Parshuram: A God who killed his mother

Lord Vishnu has descended to Earth in many avatars. One among his various avatars was Parshuram. He is shown as a violent person with an axe in his hands and rage in his eyes. Being trained under Lord Shiva, he possessed the power to win over the world. However, due to his scary attitude, he is suspected of his mother's murder. So let us, look at the genuine account of Parshuram's beheading his mother.

Parsuram Jayanti. Illustrated by Dishani Goswami: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

If legends are to be believed, Parshurama was born into a Brahmin family to Jamadamini and Renuka. Despite the fact that he was a Brahmana, he lacked any of the clan's qualities. He had always been a rebellious kid who was ready to fight every time, resembling many qualities of the Kshatriya clan. He perhaps got this nature from his mother, who was a Kshatriya.

Renuka was always a loving mother and a great wife. Her devotion to her husband, Jamadamini, was an inspiration to many. Jamadamini was also deeply in love with her. One day, Renuka went to fetch water from the river. Due to her power of abstinence, (a spiritual power one gets when they give up on their sex life.) She could collect water in unbaked pots. The day was so pleasant and magical; the cool breeze and scented flowers touched her soul. Renuka wandered like a happy soul to feel the serenity. It was more like she was shifted to another universe amidst the hypnotic surroundings.

Suddenly, her eyes went towards a Gandharva (heavenly man) bathing in the river. She got a sudden sexual urge and became attracted to him. Due to her strong desire to get sexually involved with another man, all her divine powers dissolved and her unbaked pot broke. She lost all her senses and fainted. When she woke up, it was too late. She had forgotten about her husband, who was waiting for her return.

When she reached Jamadamini, the situation was worse and out of control. The burning fire inside his heart was easily noticed in his red-fury eyes. It was not to Renuka’s surprise that her husband had sensed all the happenings through his divine power. She fell at his feet, begging him to forgive her for the sin, but it was too late.

The devastated and furious Jamadamini went to his sons and ordered them to behead their mother for the disloyalty she had shown. As usual, one after another, all of his sons refused to follow his merciless order. But suddenly, a voice was raised, breaking the silence and Jamadamini’s exasperation. "I will do it; I will punish her for her infidelity," declared Parshuram.

He was full of courage, aggression, valor, warfare, prudence, and patience. His patience and prudence resembled Lord Rama, and his aggression named him Parshurama. Born in the Dwapara yuga, when Kshetriya warriors were the most powerful, and they ruled over the place. They had become unruly as a result of their power and had committed a variety of wrongdoings. As a result, Parshuram ended their dominance and restored cosmic equilibrium. He was also an eminent figure in Mahabharat who was the guru of gurus. He trained Dronacharya, who in turn trained the Pandavas and Kauravas.

He took his axe and approached his mother. His only intention in his heart was to obey his father, and no love for his mother could be seen on his face. Despite his mother's plea, he beheaded her in front of everyone’s eyes. Jamadamini's next order to Parshuram was to behead his other sons too, who disobeyed his orders and disrespected him. Even this time, Parshuram did not raise a single question and thus killed his brothers. His father was very much pleased with his obedience and offered him a benediction. As a plea, Parshuram asked him to bring his mother and brothers back to life, and immediately his wish was granted.

Now readers may get deluded and think of Parshuram as a cruel and unsympathetic man who could not differentiate between right and wrong. But this was definitely not the case. Although he possessed uncontrollable anger, he also had a clever mind. He knew that disobeying his father would bring more disastrous consequences and ultimately contribute to multiplying his anger. And at the same time, he also knew that obeying his father would melt him and result in a benediction.

If we look closely at the story, we can see that Jamadamini was the true sinner. He was undeniably powerful, but ignoring everything his wife had done for him and being persuaded by her minor offense was not at all justified. He committed a terrible act by ordering her assassination, and his karma came back to haunt him. As a result of the karmic reaction, he was eventually killed by the sons of King Kartavirya, who stabbed him twenty-one times and beheaded him.

The fearful side of Parshuram, Image source- Pinterest