Why Parashurama toured the world 21 times and killed many kshatriyas?

April 28, 2009 by vidwansuneel

There was a king names Karthaveeryarjuna, King of Mahishmati, son of Krutaveerya who was a strong devotee of Sri Dattatreya and blessed with his invincibility. He possessed the strength of a thousand arms on the battlefront. He had defeated Raavana at war and was reigning at Mahishmati, full of glory and arrogance.

Once King Karthaveeryarjuna went on hunting and was tired, thirsty and hungry and came to the Jamadagni Rushi’s ashrama. The sage Jamadagni arranged the entire troup of Karthaveeryarjuna, with a royal feast and felt very happy. The king enquired the sage as to how come you have prepared such a delicious food within a short period of time. Then the sage told him that he has Cow called Kamadhenu which can give anything we require and because of that only that he could give such a good food so quick. Karthaveeryarjuna demanded the cow, but the sage refused to give the Kamadhenu. Then the king ordered his solders to take away the cow by force. By that time, Parashurama who had gone out for collecting wood for Yagna, returned and got angry over the king, went to Mahishmati, where they had carried the cow and had a fierce fight with the solders, killed all the solders. Then came the King who had 1000 arms with the Anugraha of Dattatreya, and the two were engaged in a fierce battle, finally Parashurama killed the King alongwith his 1000 arms. He brought back the Kamadhenu. Jamadagni even though was happy with the return of Kamadhenu, asked Parashurama to go on a piligrimage tour for the parihaara of the sin for having killed so many people, which Parashurama accepted. While Parashurama was away, the sons of the King Karthaveeryarjuna, attacked Jamadagni Rushi’s ashram and killed Jamadagni, who was on a penace, in front of Renuka and Jamadagni was beheaded and took the head of the sage to Mahishmati. Parashurama, on his return was angry, he picked his Axe and marched towards Mahishmati. On reaching the city, he first butchered the guards at the main entrance. Breaking down the heavy gate, with his eyes like a couple of fireballs, he stalked to the palace like an enraged lion. There he destroyed the whole army, which came to attack him. He killed all the princes, picked up his father's head and returned to the ashram. There the children performed all the formalities in honor of the departed soul. Then Parashurama vowed : "All these kings are evil men. They stole the cow which had fed them; they killed my father and made my mother suffer widowhood. This entire kingly class should be destroyed. The pious cannot live in peace till then. Let me sharpen the axe. I am going to wipe out the whole lot of them.”
Carrying the axe on his shoulder, he toured the earth twenty-one times chopped off all the anogant Kshatriya, wiping out the entire royalty and distributed the entire kings’ properties to Brahmanaas as daana. He did not kill those kings who performed religious sacrifices ('yajnas') and kings like Janaka Maharaaja were thus saved; he did not kill marrying princes, and thus king Dasharatha and others were spared. He did not attack women. In fact, it is said that upon knowing that Parashurama would not harm women, some Kshatriya princes donned the robes of women and escaped amidst female groups. One such person came to be known a 'Nari-kavacha' (one who sought protection amidst women.) Parashurama kShetra

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