A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Lord Parasurama, the fearsome avatara who annihilated the administrators with His axe, appeared in the Soma Vamsa (dynasty of the moon-god). Disgusted by their degradation, Parasurama annihilated the ksatriyas twenty- one times, after which He renounced all His weapons. He then entered the Mahendra mountains (where He still resides), worshipped by Siddhas, Charanas, and Gandharvas.
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A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Lord Parasurama, the fearsome avatara who annihilated the administrators with His axe, appeared in the Soma Vamsa (dynasty of the moon-god). Disgusted by their degradation, Parasurama annihilated the ksatriyas twenty- one times, after which He renounced all His weapons. He then entered the Mahendra mountains (where He still resides), worshipped by Siddhas, Charanas, and Gandharvas.
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Avatara Annihilates Administrators
A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Avatara Annihilates Administrators
Chapter 15, 16
Sukadeva Goswami then described the descendants of Urvasi, in which lineage Satyavati appeared.
Satyavati’s husband was the sage, Rcika Muni. Her father had asked him to donate 1,000 special horses as a dowry, which he successfully sourced from Varuna. Later, Satyavati and her mother both requested Rcika Muni to prepare an oblation so they could have a son. The sage prepared one oblation for a priestly ( brahmana ) son, and gave it to Satyavati, and the other oblation for a warrior ( ksatriya ) son, and gave that to her mother. Satyavati and her mother, however, switched the oblations, and Satyavati was thus destined to have a fierce, ksatriya son. When she pleaded that this be changed, he adjusted the benediction so that her grandson would become this fierce ksatriya .
In time, she had a son named Jamadagni, who then had a son called Parasurama, the avatara of the Lord who would fiercely annihilate the deviant rulers of the universe. Sukadeva Goswami then narrated the events leading up to the mass killing.
King Kartaviryarjuna had become extremely powerful, and even held the mighty Ravana captive at one point. When Kartaviryarjuna audaciously stole Jamadagni’s desire cow, Parasurama arrived in his capital and annihilated his armies. He confronted Kartaviryarjuna, cut off his 1,000 arms and then decapitated him. The cow was released and the news of his victory reached Jamadagni. His father disapproved of such violence and encouraged his son to atone for the sin by visiting the holy places. Parasurama thus travelled for one year.
Later, Jamadagni detected that his wife had compromised her chastity. He ordered his sons to kill her, but they could not follow their father’s instruction. When Jamadagni issued the order to Parasurama, however, the fierce avatara killed all his brothers and his mother. Jamadagni was satisfied and asked his son to request any blessing. Parasurama then prayed that they all come back to life.
Meanwhile, the sons of Kartaviryarjuna were still dismayed at their father’s death. In retaliation, they mercilessly killed Jamadagni. This heinous crime enraged Parasurama to no end. He launched a full-scale attack on the ksatriya clan, and began by killing all of Kartaviyarjuna’s sons. In total, Parasurama killed the ksatriyas twenty-one times, so that there were no warriors left! The mass slaughter caused rivers of blood and a mountain of heads.
Later, when Parasurama joined the head of his father to the dead body, Jamadagni miraculously came back to life. Parasurama then renounced His weapons and entered the Mahendra mountains, where he continues to live even today.
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Heavy Handed
A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Heavy Handed
“Parasurama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his eternal mission is paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [ Bg. 4.8 ]—to protect the devotees and annihilate the miscreants. To kill all the sinful men is one among the tasks of the incarnation of Godhead. Lord Parasurama killed all the ksatriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were disobedient to the brahminical culture. That the ksatriyas had killed his father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the ksatriyas , the ruling class, had become polluted, their position was inauspicious. Brahminical culture is enjoined in the sastra , especially in Bhagavad-gita ( catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [ Bg. 4.13 ]). According to the laws of nature, whether at the time of Parasurama or at the present, if the government becomes irresponsible and sinful, not caring for brahminical culture, there will certainly be an incarnation of God like Parasurama to create a devastation by fire, famine, pestilence or some other calamity.” ( SB 9.16.18 )
Srimad-Bhagavatam contains a variety of violent accounts, many of which describe the fierce acts of the Lord Himself. To the first-time reader it can be unnerving. Why is there so much hardcore violence in these narrations? Aren’t such vicious acts driven by the lower nature of lust, greed and anger? Why does the Supreme Lord have to resort to such fierce tactics to establish His way? Don’t such accounts leave the door open for misinterpretation and misuse by the immature? Could such narrations be fueling the religious violence that we see in the world today?
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Avoiding Confrontation
A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Heavy Handed
Avoiding Confrontation
Vedic culture prescribes a variety of options before one even begins to consider employing some level of aggression or violence. People often criticise Krishna for inciting Arjuna to fight in the Kuruksetra battle, positing that a nonviolent approach would be more in line with the spirituality He was presenting. A closer look, however, reveals that Krishna exhausted all other means of resolution before resorting to violence. That violence should be the last expression of assertiveness is illustrated by the exhaustive peace efforts that precede it.
Sama (Conciliation) – first one must try to build bridges and see if an amicable agreement can be reached. When the Kauravas had usurped the kingdom of the Pandavas, Krishna came as a messenger and encouraged a settlement by which both families could reside together in harmony. He encouraged them to forget the past, and hoped the Kauravas would be won over by an amicable presentation in agreeable terms.
Dama (Compensation) - if straightforward arguments are unsuccessful, one may present the case in diplomatic terms and ‘sell’ the idea to the other party. People are attracted by what’s in it for them, and on that basis, one can encourage someone towards a decision that has much broader and noble benefits. For example, when He went as a messenger of peace, Krishna suggested to the Kauravas that having allies like the Pandavas would put them in an invincible position in terms of global influence.
Bheda (Influence) – if such logical arguments are unsuccessful, one may resort to trickery or subtle influence to bring about peace. This may involve dividing the inimical party in order to reduce their influence – as the dictum says, “Divide and conquer.” Krishna tried to influence the Kauravas by suggesting that since one person’s obstinacy would destroy the entire Kuru clan, it is entirely reasonable to forsake that person (Duryodhana) for a higher good.
Danda (Action) – when all such means fail, one may well have to resort to force and physical aggression. Krishna warned the Kauravas that the Pandavas were a formidable alliance who were ready for a trial of arms. He explained that they would be quite competent to soundly defeat the Kauravas. When there was no other choice, Krishna fully encouraged the Pandavas to resolve the situation via the battle in Kuruksetra.
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Play Fight
A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Heavy Handed
Play Fight
Here are some considerations when trying to digest the violent side of God:
Attraction – Krishna’s activities are known as lila , or ‘divine play.’ They are eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, and create auspiciousness in every conceivable way. Even when there is conflict and battle, we should understand that these are not ordinary, mundane passions. As loving competition with friends, couples and families increases the sweetness of the relationship, Krishna, as rasaraja , the king of all relationships, knows how to bring everyone closer to Him. Transcendental violence has none of the detrimental side effects and harm that mundane violence generates, and such incidents draw everyone involved closer to Him – not just the participants but the observers too.
Absorption – the presence of demons, and the subsequent prowess of Krishna in combating them, stirs an ocean of emotions in His devotees. As they fear for His safety, and gasp in wonder when He is attacked, they come closer and closer to Him in consciousness. To increase the sense of dependency, Krishna performs these pastimes, keeping devotees on the edge of their seats.
Variation - In the spiritual world there are no demons, but only rumours of demons! Thus, when the Lord wants to experience a different type of exchange He comes to the material world and, while uplifting the universe and protecting His devotees, simultaneously experiences the act of fighting.
Purification – just as different criminals are given different jail sentences, demons, who cause universal uproar on a mass scale, are corrected in different ways. A famous dictum states: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” It’s actually the Lord’s mercy that He takes the time and trouble to carefully punish each demon appropriately, such that their heart will be purified and their consciousness refined. A certain level of violence is sometimes required because of the base mentality and layers of illusion covering these souls. Demons have a deranged mentality – out of everyone in this world, the desire to kill God is the worst! Therefore, Krishna relates to them accordingly. The depth of Krishna’s love, even in these situations, can only be appreciated when we simultaneously consider the length and breadth of the living entity’s existence.
Instruction – to those of the future, and to each one of us, Krishna performs such violent acts to warn us of the fatal consequences of acting in a harmful or hurtful way while ‘nobody is watching.’ The Supreme Lord, protector of dharma and His devotees, is unable to tolerate any mistreatment and mischief caused towards them. Where good arguments fail, violence may need to be employed for a higher cause. Since the aggressive leaders had recklessly abused their positions and their subjects, a nonviolent approach would have been ineffective. Thus, Parasurama adopted an alternative response.
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The Non-Violent Incarnation
A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Heavy Handed
The Non-Violent Incarnation
Interestingly, in Kali-yuga, Krishna comes in the non-violent form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He does not kill the demons ( asuras ) using weapons and violence, but rather kills the demoniac mentality ( asura-bhava ) through the sublime and joyful process of sankirtana . Once, when Sri Chaitanya did become furious at the mistreatment of His devotee, He exhibited His violent nature and awakened His Sudarshan Chakra. Nityananda Prabhu reminded Him of His mission to deliver the hopelessly fallen souls of the age, of whom Jagai and Madhai were classic examples. Ninety-nine percent of the population in Kali-yuga resemble these brothers, who, despite their high birth and cultural respectability, had become degraded and uncivilised in their behaviour. Sri Chaitanya thus withdrew His anger and bestowed His kind mercy upon the miscreant brothers, who vowed to reform their ways.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains: “In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.” (SB 11.5.32)
The verse indicates that Sri Chaitanya also appears with weapons ( astra ). What are those weapons? Some teachers explain the weapon is the holy name, which can penetrate anyone’s heart and create a powerful consciousness shift even in unwilling living entities. Others explain the weapons are His associates who exude compassion and love, and can transform people by their holy association. Some say that the molten golden complexion and unparalleled beauty of the Lord is His weapon. Simply by seeing that divine form people were naturally drawn towards Him.
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Pururava and Urvasi
A – Axe-Wielding Avatara (14-16)
Pururava and Urvasi
Chapter 14
Having detailed the Surya Vamsa, Sukadeva Goswami next described the Soma Vamsa. Brahma’s son was Atri, and Atri’s son was Soma (the moon-god). Soma irreligiously united with Tara and begot Budha, who later begot Pururava (also known as Aila). Sukadeva Goswami then elaborated on his history.
When the heavenly damsel, Urvasi, was attracted to Pururava, she spoke sweet words and united with him. Later, the Gandharvas stole the two lambs of Urvasi, and she angrily rebuked Pururava, who responded by immediately rescuing them. He returned triumphant but was undressed (since he had left in a rush). Seeing him return, Urvasi decided to leave him for good and thus disappeared. Pururava was overwhelmed with lamentation and repeatedly pleaded her to return. After enlightening him about the nature of materialistic women, Urvasi finally agreed to meet with him for one night a year.
This arrangement frustrated the attached Pururava even more, and though the Gandharvas gave him another suitable companion, he abandoned her in dissatisfaction. He desperately tried different things to mitigate his burning desire. Once, he made two sticks from a tree and created a fire which satisfied his lusty desires and gave birth to a son. [ 29 ]
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— S.B. Keshava Swami, Book Bhagavata