|| Mythological Masti :: Doubts & Discussions || (Page 2)

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Debipriya

Agree w/ everything else you wrote, except that Wikipedia should be taken w/ a pinch of salt.

visirom

1.  The reason Parashuram was born was that Bhumi Devi was overburdened by kshatriyas, particularly Kartavirya Arjuna, and wanted to be relieved of a lot of them.  That's why Vishnu took birth.  In the ACK you mention, they describe how Parashuram's grandma & mother switched potions that were meant for each other, and as a result, Parashuram's uncle was destined to be an ascetic, despite being a kshatriya, while Parashuram, despite being a brahmin, became a warrior.

Anyway, the fight started when Kartavirya Arjuna wanted Jamadagni's calf, and stole it @ night, in response to which Parashuram killed him.  Kartavirya's sons in return killed Jamadagni, and Parashuram over retaliated, wiping out 7 generations of kshatriyas b4 Kashyap called on him to stop and exiled him from earth.

2.  Yeah, his father once tested him on his loyalty by ordering him to do that.  He unquestioningly did it, and his father told him that since his brothers had refused, he had cursed them to go mad.  Parashuram then asked for her to be revived and his brothers to be cured when his father offered him a boon.

3.  In Sita's swayamvar, the accounts vary.  In Valmiki, Parashuram did not go to the swayamvar, but accosted Dasharath when the baraat was returning to Ayodhya, and that was where Rama accepted his challenge to string Vishnu's bow.  C Rajagopalacharya commented that this was where Vishnu's incarnation ceased to be in Parashuram, and started in Rama.  In Tulsidas, they mention that Parashuram went to the swayamvar itself after Rama broke the bow - this is what they showed in both the RS and AS Ramayans.

Personally, I don't like Parashuram much, given his behavior was the ultimate 'guilt by association' - b'cos one kshatriya family murdered his father, he retaliated by wiping out 21 generations of ksatriyas.  He also made Dronacharya the most lethal Brahmin in history (aside from himself) and was indirectly the reason the entire Pandava army was wiped out (most of the warriors killed in Kurukshetra on the Pandava side were killed by Drona and Ashwatthama)  I'm thankful that he's not as widely worshipped as is Rama or Krishna.  Also, whereas Rama and Krishna remained avatars until they returned to Vaikunta-dham, Parashuram ceased to be an avatar after his meeting w/ Rama, if not earlier - he's immortal, but not an avatar any more.

I'm also not a huge fan of Parashuram, as Ram and Krishna are my favorite Vishnu avatars and then Narasimha after them, but I guess I understand why Parashuram had to come. Only thing I don't understand is why he wiped out innocent Kshatriyas. Would Sri Hari really do that 'for 'the greater good'? Or were those wiped out Kshatriyas all Adharmis, in which case it makes sense?

In the ACK which visrom cited, Parashuram indiscriminately slaughtered innocent kshatriyas as well, ending up in total lawlessness, and Bhoomi Devi approached Kashyap asking him to stop Parashuram.  That was when he intervened and put some very stringent conditions on Parashuram.  I don't know ACK's source, but I doubt they'd have manufactured something that damning, unless it wasn't actually there in the originals.

I personally have a dim view of both Parashuram and Vamana: Vamana was basically out to cheat Bali, who unlike other asuras/rakshashas like Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, Ravan, Tarakasura, Surapadman, Mahishashur, et al was not a tyrant, and only went to war w/ the Devas b'cos Indra had murdered his father for no reason but envy.  Aside from that, I like Narasimha, Varaha, Kurma (not Mohini ) and Matsya.

^ Yeah, I also like Vaman avatar. Bali was not completely innocent and he was out to get the throne of Indra so that the Danavas could rule the Devas, which would eventually result in Adharma ruling Dharma. Vishnu could never let that happen, so I can see complete justification in Vaman Avatar.