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| PARASHURAMA - 'RAMA' WITH
THE AXE |
At the close of SATYAYUG (the first millennium of the Hindu
mythology calculus - KALPA) several kings who had turned into evil beings because
of their royal wealth and arrogance of power ruled the earth. They posed a serious threat to
the pious, religious and scholarly life pursuit of those who wanted to lead a
life of moral and social rectitude.
It was at this time that a great man, an incarnation of
God, manifested himself on the earth. He achieved an adventurous, romantic and revolutionary desire.
Because of his campaigns, injustice was done away with and justice established
on earth. This virile, powerful and towering person picked up an axe, went round
the earth twenty-one times and killed the evil Kshatriya kings like felling trees
in the forests, and thus brought solace to the people. The country again smiled
with peace and prosperity. And it was as if a New World had been created.
That was Parashurama's creation. Because his weapon was 'PARASHU' (axe), which
he used to carry around since his childhood he was known as 'Parashurama'. Parashurama
is the sixth incarnation of Vishnu on this earth and one among the ageless, immortal
beings, like Ashwatthama. Hindus believe this story and worship Parashurama as
God.
A 'rishi' (sage) named Rucheeka was on a tour of the country
looking for a bride.At that time there were two famous royal clans the SURYAVAMSHA and the CHANDRAVAMSHA
ruling in BHARATA (now called India). King Gandhi belonging
to the Chandravamsha had a daughter named Satyavati who had blossomed into a lovely damsel imbued
with fine moral qualities. The king was on the lookout for a suitable bridegroom
for her. Just at that time Rucheeka, in the course of his travels, visited the
king at his palace. The king entertained the sage with traditional honors. Pleased
with the warm reception he received there, Rucheeka asked of the king: "O
Maharaja, I have come to seek a favor from you. Will you fulfill it?" The
King replied, "Respected sage, I deem it a privilege and pleasure to make
any offering to you. Please let me know what you desire." Rucheeka
said, "King,
I would like to marry your daughter Satyavati."
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| EVEN AS A CHILD PARASHURAMA WAS SEEN WITH THE
AXE |
The king was taken aback at the thought of sending his beloved daughter grown
up in royal environment, to the poor life in a thatched hut. But he had given
word to the sage that he would fulfill his desire. The king said: "O sage,
you can marry my daughter upon one condition. Can you give us one thousand horses,
all with one ear black and the body white-complexioned, as dowry?" Rucheeka
agreed. He made a penance to please Varuna (the rain-god), obtained the thousand
fine horses of the desired prescription and presented them to king Gandhi. The
king was happy and now convinced of his son in-law's worth, married
off his daughter to the sage. Though she had grown up amidst royal riches and pleasures, Satyavati
easily adjusted herself to the simple living mode of the hermitage. She served
her husband with devotion, considering him to be her god. The couple had no children
for some time.
King Gandhi had only one daughter and no sons. He was worried that there no succeesor
to the throne. His daughter Satyavati also knew his father's worry. One day sage
Rucheeka asked her: "Tell me what is worrying you. I will give you a boon
to solve your problem." Gladdened, Satyavati requested him to bless her
and her mother that they might beget male children to perpetuate the line age.
The sage gave them a consecrated herbal concoction separately to each and asked
them to drink it. Satyavati's mother, thinking that the sage may have given her
daughter something special, took the offering intended for her daughter, while
the latter consumed that meant for her mother. Thus the sage's offerings were
reversed in consumption.
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