Gurudev Gupta Sadhak Sri Sri Shyama Khapa gave many unknown information about Parashuram.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsAaqB5IrHk
Transcript
Introduction
Female Voice: Salutations to Shri Shri Guptasadhak Shamakhyapa. Greetings! With bows and respect to Gurudev Guptasadhak Shri Shri Shamakhyapa, we begin our program from Shantikunja. Come, let us all listen to Gurudev’s invaluable words.
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Main Discourse
Interviewer: Greetings, Gurudev.
Gurudev: Blessings, my child.
Interviewer: Today, I would like to hear from you about Lord Parashurama.
Gurudev: Parashurama. See, Narayan has ten incarnations (avatars). Each one is an avatar of Narayan, and Parashurama is one of them, though he was also a great devotee of Shiva. We will come to that later.
He was born on the third lunar day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Tritiya) in the month of Vaishakh—the day you call Akshaya Tritiya. This is why any charity or deed performed on Akshaya Tritiya becomes "Akshaya" (imperishable). That was the day of his birth.
Now, Narayan has ten incarnations. The first is Matsya (the fish). It follows a cyclical, scientific path. First, the Earth was filled with water, so the fish came. From the fish came the amphibian, Kurma (the turtle). Then came Varaha (the boar), who walked on land. Then came Narasimha—half-lion, half-man. Then came the Brahmin (Vamana avatar).
I must say something about the Brahmin avatar. Narayan was born once in the form of a Brahmin. That is why he is called the Brahmin avatar. You will see that the Brahmin is placed at the head of Narayan; they hold an umbrella over Narayan’s head. In other words, it is the Brahmins who protect Narayan.
After that came Parashurama. Then Rama, then Balarama, then Buddha, and finally Kalki. We are currently in the time of the final avatar.
So, Parashurama was born on Akshaya Tritiya. His father was Jamadagni, as I mentioned before, and his mother was Renuka. He was a supreme devotee of Lord Shiva. By worshipping Shiva—even though he was an incarnation of Vishnu himself, Narayan himself—he performed intense penance to Shiva and received a weapon called "Parashu" (an axe) from Mahadeva. He always carried this weapon, this axe.
He was a Brahmin, but he annihilated the Kshatriyas (the warrior caste) many times. It is said that his father was Jamadagni and his mother was Renuka, who was from the Suryavanshi (Solar) dynasty, the same as Lord Rama.
Once, Renuka became overwhelmed by a worldly desire. She saw a King and Queen enjoying themselves by the water and felt a surge of passion. Jamadagni sensed this. He had four sons; three were somewhat dull-witted, but one was Parashurama.
Parashurama was a great devotee of Shiva, and Shiva had granted him that axe. He was incredibly powerful, being an avatar of Vishnu and a devotee of Shiva—a formidable combination of power. When Jamadagni married Renuka, she was from the Solar dynasty.
When the incident occurred, Jamadagni tested his sons and told them, "Kill your mother." Parashurama, who held the axe, decapitated his mother with a single blow. Killing one's mother is a terrible sin. After the act, the axe became stuck to his hand; he could not detach it no matter how hard he tried.
Later, he went to the source of the Brahmaputra River. After bathing there, the axe finally fell from his hand. It is said that he struck the wall of the mountain there with his axe. That place is now known as Brahmakunda.
Being an avatar and the son of Jamadagni was no small thing. When he returned to his father after the axe was freed, Jamadagni was very pleased that his son had punished his "unfaithful" wife. He asked Parashurama, "What boon do you desire?"
Parashurama replied, "Father, I carry the sin of matricide. I ask that my mother be restored to life, that she may live a long life, that my brothers be freed from their dullness, and that I too may live for a long time."
Jamadagni said, "Tathastu" (So be it). He granted every prayer. Parashurama was freed from his sin, and his mother was brought back to life.
Later, Lord Rama was born. After Parashurama came Rama. As you know, Rama broke the Haradhanu (Shiva’s bow) to win Sita. Hearing this, Parashurama became furious. He thought, "Who is this person who has the audacity to break Shiva’s bow?"
He challenged Rama, saying, "You broke Shiva’s bow, but can you string my Vishnu bow?" Rama calmly took the bow and strung it, shattering Parashurama’s pride. Parashurama had been very arrogant because he was a Brahmin who had defeated many Kings and carried a divine axe. But Rama humbled him.
After his pride was crushed, Parashurama circumambulated Rama several times, bowed to him, and then retired to a mountain. Do you remember the name of the mountain? Yes, Mahendra Mountain. He went to Mahendra Mountain to live as an ascetic, and not much was heard of him after that.
He had a strong influence in the regions of Malabar and Konkan, where he had defeated many Kings. That is why those areas are sometimes called Parashurama-Kshetra. He was a "Kshatriya-Brahmin" with a fierce temperament. He spared no one—he even killed his own mother over a momentary lapse.
Interviewer: Gurudev, Parashurama also appears in a significant chapter of the Mahabharata. Could you tell us about that?
Gurudev: In the Mahabharata, he was the teacher (Guru) to Bhishma, Drona, and Karna. He lived through the Treta Yuga and into the Dvapara Yuga. Think of how long he lived! He was there during Rama's time in the Treta Yuga and was defeated by him, yet he appears again in the Mahabharata. He taught weaponry to Dronacharya, Karna, and Bhishma. He was their Guru and taught them the arts of war.
Interviewer: Among Bhishma, Drona, and Karna, who was his favorite student?
Gurudev: Karna. Karna was his favorite student. He taught Karna many secret techniques. But as you know, Karna was the eldest brother of the Pandavas, though he was known as the "son of a charioteer" (Sutaputra). He was actually the son of Surya (the Sun God). Because of this, he was born with a divine armor (Kavach).
Narayan (as Krishna) knew this. When Karna was bathing, Krishna used a trick. Karna was known for his charity. Krishna went to him and said, "Give me something." Karna said, "I have just finished my bath; come to my house and I will give you whatever you want."
Krishna insisted, "No, you must give it to me here." It was a clever ploy. Karna asked, "What do you want?" Krishna replied, "Give me your divine armor." Even though it was part of his body, the charitable Karna cut the armor from his skin and gave it to Narayan.
Armor is not for wealth; it protects the body from danger. Once the armor was gone, Karna was vulnerable. The Kauravas had wanted Karna on their side because they knew that if Karna was with them, they couldn't be defeated.
Karna also possessed the Brahmastra, which he intended to use against Arjuna. Krishna knew this. To exhaust Karna’s power, Krishna engineered a situation involving Ghatotkacha (the son of Bhima and the demoness Hidimbi). When Ghatotkacha entered the battlefield, he was so massive that he was crushing thousands of soldiers under his feet. Karna felt he had no choice but to use the Brahmastra to kill Ghatotkacha.
Once the Brahmastra was used, it could not be used again. This was the play of the Lord. Karna was eventually killed when he was unarmed and trying to lift his chariot wheel from the mud—a controversial act that remains a stain on the Pandavas' record.
There were many such deceptions, like the death of Dronacharya through the lie about his son Ashwatthama, and the death of Abhimanyu.
But returning to Parashurama, he was a unique figure. He was born on Akshaya Tritiya, which is why that day is so significant.
Interviewer: Gurudev, there is another story that the axe did not leave his hand until he went to a temple of Goddess Vargabhima.
Gurudev: There are many legends in the Puranas. Some say he went to Vargabhima on Shiva’s instructions. The Puranas contain various accounts. But as far as I know, it was at the Brahmakunda of the Brahmaputra River that he finally freed his hand from the axe.
Interviewer: In the Puranas, it is said that his axe was as powerful as the Brahmastra or Pashupatastra.
Gurudev: Yes, that is the axe (Parashu) that gave him the name Parashurama. His original name was Rambhadra. But after receiving the axe from Mahadeva through his penance, he became known as Parashurama.
Interviewer: Friends, today we heard about Lord Parashurama from Gurudev. Please subscribe to the Guptasadhak Shamakhyapa YouTube channel, like the videos, and leave your comments. If you have any topics you want to know about, let us know in the comments. We will try to discuss them with Gurudev.
Pranam, Gurudev.
Gurudev: Blessings, my child.