In the age when righteousness waned and the world groaned under the weight of wicked rulers, a divine warrior emerged from the lineage of great sage Jamadagni—Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Born to Jamadagni and Renuka, Parashurama, exhibited extraordinary prowess and valor from his youth. His prowess knew no bounds, and his combat skills were unmatched. His purpose transcended personal glory; he was destined to cleanse the world of evil kings who had sown the seeds of injustice.
The tale unfolded when an evil king, accompanied by his soldiers, sought refuge in Jamadagni’s hermitage. Despite the benevolence extended to them, the king’s heart was tainted with greed. He set his eyes on the sacred cow that provided sustenance to the sage’s family and brazenly decided to claim it as his own.
The cow and her calf, symbols of abundance and nurture, were forcibly taken away, leaving the hermitage desolate. Parashurama’s righteous fury flared when he returned home and learned of the injustice. Vowing to restore justice and avenge the theft, he sought and slew the wicked king, bringing the cow back to its rightful abode.
However, slaying a Kshatriya, even one as wicked as the usurping king, weighed heavily on the conscience of Parashurama’s father, Jamadagni. In his eyes, the killing of a Brahmin was a grave sin. To atone, he insisted that Parashurama undertake a penance—a pilgrimage to holy places to purify his soul.
While Parashurama embarked on his spiritual journey, the sons of the slain king, fueled by vengeance, stormed Jamadagni’s hermitage. Finding the sage in meditation, they callously unleashed their arrows, murdering the father who had committed no crime.
Upon returning home and discovering his father’s lifeless form, Parashurama’s sorrow transformed into a resolve to rid the world of demonic Kshatriyas. Fueled by an unquenchable thirst for justice, he sought out the wicked sons of the tyrant and slew them without mercy. Yet, Parashurama’s mission did not end there.
Witnessing the continued tyranny of unrighteous rulers, Parashurama, one of the Bhrigu lineage, embarked on a relentless quest. He traversed the world twenty-one times, purging it of demonic Kshatriyas, ensuring that the seeds of tyranny were uprooted and justice prevailed.
At that time, Kshatriya women came to Brahmanas to fill their wombs. Thus, thousands of Kshatriya women conceived and gave birth to many Kshatriyas of great power, boys and girls, so that the Kshatriya race might thrive. Kshatriyas once again governed the earth righteously.
The wrathful actions of Parashurama were not mere vengeance but also the divine retribution, as he fulfilled his mission to rid the world of unrighteous Kshatriya rulers.