The Anger of Parshuram

The sound of Shiv's bow breaking reached faraway Mount Mahendra, where Lord Parshuram was meditating. Parshuram was a great devotee of Shiv and held that bow dear. He had a fierce temper, and with his parshu he had already defeated many unjust kings.

In Valmiki's Ramayan, as the wedding party was returning from Mithila to Ayodhya, a storm suddenly blew and Parshuram appeared on the road. In the Ramcharitmanas, this happens right in the swayamvar hall. In both, Parshuram is full of rage and demands, ‘Who broke the bow of my guru, Shiv?’

In the Manas, the best-loved part of this episode is the exchange between Parshuram and Lakshman. Lakshman laughs and says that as children they broke many such bows, so why such anger over an old one? Parshuram grows even angrier. Then Ram steps in and says, very humbly, ‘The one who broke the bow must be one of your own servants.’

Parshuram tested Ram. He handed him the bow of Lord Vishnu and said, ‘If you are truly a hero, string this and set an arrow to it.’ Ram calmly took the bow, strung it and fitted an arrow.

In that moment Parshuram understood that Ram was Vishnu himself, come as a man. His anger melted away. He praised Ram, blessed him and went back to the forest to meditate. The wedding party reached Ayodhya joyfully, the mothers welcomed their new daughters-in-law, and for some time everyone lived happily.