Story of sage Parashuram

Parashurama was born to sage Jamadagni and princess Renuka. He was named Rambhadra, and was trained in the martial arts by Lord Shiva himself. 

One day, when Parashurama was away, a powerful king named Kartavirya Arjuna visited his ashram and demanded the cow Surabhi, who could grant any wish. Jamadagni refused to give away the cow, and the king took it by force, killing Jamadagni in the process. When Parashurama returned, he saw his father’s dead body and his mother’s grieving. He vowed to avenge his father’s death and punish the arrogant king. He took his axe and went to the king’s palace, where he fought with him and his army. Parsuram single-handedly killed the king.

However, this did not satisfy his anger. He decided to exterminate the entire Kshatriya race, that had become corrupt and oppressive. He roamed around the earth, killing every Kshatriya he encountered, not sparing even women and children. He did this for so many times that the earth was soaked with blood. He then offered the blood to his ancestors as a tribute to his father. 

Parashurama’s actions did not go unnoticed by the gods. They were worried that he would destroy the balance of the world with his wrath. They sent Lord Vishnu to pacify him and remind him of his true purpose as an avatar of Vishnu . Vishnu told Parashurama that he had done enough to restore justice, and that he should now renounce violence and seek peace. He also told him that he would meet two more avatars of Vishnu in his lifetime: Rama and Krishna, who would be born as Kshatriyas. Parsuram obeyed Vishnu.

Parashurama met Rama during his wedding with Sita. Parashurama challenged Rama to string and break the bow of Shiva, which he had inherited from his guru. Rama accepted the challenge and easily broke the bow, surprising Parashurama. Parashurama then realized that Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu, and bowed down to him. He gave him another bow of Vishnu, which he had received from the gods, and asked him to release an arrow at his desires for worldly pleasures. Rama did so, and Parashurama became free from all attachments. He praised Rama and left.

Parashurama also met Krishna during the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata. Parashurama was the guru of many warriors in the war, such as Bhishma, Drona, Karna, and Rukmi. He taught them the art of warfare and gave them weapons as gifts. However, he also cursed some of them for their misdeeds or mistakes. For example, he cursed Karna that he would forget his skills when he needed them most, because Karna had lied to him about his caste.

When Parashurama saw Krishna fighting in the war, he recognized him as another avatar of Vishnu. He wanted to test his power and challenged him to a duel. Krishna agreed and fought with him for twenty-one days, without either of them gaining an upper hand. Parashurama then realized that Krishna was invincible and surrendered to him. He praised him for being the supreme lord of all beings and asked him for forgiveness for his arrogance. Krishna forgave him and told him that he was pleased with his devotion and service. He also told him that he would remain immortal until the end of Kalyug, when he would teach the final avatar of Vishnu, Kalki. 

It is said that Parsuram is immortal and still alive meditating somewhere on Mahendra Parvat.