WDT#10: Why did Parashurama took some drastic steps out of anger?

Hello all, 

This is the tenth weekly discussion topic (10th WDT) in our "Indian Mythology" forum (earlier known as Mythological Masti). As you all know, I generally post a topic (in the form of a question?) from our hindu mythology every week, to have some meaningful mythological discussions. 

Since mythology is considered a component of religion, and can be a sensitive topic for most people, with the characters often being revered, you must follow the rules of Indian Mythology Forum to maintain a peaceful atmosphere in our forum.

To celebrate this Akshaya Tritiya (which is also known as Parashurama Jayanti), the topic of this week is:

Why Parashurama got angry at times during various occasions and took drastic steps based on that?

As we all know, Parashurama was the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu. There are various incidents in our mythology where Parashurama had taken some drastic steps out of anger.

Like Parashuram had killed all Kshatriyas on earth 21 successive times and had also taken oath to not teach/train any Kshatriyas and other castes, except Brahmins. Why would he do that?

Second, out of anger issues, Parashurama had broken one tooth of Shree Siddhivinayak Ganesh ji using his Parshu (axe), while he was performing his duties of a son. Why would he do that?

Third, Parashurama had reacted out of anger and determined to kill Shree Ram ji, after he had broken the Shiv Dhanush in Mata Sita's swamvar. Why would he do that?

Fourth, out of anger, Parashurama had cursed Karna too when he got to know that he had not revealed his true identity and caste before getting his teachings. Why would he do that when he had taught Bhishma who was a Kshatriya too?

Share your views and engage in meaningful discussions with your fellow members. 

Here's wishing everyone a very happy Akshaya Tritiya.

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Thanks for the tag.

I have not much idea about Lord Parshuram except for the facts that he is a Chiranjeevi and has lot of anger issues. I am sure there are specific reasons behind his anger. 

Once my mom had told me that one Kshatriya king (don't remember his name) had snatched their divine cow and killed Parshuram's father when he stopped him hence Parshuram got angry and killed lot of Kshatriyas. One more reason was some of the Kshatriyas were wicked rulers.

The Shiv dhanush story in Ramayana is a popular one. He got angry at Lord Ram for breaking the dhanush probably because Lord Vishnu is a huge devotee of Lord Shiva and he being the avatar of Lord Vishnu felt offended but when he realized Ram too is an avatar and it was necessary for him to break the dhanush, Parshuram calmed down. 

In Mahabharata, though Parshuram was Bhishma's Guru (probably because of his connection with Ganga) but he fought with Bhishma because he felt Bhishma did injustice with Amba. In the later part of the epic, Bhishma cursed Karna because he thought Karna fooled him by calling himself Brahmin but actually he is a Kshatriya seeing how he tolerated the pain after a scorpion stung him. Karna was the son of a charioteer then so he did hide his real identity from Parshuram. 

You answered all your questions and i.e. out of anger 

Will share my thoughts soon, thanks for the tag 

Kshateiya dharm use to protect  people   but instead they are torturing  people  

Parashuram  could not  tolerate  kshatruya torturing  bhraman instead  of protecting them and more  over his father  was also kill that is why he decided  to kill kshatriya 

However  I read  in bhagwat or may be somewhere  don't exactly  remember  where 10 year  old girls  say something  to Parashuram  thar they will  not kill by u they will  kill by lord Krishna  may be shalv after  that  Parashuram  put his weapon  and went for penance 

Parashuram ji broke Lord Ganesh's tooth? This is new to me , i thought that he broke it himself while he was transcribing Mahabharata narrated by Ved Vyas

Disclaimer : Just my POV

Vishnu ji is the preserver of bramhand, he takes takes birth on planet and preserve Dharma by fighting for it. 

In one podcast I had heard that Rakshas were also supposed to protect us given the "Raksha" in their name but power hunger got into their head and they started attacking the one who were they supposed to protect.

Yada yada hi dharmasya glaanirbhavati bhaarat

Abhyutthaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srijaamyaham

Paritranaay saadhunaam vinaashaay cha dushkritaam

Dharm sansthaapanaarthaay sambhavaami yuge yuge

In short whenever decline of dharma and rise of adharma happens I come to protect the right people, punish the sinful people and re-establish the dharma

Vishnu ji took avtaar as Parshuram to do the same, as there was no democracy that time monarchy meant the most powerful people are the Kings and no one could do anything about it. Kshatriyas were the most powerful so of course power got into their head.

And 21 Times it happened for various reasons of course but the main was kashtriyas just not accepting that a brahmin who's Just suppse to be a scholar a teacher defeated them. They never thought that the person who was supposed to teach them the warfare skills is using it against them.

But seriously this also didn't work on them, they feared him but still didn't thought to establish rules so they can be on right path

And seeing the chronology of avtaars I am just assuming that after Parshuram Vishnu ji came as human of kshatriya clan to set an example 

Not learning from enemy so teach them as one of their own 🤷

And the anger thing literally every Brahmin thing I guess , its second nature 

Be it with Indra, Hanuman ji, pandava, Vishnu ji, shiv ji, etc. no one is preserved from that 

Parashuram was an obedient son. A man without boundaries, there was nothing that could stop him from doing what he wanted. His anger stemmed from witnessing the abuse of power and oppression of the peaceful members of society, especially the Brahmins, by the ruling class of Kshatriyas. The Kshatriyas were given power, they had the authority to rule as kings, enact laws to serve humanity and protect people. But they took advantage of their privileges and began to rule over the weak. Instead of creating a society that serves humanity, they raised taxes, punished and forced them to follow their will. The Brahmins were their main target as they were very meek and peaceful.

The murder of his father over a dispute about cow Kamadhenu serves as a catalyst for his rage. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna and vowed to kill all Kshatriyas. Parshuram's rage was maybe fuelled by a deep sense of injustice and a desire to correct the imbalance of power in society. So, at that time, it was maybe all about making people realize that fighting for oneself and one's family is not against Dharma and that they should do so confidently.

Some thoughts:

Injustice leads to righteous anger: Parshuram's anger is not unfounded; it is a reaction to systemic injustice and oppression in society. It underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing injustice to prevent the escalation of anger and conflict.

Oppression demands action: Parshuram's anger drives him to take action against the oppressive ruling class. It teaches us that anger, when channelled constructively, can be a powerful force for positive change and social justice.

Courage to challenge the status quo: Parshuram's willingness to defy social norms and challenge the authority of the ruling class shows the importance of courage in the face of injustice. He encourages us to stand up against oppression, even when it seems daunting or risky.

The importance of self-defense and empowerment: Parshuram's plea for self-defense and empowerment is a reminder of the importance of standing up for one's rights and protecting oneself and one's community from harm. He emphasizes that every individual must be prepared to stand up against injustice and oppression.

Anger itself is not negative, it is how we channel it and deal with it that determines its impact. When we confront injustice and fight for social justice, anger can be a powerful catalyst for positive change. Good can come from anger, like the broken tusk of Ganesha, with which, it is said, Mahabharata was written.

Where is it stated that Parashurama taught only Brahmins? Bhishma wasn't his only Kshatriya disciple, he taught Rukmi as well.

Karna got cursed because he was a fraud who lied about being a Brahmin to obtain the knowledge of Brahmastra which was previously denied to him by Dronacharya because the latter was aware of Karna's wicked intentions. 

Karna one day approached Drona in private and said these words unto him, 'I desire to be acquainted with the Brahma weapon, with all its mantras and the power of withdrawing it, for I desire to fight Arjuna. Without doubt, the affection thou bearest to every one of thy pupils is equal to what thou bearest to thy own son. I pray that all the masters of the science of weapons may, through thy grace, regard me as one accomplished in weapons!' Thus addressed by him, Drona, from partiality for Phalguna, as also from his knowledge of the wickedness of Karna, said, 'None but a Brahmana, who has duly observed all vows, should be acquainted with the Brahma weapon, or a Kshatriya that has practised austere penances, and no other.' When Drona had answered thus, Karna, having worshipped him, obtained his leave, and proceeded without delay to Rama then residing on the Mahendra mountains. Approaching Rama, he bent his head unto him and said, 'I am a Brahmana of Bhrigu's race.' This procured honour for him. With this knowledge about his birth and family, Rama received him kindly and said, 'Thou art welcome!'

Originally posted by: So-So

Parashuram was an obedient son. A man without boundaries, there was nothing that could stop him from doing what he wanted. His anger stemmed from witnessing the abuse of power and oppression of the peaceful members of society, especially the Brahmins, by the ruling class of Kshatriyas. The Kshatriyas were given power, they had the authority to rule as kings, enact laws to serve humanity and protect people. But they took advantage of their privileges and began to rule over the weak. Instead of creating a society that serves humanity, they raised taxes, punished and forced them to follow their will. The Brahmins were their main target as they were very meek and peaceful.

The murder of his father over a dispute about cow Kamadhenu serves as a catalyst for his rage. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna and vowed to kill all Kshatriyas. Parshuram's rage was maybe fuelled by a deep sense of injustice and a desire to correct the imbalance of power in society. So, at that time, it was maybe all about making people realize that fighting for oneself and one's family is not against Dharma and that they should do so confidently.

Some thoughts:

Injustice leads to righteous anger: Parshuram's anger is not unfounded; it is a reaction to systemic injustice and oppression in society. It underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing injustice to prevent the escalation of anger and conflict.

Oppression demands action: Parshuram's anger drives him to take action against the oppressive ruling class. It teaches us that anger, when channelled constructively, can be a powerful force for positive change and social justice.

Courage to challenge the status quo: Parshuram's willingness to defy social norms and challenge the authority of the ruling class shows the importance of courage in the face of injustice. He encourages us to stand up against oppression, even when it seems daunting or risky.

The importance of self-defense and empowerment: Parshuram's plea for self-defense and empowerment is a reminder of the importance of standing up for one's rights and protecting oneself and one's community from harm. He emphasizes that every individual must be prepared to stand up against injustice and oppression.

Anger itself is not negative, it is how we channel it and deal with it that determines its impact. When we confront injustice and fight for social justice, anger can be a powerful catalyst for positive change. Good can come from anger, like the broken tusk of Ganesha, with which, it is said, Mahabharata was written.

Parshuram ji did took birth to change the political satire as people who were not in power were getting oppressed real badly. 

But genuinely curious to know, after that also did Kshatriya clan changed its way to establish dharma🤔? I mentioned in my post that it didn't happened the way it should had and that's why I assume that the laters avtaar of Vishnu ji took birth in Kshatriya clan. I know Brahmins were given respect during Ramayan and Mahabharat but not other castes right (big example Karna from Mahabharat)🤔? 

About anger though, good thing coming out of anger is a luck thing I guess, anger is definitely necessary when injustice is happening but taking action out of anger can never be a good thing until you're extremely lucked out I guess. After getting angry you have to calm your mind and then make s decision and that will be more fruitful I guess, that's why anger is one of the sins mentioned in Geeta as well.

Taking example of maa kaali, she was doing asur sanghar but when rage consumed her mind made the decision of finishing the whole world and Shiv ji had to lie down in front of her to make her realise what she's going to do 

Originally posted by: Wistfulness

Where is it stated that Parashurama taught only Brahmins? Bhishma wasn't his only Kshatriya disciple, he taught Rukmi as well.

Karna got cursed because he was a fraud who lied about being a Brahmin to obtain the knowledge of Brahmastra which was previously denied to him by Dronacharya because the latter was aware of Karna's wicked intentions. 

Karna one day approached Drona in private and said these words unto him, 'I desire to be acquainted with the Brahma weapon, with all its mantras and the power of withdrawing it, for I desire to fight Arjuna. Without doubt, the affection thou bearest to every one of thy pupils is equal to what thou bearest to thy own son. I pray that all the masters of the science of weapons may, through thy grace, regard me as one accomplished in weapons!' Thus addressed by him, Drona, from partiality for Phalguna, as also from his knowledge of the wickedness of Karna, said, 'None but a Brahmana, who has duly observed all vows, should be acquainted with the Brahma weapon, or a Kshatriya that has practised austere penances, and no other.' When Drona had answered thus, Karna, having worshipped him, obtained his leave, and proceeded without delay to Rama then residing on the Mahendra mountains. Approaching Rama, he bent his head unto him and said, 'I am a Brahmana of Bhrigu's race.' This procured honour for him. With this knowledge about his birth and family, Rama received him kindly and said, 'Thou art welcome!'

Wow I didn't knew that 😦 😦 😦 I felt sympathy for karna for getting bane from Parshuram ji just because he wanted to learn but this changed my perspective a little 😕