of the ocean and challenged वरुण for a fight. वरुण came before him and very modestly admitted that he was incapable of meeting the challenge thrown and suggested that perhaps जमदग्नि 's son, परशुराम might accept the challenge and give him a fight. Hearing this कार्तवीर्यार्जुन turned towards the आस्रम of जमदग्नि on the shores of the नर्मदा river.

Causes of the war (immediate)

कार्तवीर्यार्जुन went for hunting in the forests and feeling exhausted after some time went to the आस्रम of जमदग्नि with his retinue. जमदग्नि received them well and with the help of the कामधेनु (wish-yielding cow) named सुशीला , जमदग्नि gave a sumptuous feast to the King and his followers. When after the meals were over they started to take leave of the sage, चन्द्रगुप्त , a minister of कार्तवीर्यार्जुन brought to the notice of the king the superior powers of the कामधेनु , सुशीला . The king wanted to get the cow and asked चन्द्रगुप्त to tell the sage about it. Though the minister told जमदग्नि about the royal desire the sage refused to part with the cow. Then the minister with the help of the other royal servants took the cow by force and the sage followed the cow weeping. On the way चन्द्रगुप्त beat जमदग्नि to death and brought the cow to the presence of the king. The king was pleased and the royal hunting party returned to the palace happy.

जमदग्नि 's wife रेणुका went in search of her husband and to her grief found him lying dead. रेणुका wept beating her breast twentyone times and by that time her son परशुराम came there and he declared that he would travel round the world twentyone times, the number of times his mother beat her breast, to kill and exterminate the क्षत्रियस् from this world. Then the dead body of जमदग्नि was placed on a pyre and they were singing विष्णुगीता before placing fire on the pyre when शुक्रमुनि appeared there and brought जमदग्नि to life by invoking the art of मृतसञ्जीवनी . By that time सुशीला somehow escaped from the custody of the King and came there without the calf. Then परशुराम vowed that he would bring the calf soon and taking with him his disciple अकृतव्रण he left for the city of माहिष्मती the abode of कार्तवीर्यार्जुन . There they fought a grim battle and after killing कार्तवीर्यार्जुन and many of his followers brought back the calf. To atone for the sin of this massacre जमदग्नि advised his son to go and perform penance in महेन्द्रगिरि . Taking advantage of the absence of परशुराम from the आश्रम , शूरसेन son of कार्तवीर्यार्जुन , with his followers went to the आश्रम of जमदग्नि and chopped off his head. परशुराम returned from महेन्द्रगिरि at once and cremated the dead body of his father. रेणुका , his mother, jumped into the funeral pyre and abandoned her life. From that moment onwards started परशुराम 's fierce programme of mass massacre of the क्षत्रियस् .

Victory march

परशुराम 's world-tour was confined to an all- भारत tour. The wars of परशुराम are not described in detail in the पुराणस् . They mention thaṭ परशुराम killed the Kings of चोल, चेर and पौण्ड्र . To stop the birth of क्षत्रियस् in future परशुराम destroyed even the embryo in the wombs of क्षतरिय women. Then the भार्गव ancestors like ऋचीक and others came to the sky and requested परशुराम to stop this slaughter. They said: "Oh son, राम , stop this slaughter. What good do you get by killing innocent क्षत्रियस् ?" By that time परशुराम had made twentyone rounds around भारत killing the क्षत्रियस् . [mh-1-64-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva • [mh-2-38-1 ] Mahābhārata • Sabhā parva • [mh-3-116-1 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva • [mh-12-49-1 ] Mahābhārata • Śānti parva (10 chapters from chapter 83 of Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa)

समन्तपञ्चकनिर्माण

समन्तपञ्चक is कुरुक्षेत्र itself where the great battle was conducted. This is a holy place and it was परशुराम who constructed it. He stored the blood of the क्षत्रियस् he killed in the twentyone rounds of killing in five lakes in समन्तपञ्चक . He offered blood to the Manes in those lakes. The Manes led by ऋचीक appeared before him and asked him to name any boon he wanted. Then परशुराम said, "Revered Manes, if you are pleased with me you must absolve me from the sin of this mass massacre of the क्षत्रियस् and declare the five lakes where I have stored their blood as holy." The Manes declared, "Let it be so." From then onwards the place became holy under the name समन्तपञ्चक . At the end of the द्वापरयुग and the beginning of कलियुग a great battle lasting for eighteen days took place at this holy place between the पाण्डवस् and the कौरवस् . [mh-1-2-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva

To atone for the sin of slaughtering even innocent क्षत्रियस् , परशुराम gave away all his riches as gifts to ब्रह्मिन्स् . He invited all the ब्रह्मिन्स् to समन्तपञ्चक and conducted a great याग there. The chief ऋत्विक् (officiating priest) of the याग was the sage कश्यप and परशुराम gave all the lands he conquered till that time to कश्यप . Then a platform of gold ten yards long and nine yards wide was made and कश्यप was installed there and worshipped. After the worship was over according to the instructions from कश्यप the gold platform was cut into pieces and the gold pieces were offered to ब्रह्मिन्स् .

When कश्यप got all the lands from परशुराम he said thus:--"Oh राम , you have given me all your land and it is not now proper for you to live in my soil. You can go to the south and live somewhere on the shores of the ocean there." परशुराम walked south and requested the ocean to give him some land to live. वरुण then asked him to throw a winnow into the ocean. There is a legend saying that it was a परशु that परशुराम threw. परशुराम threw the sieve ( शूर्प ) and the ocean gave way to land for a distance where the winnow fell from where he stood. This is the place शूर्पारक now known as केरल . ( शूर्प = Winnowing basket). After giving this land also to the ब्रह्मिन्स् , परशुराम went and started doing penance at महेन्द्रगिरि . [mh-1-130-1 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva • [mh-3-117-1 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva • [mh-12-49-1 ] Mahābhārata • Śānti parva

Other exploits of परशुराम

Meets श्री राम

श्री राम and लक्ष्मण were returning to अयोध्या from मिथिलापुरी after the marriage along with the sage वसिष्ठ through a deep forest when परशुराम blocked their way and addressing श्री राम said thus, 'Oh राम , son of दशरथ , I heard that you broke during the marriage of सीता the great शैव bow of the palace of जनक . It was a शैव bow and I have now come here to test your prowess. I am giving you a वैष्णव bow now. Can you string this bow?"

वसिष्ठ tried his best to pacify परशुराम . But परशुराम without heeding it started describing the story and greatness of the शैव bow and the वैष्णव bow. (See under Vaiṣṇava bow) . Then श्री राम took the bow from परशुराम and started to string it. The brilliance of श्री राम dazzled him and he stood dumbfounded at his skill. परशुराम was immensely pleased and he blessed श्री राम . After that he went again to महेन्द्रगिरि to perform penance.

This same story is told in कम्ब रामायण with some slight changes:-- परशुराम did not like श्री राम breaking the bow of his गुरु शिव . So an angered परशुराम blocked the way of श्री राम and challenged him to string and take aim with the mighty वैष्णव bow he ( परशुराम ) was carrying with him then. श्री राम with perfect ease took the bow, strung it, and taking the missile asked परशुराम to show the target. परशुराम was astonished and was in a fix. The missile could destroy even the entire Universe. So परशुराम asked राम to aim at the accumulated तपोबल (power accrued by penance) of his self and राम did so. Then परशुराम surrendered to श्री राम the वैष्णव bow and arrow and the वैष्णव तेजस् (divine brilliance) in him. परशुराम after having carried out the purpose of his incarnation gave instructions to श्री राम to continue the purpose of his incarnation and then after blessing श्री राम went again to do penance at his holy आश्रम .

This same story is told by the sage लोमश to the पाण्डवस् during their exile in the forests. This story is much different from the previous ones: " wहेन् the fame that श्री राम was the best of Kings spread far and wide परशुराम once went to see श्री राम . Giving him the bow and arrow with which he had done the mass massacre of the क्षत्रियस् he challenged him to string it and take aim. With a smile श्री राम did so and then परशुराम said राम should draw the string up to his ears. श्री राम got angry and then on the face, which became fierce, by his anger, परशुराम saw besides himself, आदित्य-वसु-रुद्रस्, साध्यस्, बालखिल्यस्, देवर्षिस्, oceans, mountains, the Vedas and all such things of this universe. श्री राम sent out his missile from the bow. The whole universe was thrown into chaos. Thunder and lightning rocked the world. Heavy rains flooded the whole land space. Burning stars and meteors fell to the ground. परशुराम then knew that श्री राम was the incarnation of महाविष्णु and he stood bowing before him. Ashamed of his defeat he took leave of श्री राम and went to महेन्द्रगिरि . When he reached there he found he had lost all his brilliance. Then the manes appeared and advised him to go and bathe in the river वधूसरा . Accordingly परशुराम went and bathed in the river and regained his lost brilliance. [mh-3-99-1 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva

परशुराम and श्रीकृष्ण

The पुराणस् describe two important occasions when परशुराम met श्री कृष्ण .

The first meeting was at the mountain of गोमन्त . Once श्री कृष्ण and बलराम with a view to enjoying the abundance of Nature went to the beautiful mountain of गोमन्त and ascended to its top. On their way they met परशुराम engaged in penance there. They exchanged greetings and talked to each other for some time. Then परशुराम requested श्री कृष्ण to kill शृगालवासुदेव , King of करवीर on the base of that mountain. श्री कृष्ण promised to do so and left the place carrying with him the blessings of the sage.

The second meeting was when कृष्ण was going to the court of the कौरवस् as a messenger of the पाण्डवस् . On his way श्री कृष्ण saw a company of sages coming and, alighting from his chariot कृष्ण talked with them. परशुराम who was in that company then embraced कृष्ण and said that he should give a true picture of the situation to the कौरवस् when he was conducting his mission. The sages blessed कृष्ण and wished कृष्ण all success in his mission. [mh-5-83-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva (10th Skandha, Bhāgavata) .

Other details

परशुराम along with a few other sages was present at the सभाप्रवेश of धर्मपुत्र . [mh-2-53-11 ] Mahābhārata • Sabhā parva .

परशुराम was present at the course of the कौरवस् when श्री कृष्ण was speaking to धृतराष्ट्र on behalf of the पाण्डवस् . When the कौरवस् did not reply the questions put by श्री कृष्ण , परशुराम rose up to tell a story to illustrate the evils resulting from the arrogance of man. There was once a King called दम्भोद्भव who was very arrogant because of his great strength. He wanted to diffuse his energy by fighting and laboured much to get good opponents and roamed about in search of fighters. One day the ब्रह्मिन्स् directed him to नरनारायणस् and accordingly दम्भोद्भव went to their आश्रम at बदरिका and challenged them for a fight. They refused to fight and yet the King showered arrows on them. Then the sages took a few blades of the इषीका grass and threw them at him. They filled the sky as great missiles and the King begged to be pardoned and prostrated before the sages. They sent back the befooled King to his palace. [mh-5-96-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

Once a grim battle was waged between परशुराम and भीष्म . (See under Ambā) .

परशुराम sits in the court of यम . [mh-2-8-19 ] Mahābhārata • Sabhā parva .