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Parshuram
'Parashurama Bhargava' (Sanskrit: परशुराम भार्गव) or 'Parasurama' (''Axe-wielding Rama''), the sixth avatar of Vishnu, belongs to the Treta yuga, and is the son of Jamadagni and Renuka. Parashu means axe, hence his name literally means Rama-with-the-axe. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. He is a Chiranjeevin, who fought the advancing ocean back thus saving the lands of Konkan and Malabar (Maharashtra - Karnataka - Kerala coastline). The coastal area of Kerala state along with the Konkan region, i.e., coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka, is known as Parashurama Kshetra (Parashurama's area). Some say it extends all the way to Mumbai in Maharashtra. Parashurama is said to be a "Brahma-Kshatriya" (of the duty between a Brahmana and a Kshatriya) and a descendant of the Kshatriya Vishvamitra.
The Killing of Jamadagni
There are two predominant versions of this story. The first states that King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) and his army visited Jamadagni, a Brahmin sage, who fed his guest and the whole army with his divine cow Surabhi. The king demanded the magical cow. Jamadagni refused because he needed the cow for his religious ceremonies. King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) sent his soldiers to take the cow, so Parashurama killed the entire army and the king with his axe. In return, the princes beheaded Jamadagni.
There is another, predominant version of this story. This second version states that that the cow actually generated an army that killed the king's army. In return, the king killed Jamadagni.
Haihaya-Kshatriya Background
It appears that the Haihayas may have been enemies and at war with several groups, including other Kshtriyas themselves. For example the Haihayas sacked Kashi during the reigns of King Haryaswa and King Sudeva (whom they killed), King Divodas and his son Pratarddana (who finally expelled them outside of the Vatsa Kingdom. All these kings were born in the Kingdom of the Ikshvaku, a solar clan and the Haihayas were a lunar clan.
The hostile Haihaya King Arjuna Kartavirya also defeated the Naga Kshatiryas, defeated Karkotaka Naga and made Mahishmati (present day Maheshwar) the capital of his own kingdom.
All the five Haihaya clans called themselves together as Talajangha (Vishnu Purana IV.11).
According to numerous Puranas, the military corporations of the Shakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Pahlavas and Paradas, known as five hordes (''pānca-ganah''), had militarily supported the Haihaya and Talajunga Kshatriyas in depriving Ikshvaku King Bahu (the 7th king in descent from Harishchandra) of his Ayodhya kingdom.
A generation later, Bahu's son, Sagara recaptured Ayodhya after totally destroying the Haihaya and Talajangha Kshatriyas in the battle. King Sagara had punished these foreign hordes by changing their ''hair-styles'' and turning them into ''degraded Kshatriyas''.[1]
Extermination of the Haihaya-kshatriya caste
The enmity between the Haihaya and the Bhargavas are mentioned in the Mahabharata Hindu text numerous times. In the Srimad Bhagavatam SB 9.8.5-6, the Haihaya are mentioned as "''the uncivilized''"[2].
Once, when Parashurama returned home, he found his mother crying hysterically. When asked why she was crying, she beat her chest 21 times. In a rage, Parashurama vowed to exterminate the world's Haihaya-Kshatriyas 21 times. He killed the entire clan of Kartavirya Arjuna (or Sahasrarjuna), thus conquering the entire earth. He offered his dead father's soul tarpana with the blood of the kings and warriors he slew. He then conducted the Ashvamedha sacrifice, done only by sovereign kings, and gave the entire land he owned to the priests who performed at the ''yagya'', viz. Kashyapa.
Parashurama then became responsible for killing the world's corrupted Haihaya kings and warriors who came to attack him in revenge for the killing of Kartavirya Arjuna, to prevent a Brahmin from being emperor and threatening their position. The Ashvamedha demanded that the kings either submit to Parashurama's imperial position or thwart the sacrifice by defeating him in battle. They did neither and were killed. Parashurama exterminated the world's Haihaya-Kshatriyas 21 times, thus fulfilling his vow.
Parashurama had a very famous incident with Lord Rama's father during one of those raids on the Haihaya-kshatriya clans. When Parashurama had visited Ayodhya to annihilate Dasharatha, then the latter had actually prepared for a certain death, knowing that Parashurama had the blessing of the almighty and also that it is not honourable for a kshatriya to show his back to a challenger. But at that time the king had no progeny. So his queens refused to let him go to the battlefield and disguised him as a woman. Irritated after a long wait, Parashurama searched everywhere in the king's palace, then entered the queen's quarters (antahpuram). There he found the king in women's garments. Parashurama discarded Dasharatha from a challenge saying that the latter had himself proved lacking of virility! This tale is often told to youngsters that it is often better to face an insult instead of facing a certain death.
Legends
It is said that when Parashurama created Kerala settled Kerala from the retreat of the sea, that was the beginning of the Kollam Era (AD 825) (possibly named after the city Kollam) for the Malayalam Calendar.[3]
According to one legend, Parashurama also went to visit Shiva once but the way was blocked by Ganesha. Parashurama threw the axe at him and Ganesha, knowing it had been given to him by Shiva, allowed it to cut off one of his tusks.
There is an interesting side to Parashurama's conquest of Kshatriyas. After one his conquests, he returns to Aihole (Badami Taluka, Bagalkot district in Karntaka) which, some say was where he lived. Those who know Aihole would know that the river Malaprabha does a near 180 degree turn there. While Parashurama washed his blood soaked axe upriver, beyond the bend, there were village belles washing clothes downriver. The axe was so bloody that it turned the entire river red. This, the women washing clothes saw and exclaimed "Ai hole!" (oh, what a river!). The name stuck and the village is now known as Aihole.
There is an another legend that Nairs (Nagas)of kerala removed their sacred thred and hide in forest to avoid Parasuramas revenge aganist Kshatriyas. Parasuram donated the land to Nambuthiri Brahimns and Nambuthiris denied the Nairs Kshatriya status(though they did Kshatriya duties and almost all the royal house in kerala come from them)
Shiva's Bow
In the Ramayana, Parashurama came to the betrothal ceremony of the seventh Avatara, Rama, to the princess Sita. As a test of worthiness the suitors were required to lift and string the bow of Shiva, given to the King Janaka by Parshurama. Rama successfully strung the bow, but in the process it broke in two, producing a tremendous noise that reached the ears of Parashurama.
In one such version, played in ''ramlilas'' across India, Parshurama arrived after hearing the sound of the bow of Shiva breaking. The kshatriyas were afraid to confront the sage, but Sita approached the sage. He blessed her, saying "Saubhagyawati bhavah", literally meaning "be thou blessed with good luck". So when he turned to confront Rama, the destroyer of Shiva's bow, he could not pick up his axe to do so. This was so because, as he blessed Sita with good luck, he could not cause any harm to her husband. At the same time, he recognised Rama for what he truly was, namely, the avatar of Vishnu.
The Mahabharata
In the Mahabharata, Parashurama was the instructor of the warrior Karna, born to a Kshatriya mother but raised as the son of a charioteer, or lower class of Kshatriyas. Karna came to Parashurama after being rejected from the school of Drona, who taught the five Pandava and one hundred Kaurava princes. Parashurama agreed to teach Karna, believing him to not be of Kshatriya birth, and gave him the knowledge of the extremely powerful Brahmastra weapon. But an incident would render the Brahmastra almost useless to Karna.
One day, Parashurama was sleeping with his head resting on Karna's thigh, when a beetle crawled up and bit Karna's thigh, boring into it. In spite of the bleeding and the pain, he neither flinched or uttered a cry so that his teacher could continue his rest. However, the blood trickled down, reaching Parashurama and awakening him. Convinced that only a Kshatriya could have borne such pain in silence and that Karna had therefore lied in order to receive instruction, he cursed Karna that his knowledge of the Brahmastra would fail him when he needed it most. Later, during the Kurukshetra war, Karna had a dream at night when he thought of his guru and asked him to take back the curse he had warranted years back. Parashurama explained that he knew that the day would come; he knew that Karna was a Kshatriya, but deemed him to be a worthy student and instructed him nevertheless. However, the outcome of the war would have left the world in ruins if Duryodhana were to rule, as opposed to Yudhishthira. For that reason, Parashurama requested that Karna accept the curse and fall at the hands of Arjuna, inadvertently saving the world.
Parashurama was the guru of both Bheeshma (Devavrata) and Dronacharya. Also, the Sudarshan chakra (or Sudarshan Vidya) is said to be given by Parashurama to Krishna.
The Sixth Avatara
The purpose of the sixth incarnation of Vishnu is considered by religious scholars to be to relieve the earth's burden by exterminating the sinful, destructive and irreligious monarchs that pillaged its resources, and neglected their duties as kings.
Parashurama is of a martial Shraman ascetic. However, unlike all other avatars, Parashurama still lives on earth, even today. Secondly, he is an Avesha Avatara, a secondary type of Avatara. In such an Avatara, Vishnu does not directly descend as do Rama or Krishna but instead enters the soul of a man with His form. Accordingly, unlike Rama and Krishna, Parashurama is not worshipped. But in South India, at the holy place Pajaka, there exists one major temple commemorating Parashurama.
Parshurama, the creator of the Konkan coast, is also worshipped in a temple at Lote Parshurama in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district.The people of the Konkan call their land 'Parshurama Bhoomi' or ''the land of Parshurama'' in accordance with the legend that the sage reclaimed the land from the sea.
There are several Parshurama temples throughout the western coast of India as well as North India, but especially more in the costal areas from Bharuch in the west Indian state of Gujarat right upto Kerala, the southern tip of India. One can see a Parshurama Temple with a Agni Mandir in Shivpuri, Akkalkot, Khopoli in Maharashtra and Fort Songadh in Gujarat.
Kalki Purana
The Kalki Purana states Parashurama will be the martial guru of Sri Kalki, the 10th and final avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is he who instructs Kalki to perform a long penance to Shiva to receive celestial weaponry.
Ganapati in the avatara of Sage Parshurama
Ganapati in the avatar of Parshuram
Ganapati is popularly worshipped in numerous avataras[4] including that of Sage Parshurama. According to the Vaishnavite tradition, this doesn't have any solid shastric base under it; this is one of the modern Hindu deviations, because Parashurama was the avatara of Vishnu, as all the other avatars (Rama, Krishna, Nrisimha, etc.). Ganesha is one of the devatas in this universe and according to Padma Purana , a Vaishnavite purana to consider any of the devatas (even so great as Brahma and Shiva himself) to be equal to Narayana or Vishnu is the greatest offense and godlessness (pashandi)[5][6]. This trend has its roots in Smartism, where according to mayavada philosophy the Supreme Absolute can be worshiped in any of five devatas forms, which also falls under criticism of same verse from Padma Purana.
Parashurama and Deities' Temples
In the Kanyakumari Temple in Kanyakumari town, Parasurama installed the Idol made of blue stone. Parashurama installed the idol of Dharma Sastha (Ayyappa) on the peak on the Sabarimala Hill in the forest.[1] Parashurama trained Ayyappa[2] just as Parashurama had trained Karna in the Mahabharata and is believed will train the future Kalki.
He created a temple of worship right after he resurfaced Kerala from the sea. He placed statues of various deities in 108 different places and introduced martial arts ("Kalari Payattu") to protect the temple from the evils.[3]
Also, while the other pilgrimages created by Parashurama are devoted to Lord Shiva, Lord Subramanya and Lord Ganesha, Kollur is the only one devoted to goddess Parvati.[4]
There are "Seven Mukti Stalas" of Karnataka, which were created by Parashurama and some of the above such as Kollur belong to them.
Parshurama Ksethras
Seven ksethras are popularly known as Parashurama ksethras and a.k.a. 'Parashurama Srishti'. They are:
#Udupi
#Subramanya
#Kollur
#Shankaranarayana
#Koteswara
#Kumbhasi (Annegadda)
#Gokarna
Further Kshetra Legend
There is a legend that in one of the kshetras a King Ramabhoja, who worshipped Lord Parashurama.[5] He was the ruler of the lands between Gokarna and Cape Comorin and was proclaimed king of the entire Parasurama Kshetra.[6] Once he was intending on performing the aswamedha yajna and plowed the land but mistakenly killed a serpent. However the serpent was a demon. To repent this sin, King Rambhoja was directed by Lord Parasurama to build a big silver pedestal with the image of a serpent at each of its four corners and to worship Him who would be seated in spirit on the pedestal and also to distribute gold equal to his own weight (Tulabhara) to deserving persons. Rambhoja did likewise and performed the ashwamedha yajna successfully. At its conclusion, Lord Parasurama appeared and declared that he was pleased with the Yajna and that henceforth the sacrificial land 'Roopya Peetha' (''silver pedestal'') would become a famous centre of pilgrimage. This land is also known as 'Thoulava' land and because Rambhoja performed 'Tulabhara'. This is in brief is the legend of the land.
Formation of Konkan (coastal Maharashtra) & Kerala
According to the legends there existed no Konkan & Kerala before Parashurama threw his axe into the sea.[7] The god of the sea Varuna respected him and retreated to a position till where the axe fell. Thus formed Konkan & Kerala.
There is also the Panhala Fort founded by Raja Bhoja in the late 12th century[8] which Chhatrapati Shivaji had used and is said to be the only fort in which he stayed for 500 days! This fort is said to have a connection with Parashurama.
Other Names
★ Bhrigupati
★ Bhargava
References
1. Harivamsa 14.1-19
2. Srimad Bhagavatam B 9.8.5-6
3. Encyclopedia Britannica
4. Various avataras of Ganapati
5. http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/cc/madhya/24/330/
6. http://www.krsna.org/chaptertwo.htm
7. Karnataka history
8. Tourism in Maharashtra
★ Meaning of Parushama, an Avesha avatar
★ Ramyashogatha - M.S. alias Baburaoji Parkhe. Originally written and published in Marathi, Hindi edition is on way.
Types of Avatars
★ More details about Lord Parshurama on myHimachal blog
See also
★ Avatars
★ Haihayas
★ Heheya Kingdom
★ Kalachuri Kingdom
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