5 FACTS ABOUT LORD PARSHURAM

 WHO WAS LORD PARSHURAM ?



Lord Parshuram was the sixth incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu, who was born as the son of the sage Jamadagni and his wife, princess Renuka. The purpose of this incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Parshuram was to annihilate the sinful kings and relieve Mother Earth of their burden. He is one of the seven chiranjeevis (immortals) and is believed to appear at the end of Kali Yuga as the guru (teacher) of Lord Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Lord Parshuram is also known as Bhargava (descendant of Bhrigu), Rainukeya (son of Renuka), Jamadagnya (son of Jamadagni) and Parshudhara (wielder of axe).

Here are 5 facts about Lord Parshuram.

1. LORD PARSHURAM'S WEAPONS

Ancient texts mention Lord Parshuram as Parshudhara, which means 'the wielder of the axe'. His axe is known as Vidyudabhi, which was given to him by Lord Shiva. Lord Parshuram also possessed the mighty Vijaya bow, which was given to him by Lord Indra. This bow was used by Lord Parshuram to vanquish the Kshatriyas. Later this bow was given by him to his disciple Karna, who used it during the famous war of Mahabharata.

2. LORD PARSHURAM'S WAR AGAINST THE KHSATRIYAS

Sage Jamadagni, the father of Lord Parshuram, possessed a cow called Kamadhenu (also called Surabhi), who could provide her owner with anything that he desired. Once he was visited by king Kartavirya Arjuna, who wanted Kamadhenu for himself. Jamadagni refused to concede and was killed by the king. This enraged Lord Parshurama and he set out to avenge his father's death. He slew Katavirya Arjuna and went on to destroy twenty-one generations of Khsatriyas.

3. LORD PARSHURAM AS A CHIRANJEEVI

Lord Parshuram is one of the seven chiranjeevis (immortals) who will appear at the end of Kali Yuga as the teacher of Lord Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. How Lord Parshuram became an immortal is an interesting story.

Once Renuka went to the banks of river Narmada to fatch some water. She saw the king of Salva kingdom playing with his queen in the water and was mesmerised by the sight and was quite late in reaching the hermitage. Jamadagni was furious when he heard the reason for the delay. He ordered his five sons to kill her. All of them refused except Lord Parshuram, who beheaded her with a single arrow. Jamadagni was pleased and told Lord Parshuram to ask for a boon. Lord Parshuram asked that his mother should be revived and Jamadagni granted it. Jamadagni also granted immortality to Lord Parshuram.

4.LORD PARSHURAM'S BATTLE AGAINST BHISHMA

The following story has its origins in the Mahabharata and describes the battle between Bhishma, the Kuru prince and Lord Parshuram, his teacher.

Amba, a princess requested Shalva, the king whom she loved, to marry her but he refused saying that she had been won at her swayamvara by Bhishma for Vichitravirya and he could not accept her. Some say that she also went to Hastinapur to marry Vichitravirya but he also refused, saying that he could not marry her when she loved another man.

Amba blamed Bhishma for her miseries and persuaded Lord Parshuram, Bhishma's teacher, to promise to help her. Lord Parshuram ordered Bhishma to marry Amba, but he refused saying that he had vowed not to marry. Lord Parshuram was enraged and an intense battle began between them which continued for twenty-three days. On the twenty-fourth day, the great sage Narada and other gods asked them to stop the battle for the welfare of the world. Finally Lord Parshuram ended the conflict.

5. LORD PARSHURAM AS A GURU

Lord Parshuram was a great teacher and taught some of the best warriors such as Dronacharya, Bhishma, Karna and Rukmi.

Here is an interesting story about how Lord Parshuram became the guru of Droncharya. 

After defeating all the Khsatriyas, Lord Parshuram decided to donate all the wealth to brahmans. Dronacharya, a poor brahman then, wished to get something as well. By the time Drona reached, all the wealth had been distributed. Not wishing to disappoint the young brahmana, Lord Parshuram decided to teach him the art of warfare and gave all his weapons to Dronacharya, 

Lord Parshuram was also the teacher of the great warrior Karna. Karna was considered to be of a very low caste and believed that Lord Parshuram would not teach him. So, he disguised as a brahman and learnt the art of warfare from the great teacher. One day, Lord Parshuram discovered the true identity of Karna and was furious that he had lied to him. He cursed him that he would forget all his knowledge at the moment when he needed it the most, which came true during the battle of Mahabharata.


CONCLUSION

We find the description of the life of the great sage in several ancient texts such as the Mahabharata, the Puranas and other literature.
It is believed that Lord Parshuram is still present on the Earth and doing penances in the Mahendra mountains. It is said that he will also be the teacher of the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Kalki.
He is the symbol of sacrifice, knowledge and bravery. 

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