Parashurama Avatar Story: The 6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Parashurama avatar was the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born in Treta Yuga and was famously known as the Brahmin warrior and a great sage of the time. Lord Parshuram, Dashavatar of Vishnu, is the son of Renuka and one of the Saptarshis, Jamadagni. He was the great-grandson of Rishi Bhrigu, author of Bhrigu Samhita. Renuka, the mother of Parshuram, is worshipped as a Hindu goddess. She gave birth to Parashurama on Vaishakh Shukla Tritiya or Akshaya Tritiya. Lord Parshurama’s birth name was Bhargava Rama, and his birth anniversary was called Parashurama Jayanti.

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Story of Parashurama Avatar of Lord Vishnu | Dashavatar of Vishnu

Parashurama, the Bhriguvanshi, was the youngest son of Jamadagni. He had four other brothers: Soma, Rutu, Turvasu, and Megha. Renuka, the mother of Parashurama, was the warrior princess. Thus, he has the skills of both a Brahmin and a warrior. Parashuram was a student of Sage Vishwamitra. Sage Vishwamitra was a great warrior himself but later became a rishi. He taught Parashurama through military training.

Parashurama worshipped Lord Shiva and received divine weapons, and one of them was the “Parashu,” an axe. He even trained with Brahmastra.

During the times of Parashurama, in Treta Yuga, the warrior clan became egoistic. They considered themselves superior to the four Varnas: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. Sahastrarjuna, also famously known as Kartavirya Arjuna, the monarch of the Haihayas Kingdom, was tyrannical and created havoc all over the earth.

However, he was a great monarch of his time and defeated Asura King Ravana.

Parashuram, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, was a disciple of Dattatreya, son of Lord Shiva, and Mohini, a female incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He divided his entire kingdom into 1,000 regions.

He appointed 1,000 officers as his representatives to gather taxes and look into the administrative work. The 1,000 representatives turned oppressive and cruel. Kartavirya Arjun, the head of all officers, neglected the events and continued to live his lavish life. He enjoyed conjugal relationships with his hundreds of wives, and the citizens of his kingdom were suffering.

Kartavirya Arjun Killed Jamadagni, the Father of Parashurama

One day, Kartavirya Arjun, also known as Sahastrarjun, visited the ashrama of Jamadagni with thousands of soldiers without prior notice.

Still, Jamadagni provided food and shelter to his soldiers beyond the expectations of Sahastrarjun. The curious king asked for the sacred meaning behind his gesture. Jamadagni told him about his divine cow, Kamadhenu. Kamadhenu cow offered him everything the sage needed, and thus there was no shortage of food in the ashrama.

Kartavirya Arjun asked Sage Jamadagni to give the divine cow to the king, but the sage denied it. As a result, Kartavirya Arjun beheaded him and abducted the cow. Parashuram came, got to know the injustice, and took an oath to get rid of all the Kshatriyas 21 times as Sahastrarjun’s soldiers cut his father’s body into 21 pieces.

Soon, Lord Parashuram, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, attacked Sahastrarjun and killed him with all the Haihaya kingdom. He fought 20 more times to finish all the cruel Kshatriyas and restore Dharma in Treta Yuga.

Why Did Lord Parashurama, Dashavatar of Vishnu, Kill Renuka, His Mother?

One day, Sage Jamadagni asked his wife, Renuka, to fetch water from the river for rituals. She went to the river and saw a spacecraft with Apsaras and Gandharvas enjoying a wonderful time together.

She was bewitched by the thought of a luxurious life and forgot to return with water. However, after some time, she returned but was late for the ritual.

Rishi Jamadagni had divine powers, and he saw his wife, Renuka, think of having luxury. He got furious and ordered his elder sons to behead their mother. Parashurama was not present then. The elder brother could not kill their mother due to his affection.

When Parashurama returned, his father ordered him to behead Renuka, and Lord Parashurama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, acted as asked without hesitation. With the obedience of Parashuram, Jamadagni was impressed with him and thus asked his son for a boon. He asked his father to turn Renuka alive again, and Jamadagni fulfilled the boon.

But the boon did not give relief to Parashuram from killing his mother. For penance, he became an ascetic and began to worship Lord Shiva. Shiva was pleased with his penance and appeared, telling him to take a bath in the holy water of Matrukundiya. He was relieved of the sin of killing his mother.

Parshurama Avatar: The 6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Ramayana

Lord Parashuram is considered immortal in this world, according to the ancient text of Hindu mythology. He visited Janakpuri, Vedeha, also known as the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka. Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, visited there with his teacher Vishwamitra and his brother Lakshaman to attend Sita’s swayamvar, the princess of Mithila, an ancient ceremony of choosing the groom by the bride.

Lord Rama lifted the bow of Shiva and strung it, but it broke. Parashurama, the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, came to know about this mishap with his power and appeared right at the place of Swayamvara. He got furious, but soon realized that Lord Rama was an avatar of Vishnu.

Parashuram Avatar: The 6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Mahabharata | Dashavtar of Vishnu

After appearing in Treta Yuga, Lord Parashuram appeared in Dwapara Yuga in the Indian epic Mahabharata. He taught the art of war to Guru Dronacharya, the son of the sage Bharadvaja. He was a descendant of the sage Angirasa, son of Lord Brahma.

Guru Dronacharya played a crucial role in shaping the whole Mahabharata and the lives of the Kauravas and Pandavas. Apart from Dronacharya, Lord Parashuram also taught the art of war to Karan, the King of Anga, Bihar-Bengal. He was also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, son of Radha. Karna played one of the most important roles in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Parashurama gave him the knowledge of Brahmastra, one of the most dangerous weapons in the universe.

However, Karna lied to his teacher, Lord Parashuram, Dashavtar of Vishnu, and the 6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Mahabharata to learn and said he was a Brahmin. As a result, he cursed Karna to forget the Brahmastra knowledge when he needed it the most.

Apart from Guru Dronacharya, King Karna of Anga also taught Bhishma. However, in the ancient texts of the epic Mahabharata, Parashuram fought with Bhishma over the controversy over Kashi Princess Amba. She wanted Bhishma to marry her due to the feudal relationship of her swayamvar with King Shalva of Madra and her sisters, Ambika and Ambalika. Bhisma defeated King Salwa and abducted Amba and her sisters for her younger brother Vichitravirya, son of King Shantanu of Kuru.

Krishna Met Lord Parashurama at the Hermitage of Sage Sandipani

In Dwapar Yuga, Krishna, the Supreme Godhead, met with Lord Parashurama, the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, at the hermitage of Rishi Sandipani. Krishna attended Parashurama Avatar and served him with great devotion.

Krishna wanted his blessings, but Parashurama knew he was the Lord of the Universe, so what he could give him. Thus, he gave him the Sudarshana Chakra, the most powerful weapon of Krishna.