𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓡𝓪𝓶𝓪, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓓𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓪 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓡𝓪𝓶𝓪 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓿𝓪 (𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪)

The encounter between Rama, the son of Dasartatha and Rama the Bhargava (Parashurama)
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The marriage of Sita with Rama, Urmila with Lakshmana, Mandavi with Bharatha and Shrutakirti with Shatrughna is conducted… at Mithila.. the function being presided over by great Sages and preceptors Vasishta, Vishvamitra and Satananda.
The next morning, Sage Visvamitra formally takes leave of the princes, and left for his abode in the Northern mountains.. Now it is the turn of Parashurama, a cousin of Vishvamitra to enter the scene..
We are in the chapters seventy four and seventy five of Valmikirmayanam, Balakandam..
In Valmikis own worads..
Dasaratha too prepares himself to leave for his capital Ayodhya..
Janaka, who has given two of his dear daughters and two of his darnling nieces too to the sons of the emperos has to come to terms with the departure of his own four darling girls..
He has to do that.. no other choice.. and he showers the emperor and his boys with gifts and riches of all kinds.
The Emperor and his entourage formally depart..
Janaka too accompanies them upto the borders of his city, and has to come back to resume his royal duties.. Dasaratha has to proceed, happiest with four more additions to his family..
The emperor leaves, and the Sages and ministers like Vasishta travel ahead of him..
A huge army and a large posse of VIP citizens too keep him company..
Even as he entered the forests en route, Dasaratha started to notice some unfavourable omens.
He could see unusual agitation among the animals and birds found along the route.
Dasaratha shares his anxiety with his preceptor Vasishta.
The sage had also noticed the signs but is of the view that there was really nothing serious to worry about..
He feels that eveything would turn out to be beneficial even though there could be minor hiccups.
He advises the Emperor not to be anxious.
However, even as they were engaged in conversation, they could sense some agitation in the air..
The earth around seemed to be shaking.. along with the trees and mountains in the forest. It would seem as if a huge cyclone was approaching.
The dust was rising and the dark particles partially overshadowed the Sun..
It seemed as if dusk was setting on the midday.
Dasharatha, the princes, the sages and the ministers kept their cool, but all others in the retinue including the soldiers fell down in a swoon.
From out of that Darkness during daylight manifested Parashurama, the son of Sage Jamadagni,
Parasurama who wore matted hair,
Parashurama who looked fearsome,
Parashurama, the warrior who was staunch and inconquerable just like the mount Kailasha,
Parashurama, who was radiating intense heat that would equal the fire which inundated the whole universe when the end of eon.. pralaya was near,
Parashurma, the annihilator of the warrior clans of many generations,
Parashurama who looked like brilliantly burning fire itself, Parashurama, who wielded a huge and sharp axe on his shoulder,
Parashurama who carried a bow which shown like a thunderbolt, and carried matching arrows too,
Parashurama, who looked like Lord Shiva Himself when the Lord set out to fight and finish off the Tripuras.
The sages with Vasishta in the Vanguard were wondering if Parashurama was once again setting out on a spree of vengeance against Kshatriyas and had decided to finish of the members of the warrior clan who had escaped his axe during his earlier onslaught.
The Rishis, chanting “Rama, Rama” went ahead and received Lord Parashurama with honours and offerings befitting his great stature.
After accepting such welcome, and then looked up and addressed prince Rama, the son of Dasaratha..
(here starts chapte seventy five of Balakandam of Valmiki Ramayanam)
Parashurama tells Rama
‘ You Rama, the bold son of Dasaratha, I have heard of your valour and your glorious feat of breaking the bow of Shiva tha Mithila.
Consequently, I have now brought to you another great bow. You may string this bow and mount arrows on it..
This bow was given to me by my father Jamadagni. If you are able to handle this bow, the I assure you that I shall then engae in a duel with you.
You have tow choices. You can surrender your arms, bows and arrows before me and admit defeat out of fear.
Or you can engage in a duel with me after handling the Vaishnava bow..”
Emperor Dasaratha who was listening to the conversation bowed down in fear before Parashurama and said..
“ Lord, you are at present free from your anger for Kshatriyas. And you are in the presence of venerable brahmins.
May you be pleased to give protection for my sons who are mere boys.
You are the scion of the clan of Bhargavas who are beholden to the study of vedas, and you have yourself, in the presence of Indra, abandoned your arms raised against kshatriyas.
And stickler to virtues as you are, you have already gifted the whole earth your captured from kshatriyas to sage Kashyapa and had adjourned to the forest beyond the Mahendra mountains.
Now, you, the great sage, have made appearance here to cause destruction to me along with all my whole clan because none among us would prefer to be alive if my Rama is killed.”
Parashurama brushed aside the entreaty of Dasaratha and againt addressed Rama the Prince, as follows.
“Two divine bows were created by Vishvakarma.. the architect of devas..
Both were divine, tough and respected all over the world.
One of the bows was presented by the devas to Lord Shiva to be used in His fight against the demons Tripuras.
That bow which was used for the annihilation of Tripurass has already been broken by you, Rama, the scion of Kakutsa race.
The second bow was given to Lord Vishnu and it is this second bow having sanctity equal to the one you broke that I have brought with me now.
Once the Gods, curious to know the comparative strengths of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu raised a query before Brahmadeva on that issue.
With a view to test the relative strenght of the two powerful Lords, Brahma generated enmity between the two..
And a fierce battle between them followed, each wielding on of the bows.
And during the battle a terrible war cry uttered by Lord Vishnu caused the snapping the string of the bow held by Lord Shiva.. and also left Shiva momentarily stunned.
Gods by that time sensed the danger lurking behind the confrontaion between the two supreme lords prayed hard and managed to calm down both, .
However, since Lord Shiva was seen stunned for a moment during the battle, the devas considered Vishnu as superior in strength..
Lord Shiva, who was upset, gave the Thrayambaka bow he wielded to the king of Videha Devarata by name..
( this bow was broken by Rama.. during Sita swayamvaram)
And Lord Vishnu gave the bow belonging to him to sage Richeeka of the Bhargava Race for safe custody.
Richeeka gave the bow to his son and my father the great Jamadagni.
That wretch Karthaveeryaarjuna murdered Jamadagni while the sage was engaged in meditation, and even as the sage had given up all arms.
Enraged by the crule assassination of my beloved father, I wrought vengeance on the kshatriyas for many generations by slaughtering most of the them with my axe.
And in that process I captured the whole earth from them.
However, I conducted a yajna and handed over the whole earth as dakshina to sage Kashyapa during the ritual.
And presently I have adjourned to Mahendra mountains and am engaged in penance in the company of god.
And when I had occasion to hear from the conversation among devas about the breaking of the Thryambaka bow of Shiva, I decided to come before you to show you the bow of Vishnu.
This bow is of equal greatness as the one you brokd, and I challenge you on your Status and honour as a Kshatriya, and dare you to tie the string on the Vaishnava bow and shoot arrow with it.
If you succeed in that, I shall engage in a duel with you..
(This is an occasion in the greatest epic of India.. where the confrontation of epical proportions between two incarnations of the Lord is portrayed.)
The story proceeds.. to show that Lord Parashurama, Himself and incarnation of Lord Vishnu, witnesses the capture of the bow of Vishnu by Rama the son of Dasartha, transfers all his powers to Rama, and leaves for Mahendra mountain for penance for ever.. Rama proceeds to Ayodhya in all glory.. and the eternal Ramayanam continues..
Would narrate some more parts when time permits..
May the glory of Rama protect all of us for ever..
Regards
K v ananthanarayanan