Did you know that Parashurama as a young man had a traumatic experience of committing matricide by beheading his mother Renuka obeying his father Jamadagini's order?
Parashurama,, after getting Shiva's blessings and favours of weapons following his intense mediaition in the Himalayas, returned to his father Jamadagni's ashram at Janapav in Narmada valley to continue his education and serve his parents. He had thus acquired dual characteristics of Brahmin and Kshatriya . It was during this time that calamities struck the family and dramatcially changed the course of Parashurma's life.
The first traumatic experience Parashurama faced related to his loving mother Renuka. It so happened that on one fateful day when Renuka went to the river, falls into an indulgence of an impure desire while watching a young royal couple romantically frolicking in the river where she had gone to fetch water. It was her daily routine to fetch river water to cook and drink in an unbaked mudpot specially crafted by her every day with her power of chastity and thus it could hold water without breaking. On this fateful day, however, Renuka falls into indulgence of an impure desire while watching a young royal couple romantically froliking in a river. As she was distracted, she lost her power of collecting water in unbaked mud pot,. The mud pot broke and she was distraught as she could not carry water to the ashram. Jamadagni had seen these events through his yogic telepathic power. When she returned to the ashram, she frankly explained the reasons for delay for her return. But Jamadagni was furious and did not accept her reasons and ordered his first four sons who were then present in the hermiatge to kill their mother for the indiscretion she had committed. But they refused to obey their father's order, and as a result were cursed by him to turn into stone. Just then, Parashurama who had gone out on some errand returned home to see the commotion in the ashram. Jamadagni then accosted him and explained the sequence of events that had occured due to his mother's indiscretion and asked Parashurama to behead his mother. Parashurama cleverly obtained his father's promise that he would oblige him with whatever he desired as a boon.
Parashurama, as the dutiful and intelligent son, obeyed his father but with a heavy heart beheaded his mother Renuka with his axe. Jamadagni pleased with this execution of his wife thanked his son and asked him to state whatever he wished as boon. Instantly, Parashurama wisely asked Jamadagni for restoration of his mother Renuka back to life, and also his brothers who had been turned to stone to be brought back to life. Jamadagni had no other option but to honour the request of Parashuram but also exhonarate Parashurama of matricide. Jamadagni then offered Parashurama a magical pot of water that had to be sprinkled upon the head attached to the body of his mother to restore her to life, For this act of restoriing Renuka to life, Jamadagni blessed Parashurama with gift of invinciblity and long life. Then, Jamadagni for his unjust actions repented and vowed not to get angered ever again and gave up krodha forever.
The next life turning events that occured in the ashram related to the celestial cow called Surabhi or Susheela (the daughter of cow Kamadhenu) in their ashram which the Jamadagnis' family had been gifted by Indra; Surabhi is a miraculous cow of plenty who provides her owner whatever he desires. Jamadagni and his cow's fame had spread far and wide and even attracted the attention of the royal family of King Kartaveeryarjunaa, a king of an ancient Haihayas kingdom with capital at Mahishmati in the Narmada valley, and who had turned despotic.
Jamadagni had narrated to his sons that their ancestors, the Bhrigu Bhargavas were the gurus of the Haihaya Kashatriyas. They had advised the Haihaya kings in times of need and in return the kings gave them wealth. Once the Haihayas were in financial trouble and so they requested the Bhrigus for help but they refused.. This infuriated the Haihayas and they started ill treating the Bhargavas . The Bhargavas had buried all the wealth they had and fled to the Himalayas. These events happened during sage Chavana's time, Eventually they returned to their home land and settled in the Haihayas kingdom but the enmity continued. When Jamadagni had settled down in the Narmada valley, Kartaveeryarjuna, also spelled Kartavirya Arjuna of Haihaya lineage, was the ruler of the Kingdom; he was the most celebrated Haihaya king with epithet, as Sahasrabahu. He was called a Samrat and Chakravartin. He had obtained invincible powers by doing penance to sage Dattatreya. who had blessed him wih many boons; these blessings included gift of thousand arms to him whenever he needed to fight his adversaries in battle, With the immense powers invested in him, the Haihaya king had invaded many kingdoms, ruled ruthlessley, even committing wanton atrocities on women of the land. He had turned a despotic Ksahtriya and his sons were even more cruel, and had brought disfame to the Kashatrya race, and he had to be tackled. Then Bhudevi and sage Narada had appealed to Lord Vishnu to redeem the situation. Vishnu had promised that he would take His sixth avatara for the purpose in Treta Yuga when he would be born on earth as the fifth son of Brahmin family of Jamadagni and his wife Renukam, as Parashurama.
Note: To be continued in the next episode titled: Parashurama or Bhargava Rama, - Part III Invincble destroyer of Kshatriya clan including Kartavirya Arjuna and his family
Narasipur Char
