Wednesday 5 December 2012

31. Parashu Rama's arrival.

       Early morning on the next day saint Vishwamitra took leave of the kings Dasharatha and Janaka, and  Rama and Lakshmana and set out to the northern mountains, namely Himalayas.  Shortly after that King Dasharatha took leave of the king Janaka and left for Ayodya with his sons, daughters-in-law and the rest of his people who came to Mithila to attend the marriage of Rama and his brothers.
      It is needless to add that  King Janaka gave a lot of riches in gold, silver, pearls etc. to the brides.  Having given many kinds of bridal gifts and having accompanied his daughters for a distance, Janaka, returned to his own palace in Mithila.
      King Dasharatha, his sons and daughters-in-law and his followers were very happy and in a very high spirits while returning to Ayodya after attending the marriage of Rama and his brothers.  Suddenly  they noticed that all birds in the sky started to screech with startling voice from all around.  Dasharatha  was perplexed and asked Vashishta for a plausible explanation for this.
       The instinctual sage Vashishta said  "I can tell apart the result of these auguries.  The shrieks voiced by the birds are indicative of  the forthcoming providential and perilous trepidation, but their behaviour seems to tell that it can be tempered;  hence, there is no need for any consternation."
      Presently, a whirlwind started to whirligig there, as though to shake the earth and shatter all gigantic trees.  Murkiness enshrouded the sun,  a sandstorm enwrapped that army, by which it has become as though ensorcelled.  All, including Sage Vashista and King Dasharatha were in a daze.
      In that catastrophic darkness, that sand-muffled military of king Dasharatha had seen the son of Sage Jamadagni, namely Bhaargava Rama. He appeared calamitous in his looks by wearing tufted, matted and unruly hair on his head, an unassailable one like Mt. Kailash, an unbearable one like the Epoch-End-Fire, radiant with his own radiance, hence imperceptible for commoners, and such as he is, he clinched an axe on his right shoulder and clasped a bow in his left hand, that in simile is like a congeries of electro-luminescence, and handling an arrow which is as if ready to electrocute, and he vied in his overall look with the devastator of triple cities, namely God Shiva.
      He looked perilous in his propensity and flaming like the Ritual-fire.  Vashishta and the other prominent Brahman-s who were the practisers of meditation and fire-oblations had come together and started to susurrate, up and down.
      "Will he eradicate the race of Kshatriya-s even now as he was once envenomed by the murder of his father, or what... abated is his anger and alleviated is his frenzy previously when he eliminated Kshatriya-s... but is he really intending to eliminate Kshatriya-s once again, or what?" Thus, those Brahmans were talking among themselves.
      An account of Parashu Rama's elimination of Kshatriya clans is given in the 'endnote'.
      After their susurrus, the sages approached him, who in his very looks was like a visitation, with oblational water and addressed him with benign words of greeting like, "oh, Rama, oh, Bhaargava Rama..."
      On receiving the deference paid by the sage Vashishta and the other sages, that inexorable Rama of Jamadagni started to talk to Rama of Dasharatha.
End Note.
Parashu Rama
This Parashu Rama or Bhaargava Rama is believed as the sixth incarnation of Vishnu on earth, prior to Dasharatha Rama. The word parashu 'an axe...' is prefixed to this Rama because he wields a merciless axe.  His father was sage Jamadagni and mother Renuka.  This Jamadagni is the son of Sage Riciika, a Brahman, and he married Satyavati, the sister of Vishwamitra, a Kshatriya.  On a certain occasion Jamadagni doubting his wife Renuka's fidelity, ordered this Parashu Rama to behead her, which he promptly did; but Bhaargava Rama requested his father to bring her back to life.  Sage Jamadagni agreed and brought her back to life.  This is a kind of entrance test to Parashu Rama, and if he can ruthlessly kill his own mother he does not hesitate to kill any, in future.
      During their time, kings were cruel and homicide was rampant to achieve the desires of the throne, however ruthless it might be.  On another occasion when the sons of one Kaartviiryaarjuna sacrificed Sage Jamadagni as a sacrificial human, this Parashu Rama was frenziedly infuriated and started eliminating all of the enthroned Kshatriya bloodlines on earth.  That way he roved over the earth for thirty seven times eliminating Kshatriya-s.  He even cut off the foetuses in wombs of their queens, in order to stop the menacing progeny and offers the blood of the foetus as oblation.  And that blood became five streams called 'shamanta pancaka'.   Bhaargava or Parashu Rama practised insurmountable ascesis and appeased God Shiva, who granted him divine weaponry.  He was indomitable in archery and nothing was unknown to him in the art of archery.  Yet, he resorted to an axe to behead cruel kings, physically and personally, without depending up on a distant shooting arrow.  He is ciranjiivi 'long living being...'  Later when peace was established on earth, this Parashu Rama retired to penance but re-entered here to have a glimpse of Dasharatha Rama.  And the purpose and import of his entry at this place, is recorded in later chapters.
                
                                       
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