Paraśurāma Rāma Saṃvāda

Paraśurāma and Bhagavān Rāma met on the road between Mithilā and Ayodhyā, after the wedding. Paraśurāma was an avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Rāma was the avatāra who came after him. Paraśurāma challenged Rāma to string the Vaishṇava Dhanus, the great bow of Bhagavān Vishṇu. When Rāma strung it with ease, Paraśurāma bowed and left for Mahendra mountain.

Paraśurāma’s arrival

The wedding party was returning from Mithilā toward Ayodhyā. The sky darkened with signs of trouble. Then Paraśurāma appeared, in the form that everyone knew and feared. He blazed with the tejas of his tapas. His hair was matted. The divine paraśu (axe) lay on his shoulder. In his hand was the Vaishṇava Dhanus, strung and ready.

Fear ran through the party. King Daśaratha knew him at once and was afraid. Viśvāmitra, who knew Paraśurāma’s history well, stood firm.

Paraśurāma spoke to Rāma directly. He had heard that Rāma broke the Śiva Dhanus, and he thought the deed worth testing further. He set a second test. Rāma must string the Vaishṇava Dhanus, the bow of Bhagavān Vishṇu, which was greater in power than the bow of Bhagavān Śiva. If Rāma could do it, Paraśurāma would fight him and test his skill in arms. Paraśurāma was saying that no ordinary kshatriya (warrior) could match him.

(Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Chapter 74)

Rāma takes the bow

Rāma took the Vaishṇava bow from Paraśurāma’s hands, calm and without fear or doubt. He strung it with ease. Then, with the bow fully drawn, he spoke to Paraśurāma.

“O Bhārgava! You see that I have strung the bow of Vishṇu. Now, what shall be my target? I will not shoot at you, for you are a great brāhmaṇa and a ṛshi. But I can destroy your power of free movement, the lokas you have won by tapas.”

Paraśurāma stood before the drawn bow. In that moment he knew that the one before him was not a young prince. The śakti (power) of Bhagavān Vishṇu, which had lived in Paraśurāma’s own form, now passed fully to Rāma. Paraśurāma felt his own power fade while Rāma’s blazed before him.

(Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Chapter 75)

Paraśurāma bows and departs

Paraśurāma spoke with deep humility. “O Rāma! I know now who you are. Destroy my power of movement through the worlds. I choose to withdraw from this stage. You are the one for whom all of this was preparation.”

He bowed to Rāma and left. He went into tapas on Mahendra mountain, his work done.

The whole company saw this. Daśaratha and all who were present felt the weight of what had happened. It was not one king overcoming another. It was the passing of divine authority from one descent of Bhagavān Vishṇu to the next.

(Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Chapter 75)

Paraśurāma and Rāma among the avatāras

In the Vaishṇava darśana, Paraśurāma is the sixth avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu. He came to free the world of kshatriyas who had turned from dharma and become oppressors. Rāma is the seventh avatāra. He came to destroy the rākshasa Rāvaṇa, who oppressed the worlds, and to begin a new age of dharma.

Sources

• Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Chapters 74 and 75