Parashurama Bhargava or Parasurama according to Hindu mythology is the Sixth Avatara of Vishnu, belongs to the Treta yuga, and is the son of Jamadagni & Renuka. Parashu means axe, hence his name literally means Rama-with-the-axe. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. He is a Chiranjeevin*, who fought the advancing ocean back thus saving the lands of Konkan and Malabar (Maharashtra - Karnataka - Kerala coastline). The coastal area of Karnataka and Kerala state in India is known as Parashurama Kshetra (Parashurama's area). Some dispute this and say it extends all the way to Mumbai in Maharashtra. * Chiranjeevins are the eight long-lived persons in Hinduism. The word is a combination of "chiram" (long) and jeevi (lived). This word is often confused with immortality ("amaratva"):
- Bali (demon), a righteous demon king who conquered heaven, earth, and the underworld, but was forced to give it back by Vamana.
- Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu.
- Hanuman, a monkey demi-god who served Rama.
- Vibhishana, a man made King of Lanka (now Sri Lanka) by Rama.
- Vyasa, a sage who narrated the Mahabharata, he was also a sage in the epic.
- Kripacharya, a teacher of the princes in the Mahabharata.
- Ashwathama, a man "sentenced" (actually cursed) to immortality and eternal suffering without love from anybody for his role in the murder of the five sons of the Pandavas and his attempted murder of Arjuna's grandson.
- Markandeya, a great sage
In Hinduism, "immortal" does not mean eternal. Even immortal things are dissolved at the end of the universe. The only eternals are Vishnu and Shiva of the Trimurthi (the Hindu Trinity), Sheshanaga (the Eternal Serpent), and the four Vedas. At the end of one universe and the beginning of another, a demon attempted to become eternal by "swallowing" the Vedas as they escaped from Brahma's mouth. This plot was foiled by Vishnu.
Many many thanks to “Ajnaabi” for providing ACK scan.
Many many thanks to “Ajnaabi” for providing ACK scan.
