The Lord's Warrior - Part 3

Date: 2011-05-10 Author: Narahari das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my dandavat pranams. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

In the previous two offerings titled, "The Lord's Warrior Incarnation", we had seen that 1) Lord brings us back to the path of Absolute Truth whenever we go astray. In Sat-yuga, He killed the demoniac kings using chopper. Now in Kaliyuga, the Lord destroys our anarthas through guru, and as the keenly sharpened chopper. 2) By doing so He is saving us from suffering hellish condition of perpetual pains and miseries. 3) His glories are unlimited. We had discussed two of His qualities - He is very obedient and strict disciple. At the same time, He is very merciful spiritual master.

In this concluding offering let us continue to relish one more divine quality of Lord Parashurama.

Beyond the modes of nature:- Whatever activities the Lord does in His are beyond the modes of nature. The Lord is not influenced by passion and ignorance like an ordinary person is. When the sage was killed by Kartaviryarjuna's sons, Lord Parashurama took a vow to eliminate the dynasties 21 times and He accomplished it. Many people think that He did this out of vengence (to take revenge for His father's death). However, the Purana explains that His father's death was only a plea for His eternal mission. tad raktena nadeem ghoraam / abrahmanya-bhayaavahaam hetum krtvaa pitr-vadham / kshatre 'mangala-kaarini trih-sapta-krtvah prithiveem / kritvaa nihkshatriyaam prabhuh samanta-pancake cakre / shonitodaan hradaan nava

"With the blood of the bodies of these sons, Lord Parashurama created a ghastly river, which brought great fear to the kings who had no respect for brahminical culture. Because the , the men of power in government, were performing sinful activities, Lord Parashurama, on the plea of retaliating for the murder of His father, rid all the kshatriyas from the face of the earth twenty-one times. Indeed, in the place known as Samanta-pancaka he created nine lakes filled with their blood." (Srimad Bhagavatam 9.16.18- 19)

A normal person retaliates with vengence when his near and dear ones are killed. However for the Lord who is transcendental and who is the Father of everyone, there is no reason to retaliate. So His anger was due to bent of His mind to protect His saintly devotees and so it is not influenced by passion or ignorance. Srila Prabhupada vividly brings out this point in the commentary as follows. "Parashurama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His eternal mission is paritraanaaya saadhuunaam vinaashaaya ca dushkrtaam (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 Parashurama killed all the kshatriyas twenty-one times consecutively because they were disobedient to the brahminical culture. That the kshatriyas had killed his father was only a plea; the real fact is that because the kshatriyas, the ruling class, had become polluted, their position was inauspicious. Brahminical culture is enjoined in the shaastra, especially in Bhagavad-gita (caatur varnyam mayaa srshtam guna--vibhaagashah [Bg 4.13])."

It is important to note that Lord Parashurama did not kill all the rulers whimsically. He punished only those who were disobedient to brahminical culture. Kings like and Dasaratha were abiding by rules of the Lord and so Lord Parashurama did not punish them.

Now a question may arise, " yuga is filled with fallen kshatriyas who are worse than mlecchas. Why the Lord is not incarnating to kill them?" Srila Prabhupada answers as follows in the same purport. "According to the laws of nature, whether at the time of Parashurama 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 Parashurama to create devastation by fire, famine, pestilence or some other calamity. Whenever the government disrespects the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead and fails to protect the institution of varnashrama , it will certainly have to face such catastrophes as formerly brought about by Lord Parashurama." The states that the kshatriya women had to marry to further the kshatriya race as few/no kings were left after Lord Parashurama's program of extermination.

The system of brahminical culture can be revived by the the congregational chanting of the Holy Names

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare by which humanity can receive the blessings of Lord Parashurama. While explaining the meaning of the maha mantra Srila Prabhupada explained that the word 'Rama' in the mantra refers to

1. Lord Krishna who is Ramana (one who gives pleasure to Srimati Radha). 2. It refers to Dasarathi Rama who gave pleasure to , Mother and other devotees. 3. It refers to who gives spiritual strength to all the devotees of Lord Krishna. 4. It also refers to Lord Parashurama who protected the , brahmanas and delighted the Bhrgu lineage (Bhrgu nandana).

So the sweetness of Lord Krishna, the bliss of Lord Rama, the spiritual strength of Lord Balarama and the power and protection of Lord Parashurama are fully invested in the mahamantra and by chanting it sincerely we can receive all the blessings and protection of the Lord in His various forms.

In , Sri Sukadeva Goswami concludes the narration of Parashurama avatara by this beautiful sloka evam bhrgushu visvaatmaa / bhagavaan harir ishvarah avateerya param bhaaram / bhuvo'han bahusho' nrpaan

"In this way the Supreme soul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord and the supreme controller, descended as an incarnation in the Bhrgu dynasty and released the universe from the burden of undesirable kings by killing them many times." (Srimad Bhagavatam 9.16.27)

Let us all pray for the mercy of our beloved Gurudeva and Srila Prabhupada and Lord Parashurama so that we'll get a little taste for chanting the Lord's holy names and relishing His different incarnations.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna Dasa, Chennai.