Parshuram: The God of Justice

Incarnations of Lord Vishnu

The ten major incarnations, or avatars, of the Hindu deity Vishnu are referred to as the Dashavatara. It is stated that Vishnu will descend on Earth in the shape of an avatar in order to restore order to the cosmos. The term “Dashavatara” originates from the Sanskrit words “daa,” which means “ten,” and “avatar,” which is approximately similar to “incarnation.”

The majority of their inspiration comes from the following group of personalities, listed in this order: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parshuram, Rama, Krishna or Balarama, Buddha or Krishna, and Kalki.

Let’s spend some time discussing Parshurama, the sixth of the Dashavatara, and his birth and history.

Lord Parshuram

Parshuram: Birth

Local legend has it that the sage Jamadagni and his Kshatriya wife Renuka were residing in a hut at Janapav when they had their son Parshuram. One of the five sons was Lord Parshuram.

Rishi Jamadagni and his wife Renuka prayed to the gods at Tape Ka Tiba, a sacred site near Renuka lake, before the birth of their fifth son. Lord Shiva bestowed his favour upon them, and Lord Vishnu promised that he would be their fifth son at Shiva’s urging.

Rambhadra was the youngest of Renuka and Muni Jagdamgni’s five sons. Renuka, a woman renowned for her virginity and devotion to her husband Muni Jagmdagni, was sent to the river by her husband to retrieve some water. She was so devoted that she even fetched water from a river in a container made of unbaked clay.

She had gone to the river in search of water when she happened upon a band of Gandharvas and a swarm of stunning Apsaras. They were enjoying a dip in the river together when death arrived for both of them at once.

A pot she held, yet unbaked from its time in the oven, shattered into the river as she wondered how they managed to be so attractive and intelligent. She stayed by the riverbank, unsure of what to do next, as she felt too frightened to go back to her husband.

Early Life

In the meantime, Muni Jamadagni realised, thanks to his yogic skills, that his wife had not returned from the meditation. That also made him angry at his wife, Renuka.
The Rishi summoned his eldest son, gave him an axe, and ordered him to execute their mother.

The scared kid refused, and Jamadagni turned him to stone. When his sons resisted, he turned them all to stone. Parshuram, the youngest, was the only one of his sons left by the end. The ever-obedient youngster used the axe to cut off his mother’s head.

Rishi Jamadagni was so proud of his fifth son, Lord Parshuram, that he granted him two boons. Lord Parshuram prayed that his mother and four brothers would be resurrected from the dead and made whole again. Jamadagni gave in to his son’s every wish after being moved by his love and loyalty. Thus, his father’s axe inspired his name: Parshu Ram.
Young Lord Parshurama became an influential leader. His passion for weapons was strong, despite the fact that he was born into the Brahmin caste. Lord Parshuram travelled to the Gandhamadana mountains after completing his training with his father, a formidable archer. There, he performed rigorous penances in the hopes of gaining Lord Shiva’s favour.

This delighted Lord Shiva so much that he materialised before him at this time to seek a blessing. Parshuram prayed to the Almighty, asking for divine weapons.  was warned by Lord Shiva that he would have to earn the blessing first.

Lord Parshuram

Parshuram & His Legends:

Jamadagni and Renuka had a child whom they named Parshuram. After performing a terrible act of penance, Lord Shiva presented Parshuram with an axe as a reward. Lord Shiva had also instructed him in many combat strategies and other abilities.

While he came from a family of Brahmins, he was not like the other Brahmins. Instead, Parshuram exhibited characteristics that were typical of Kshatriyas. He possessed a lot of Kshatriya characteristics, such as aggressiveness, fighting, and valour, among others. Because he possessed qualities associated with both clans, he is referred to as a “Brahma-Kshatriya.”

He is the only person known to have been there during both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and to have spoken with Lord Rama. The two avatars of Vishnu, Rama and Krishna, did not live at the same time as him; he is the only Vishnu incarnation to have done so.

First Legend

There is a legend that says King Kartavirya Sahasrarjuna and his army once made an attempt to steal the enchanted cow named Kamdhenu that belonged to Parshuram’s father. This attempt was thwarted by Parshuram.

Since he was furious and bent on taking revenge, he slaughtered the whole army as well as King Kartavirya. In an effort to exact vengeance for the murder of their father, the king’s son assassinated Jamadagni while Parshuram was away.

Outraged and insulted by their behaviour, he proceeded to eliminate all of the king’s sons, as well as all of the corrupt Haihaya Monarchs and soldiers on the planet. At the Ashvamedha sacrifice, which he was responsible for performing, he handed all of his possessions to the priests who were in charge of the rite.

Legend in Ramayana 

The bow of Shiva, which had been presented to King Janaka by Parshuram, was used during the ritual that marked the beginning of princess Sita’s engagement to determine which of her suitors was worthy of her hand in marriage (Swayamvar).

It was required of the suitors they hoist and string the bow in order to win Sita’s hand in marriage, and Rama was the only one who was successful in doing so. As a result of this action, the bow was shattered, which resulted in an extremely loud boom that was heard by Parshurama.

After hearing this voice, he immediately made his way to the ritual that was taking place in Janakpuri, and it was then that Parshurama first made contact with Lord Rama.

Lord Parshurama in Ramayana

Legend in Mahabharata

Parashurama holds a significant role in the renowned Indian Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, which is considered important and well-known. Because of his impressive prowess in battle, Bhishma, Dronacharya, and Karna looked up to him as their teacher.

In addition, he instructed prominent warriors on both sides of the conflict in various weapon skills and assisted them. Despite teaching Karna advanced techniques, Parashurama cursed him to forget everything when he needed those skills the most.

The reason for this was that Parashurama had come to the conclusion that Karna was a Kshatriya.

Lord Parshuram in Mahabharat

Legend of Lord Parshuram and Lord Ganesh

Devoted to Lord Shiva, Parashurama once journeyed to Mount Kailash for a meeting with the deity. During the Rama-Katha narrative, Parashurama was barred from entering by Ganesha as instructed by Lord Shiva and Lady Parvati.

Ganesha blocked his path with the trident and warned him to prepare for battle, but Parashurama accepted the challenge anyhow. During the course of this struggle, Parashurama cut Ganesha’s left tusk, which resulted in Him being given the epithet “Ekadanta.”

Lord Parashurama breaking Lord Ganesh’s Tooth

Parshuram & Kalki:

Lord Vishnu became Parashurama, a human, to eliminate evil, as believed by some. He appeared during a time of prevailing evil and Kshatriyas intimidating other classes, as per the legend.

Lord Parashurama is one of the eternal creatures, known as Chiranjeevis, along with Lord Hanuman, Kripacharya, Mahabali, Ashwathama, and Vyas. According to the Kalki Purana, Lord Parashurama assists the 10th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Kalki, in the present day.