Farsha
Encyclopedia
The parashu is an India
n battle-axe. It is generally wielded with two hands but could also be used with only one.
, sixth Avatar
of Vishnu
, whose name means "Rama with the axe". He was one of the few Brahmin
guru who were also masters of hand to hand combat. Parashurama was the guru of Dronacharya, the guru who instructed the Pandavas in the epic of the Mahabharata
. Bhishma
and Karna
, half brother of Pandava also took instruction in weaponry from Parashurama, a disciple of lord Shiva
, and was known to have terrible temper having lost his father to the evil Asura
. In his anger, Parashurama used the parashu to get rid of the all the Earth's kshatriya
(warrior class) twenty one times over. Parashurama's weapon had supernatural powers. It had four cutting edges, one on each end of the blade head and one on each end of the shaft.
The parashu was known as the most lethal close combat weapons of the epics. It is also one of the weapons of the goddess Durga
and is still depicted on her idols throughout India.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n battle-axe. It is generally wielded with two hands but could also be used with only one.
Construction
The parashu could be double edged or bladed or single-bladed with a spike on the non cutting edge. It usually measures between 3 – 5 feet though some are as long as 7 feet. The parashu is usually made of iron or wootz steel. The cutting edge is broader than the edge which is attached to the haft. The haft is often tied with a leather sheet to provide a good grip.In Hinduism
The parashu was the choice weapon of ParashuramaParashurama
Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
, sixth Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, whose name means "Rama with the axe". He was one of the few Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
guru who were also masters of hand to hand combat. Parashurama was the guru of Dronacharya, the guru who instructed the Pandavas in the epic of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Bhishma
Bhishma
Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...
and Karna
Karna
Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...
, half brother of Pandava also took instruction in weaponry from Parashurama, a disciple of lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, and was known to have terrible temper having lost his father to the evil Asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...
. In his anger, Parashurama used the parashu to get rid of the all the Earth's kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
(warrior class) twenty one times over. Parashurama's weapon had supernatural powers. It had four cutting edges, one on each end of the blade head and one on each end of the shaft.
The parashu was known as the most lethal close combat weapons of the epics. It is also one of the weapons of the goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
and is still depicted on her idols throughout India.