Parashurama Jayanthi

Since his childhood, he used to move around with his formidable weapon, Parashu, meaning axe. Therefore he was called PARASHURAAMA.

Parashurama was born to Jamadagni Rushi and Renuka Dampathigalu.  (Jamadagni is the son of Satyavathi and Rucheeka Rushigalu).

Pitru vakya paripalaka Parashurama –

Once Renukadevi, was fascinated by the beautiful lovemaking of Gandharva Chitraratha with his wives in water, while she went to the river to fetch water. Her momentary lapse into the enchantment, made her return home late.  Jamadagni, the visionary had already known the reason of her late-coming and he, was terribly agitated. He asked his four sons to kill their mother, Renuka as punishment. But they refused to do so.  Only Parashuram,  had the courage. He obeyed his father`s order and killed his mother as well as his four brothers. When Jamadagni, calmed down, and asked for boon in lieu of his marvelous devotion to his father, Parashuram entreated Jamadagni to restore life in the dead bodies. Jamadagni resurrected all. This prayer shows the love that Parashuram had for his dear ones.   Thus Parashurama proved that he is pitru vakya paripalaka.

In both Raamaavathara & Parashuraamaavatara he showed the Pitru Vakya Paripalana is everyone’s duty.

Parashurama’s well known desciples were –

1.  Bheeshma –  Bheeshma learned for nearly 500 years from Parashurama.

2. Dronacharya – Gurugalu of Pandavaru & Kauravaru

3.  Karna – Karna  had not told about his Caste (he himself was not aware of his caste) .    Parashurama had taught him all lessons.  Subsequently Parashurama came to know that Karna is a Kshatriya by birth, and he cursed him that Karna will not remember the Vital Mantra in the war field.  Thus, when Karna and Arjuna square off on Kurukushetra, Karna loses his life to Arjuna simply because he could not remember the vital Mantra to invoke Brahmastra

4. Parashurama – Bheeshmacharya –

Amba sought refuge with Parashurama who ordered Bhishma to marry Amba.  Bhishma  refused saying that he is ready to leave his life at the command of his teacher but not the promise that he had made. Upon the refusal Parasurama called him for a fight at Kurukshetra.   At the battlegrounds, while Bhishma was on a chariot, he saw his guru on the ground.  He requested Parasurama to be equal to him by taking a chariot and Kavacham  Parasurama blessed Bhishma with the power of divine vision and asked him to look again. When Bhishma looked at his guru with the divine eye-sight, he saw the Earth as Parasurama’s chariot, the four Vedas as the horses, the Upanishads as the reins,  Vayu as the sarathy (Charioteer) and the Vedic goddesses Gayatri, Savitri & Saraswati as the  Kavacha.  Bhishma got down from the chariot and sought the blessings of Parasurama to protect his dharma, along with the permission to battle against his teacher. Parasurama was pleased and said to Bhishma that if he had not behaved in this manner,  Parasurama would have cursed him, for it is the duty of warriors who fight against elders to not abandon the traditions of humility and respect for elders. Parasurama blessed him and advised him to protect his dharma of bramacharya as Parasurama himself must fight to fulfil his dharma of fighting to uphold his word as given to Amba. They fought for 23 days without conclusion.  Parasurama is a chiranjeevi (immortal), and Bhishma had a boon that let him choose the time of his death.

Fight came to an end : On the 22nd night, Bhishma prayed to his ancestors to help him end the battle. His ancestors gave him a weapon which was not known to Parasurama.  (PLEASE NOTE :  Parashurama knows all the weapons.  There is no weapon which is not known to him, as he is paramathma’s incarnation.  This is just pretending lokareethya. )They told him that it would put Parasurama to sleep in the battlefield. A person who sleeps in the battlefield is considered to be dead as per Vedas. They advised Bhishma to call back the weapon at the end of day after sunset so that Parasurama will come back to his sense and that shall bring the end to war. However the weapon was never used as Bhishma walked out of the war.

Why Parashurama toured the world 21 times and killed many kshatriyas?

There was a king names Karthaveeryarjuna, King of Mahishmati, son of Krutaveerya who was a strong devotee of Sri Dattatreya and blessed with his invincibility. He possessed the strength of a thousand arms on the battlefront. He had defeated Raavana at war and was reigning at Mahishmati, full of glory and arrogance.

Once King Karthaveeryarjuna went on hunting and was tired, thirsty and hungry and came to the Jamadagni Rushi’s ashrama. The sage Jamadagni arranged the entire troup of Karthaveeryarjuna, with a royal feast and felt very happy. The king enquired the sage as to how come you have prepared such a delicious food within a short period of time. Then the sage told him that he has Cow called Kamadhenu which can give anything we require and because of that only that he could give such a good food so quick.

Karthaveeryarjuna demanded the cow, but the sage refused to give the Kamadhenu. Then the king ordered his solders to take away the cow by force. By that time, Parashurama who had gone out for collecting wood for Yagna, returned and got angry over the king, went to Mahishmati, where they had carried the cow and had a fierce fight with the solders, killed all the solders. Then came the King who had 1000 arms with the Anugraha of Dattatreya, and the two were engaged in a fierce battle, finally Parashurama killed the King alongwith his 1000 arms. He brought back the Kamadhenu.

Jamadagni even though was happy with the return of Kamadhenu, asked Parashurama to go on a piligrimage tour for the parihaara of the sin for having killed so many people, which Parashurama accepted.

While Parashurama was away, the sons of the King Karthaveeryarjuna, attacked Jamadagni Rushi’s ashram and killed Jamadagni, who was on a penace, in front of Renuka and Jamadagni was beheaded and took the head of the sage to Mahishmati. Parashurama, on his return was angry, he picked his Axe and marched 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 formalities in honor of the departed soul. Then Parashurama vowed : “All these kings are evil men. They stole the cow which had fed them; they killed my father and made my mother suffer widowhood. This entire kingly class should be destroyed. The pious cannot live 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 toured the earth twenty-one times chopped off all the anogant Kshatriya, wiping out the entire royalty and distributed the entire kings’ properties to Brahmanaas as daana. He did not kill those kings who performed religious sacrifices (‘yajnas’) and kings like Janaka Maharaaja were thus saved; he did not kill marrying 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 a ‘Nari-kavacha’ (one who sought protection amidst women.)

Parashurama kShetra –

After touring 21times for kshatriya samhaara, and killing majority of Kshatriya Kings and got possession of their entire kingdom, Parashurama made the daana of his entire possession to brahmanas. He was not left with any place to stay. That is why at the time of making any daana one should say “Parashuramaaya namaha”.

Then Parashurama threw his axe on the western ocean and moved the sea for some distance, and converted the sealand into land (bhoomi) which area is called as Parashurama Kshetra.

Eight kshetras which are popularly known as Parashurama kshetras and   are called as ‘Parashurama Srishti’ are :