Parashurama - The Axe of Divine Wrath

Dadi**: Guddu beta, have you heard of Lord Vishnu's avatar who never died?

Guddu**: Never died? All avatars finish their mission and go back, right?

Dadi**: Not Parashurama! He is one of the seven immortals - the Chiranjeevis - still alive, still meditating somewhere, waiting for his final role in the future.

Guddu**: That's amazing! Who is he?

Dadi**: Parashurama was born to the sage Jamadagni and his devoted wife Renuka. Even as a child, he showed extraordinary power - both spiritual wisdom and warrior strength in one person.

Guddu**: A sage who could fight?

Dadi**: That's what made him unique! He was a Brahmin by birth, meant for prayer and scholarship. But he was also born to be a warrior who would punish evil kings.

Guddu**: How did he get the axe?

Dadi**: Young Rama performed severe penances to Lord Shiva on Mount Gandhamadana. For years he stood on one leg, eating nothing, drinking nothing, his mind focused only on Mahadeva.

Guddu**: Like the other sages who did tapasya?

Dadi**: Even more intense! Finally, Lord Shiva appeared, pleased by such devotion. He gave Rama a divine axe - the Parashu. This weapon never missed its target and always returned to its wielder's hand.

Guddu**: Like Thor's hammer?

Dadi**: Exactly! From that day, Rama became Parashurama - "Rama with the axe." Shiva also taught him all the secrets of warfare, making him invincible in combat.

Guddu**: Why did he need to fight? I thought Brahmins don't fight.

Dadi**: That's the tragedy, beta. In those days, many Kshatriya kings - warriors who were supposed to protect people - had become tyrants. They oppressed the poor, stole from sages, and forgot their duty.

Guddu**: So Parashurama was like a punishment for bad kings?

Dadi**: Exactly! He was born as the avatar of divine wrath. When righteousness fails, when the protectors become oppressors, sometimes force is the only answer.

Guddu**: Did he fight many kings?

Dadi**: Twenty-one times, he cleared the earth of corrupt warrior kings! It was his sacred mission. But here's what makes him different from a mere warrior...

Guddu**: What?

Dadi**: He didn't enjoy violence. After his mission was complete, he gave away all the land he had conquered to Brahmins and retired to meditation. Power was a duty, not a pleasure.

Guddu**: You said he met other avatars?

Dadi**: Many! When Lord Rama of Ayodhya - a later avatar - broke Shiva's bow to win Sita's hand, Parashurama appeared in anger. That bow was dear to him!

Guddu**: Two avatars meeting!

Dadi**: Parashurama challenged Rama to string Vishnu's bow. When Rama not only strung it but turned its power back toward Parashurama himself, the older avatar understood. The divine power was passing from him to the newer incarnation.

Guddu**: That must have been hard for him.

Dadi**: He accepted it gracefully, beta. He said, "I recognize you now. My work is done. Yours begins." Then he went back to his penance.

Guddu**: Did he teach anyone?

Dadi**: He taught Bhishma, the great patriarch. He taught Drona, who trained the Pandavas and Kauravas. Through them, his knowledge passed to all the heroes of the Mahabharata.

Guddu**: So he's still alive somewhere?

Dadi**: The scriptures say he meditates on Mahendra Mountain, awaiting the coming of Kalki - the final avatar who will appear at the end of this age. Parashurama will be his teacher.

Guddu**: Imagine being alive for thousands of years!

Dadi**: He's not attached to living, beta. He simply serves the divine plan. That's the secret of the immortals - they have no personal desires, only duty.

Guddu**: I want to be as dedicated as Parashurama!

Dadi**: Then remember: use your strength only for justice, never for personal gain. That's what makes a true warrior - not the weapon, but the heart behind it.

Guddu**: Goodnight, Dadi!

Dadi**: Goodnight, beta. May Parashurama's dedication inspire your dreams!