Aug 18, 2007

Chapter 36: Parashuram comes back

Shiva tells Ram to stand in ice cold water for 10 years and do archery practice. Ram does so & becomes super perfect. He is then given a Parashu (double-edged-sword) and a famous bow, to which he offers thanks by praying.

Meanwhile Sahasrarjun grows in power. He attacks his neighboring 25 states and conquers them all. But he is still not happy. He wants the remaining 25 states also to be conquered, even though they are all his friends. His wife advises him against. He invites all 25 state kings/friends to his palace and tells them that he wants them all to surrender to him. They are all shocked, asking 'What? We are you friend.' He says then it is easy to surrender. They all get angry and tell that they will attack him. At that time, S's army attacks them all and forces them to surrender. S gives order that they should all be taken to their respective provinces and then killed there with an announcement that their kingdom now belongs to Sahasrarjun. Seeing this atrocity, S's wife pleads S's 4 sons to stop S from committing any more heinous crimes. They agree and go to S but in front of S, they start praising S a lot for the great things he is doing and that they are all his big fans. Mother feels like having backstabbed but she cannot do anything.

Also S keeps attaching J and his hermitage. In one such instance, S openly praises Renuka about her beauty and that she doesnt belong in the hermitage but in a palace like his. Renuka gives him her peace of mind. Nowadays S is known to roam around freely with loose women just for pure pleasure and his crimes are increasing. In another of Sahasrarjun’s attacks against J’s ashram, J’s wife asks J to allow her to Sahasrarjun’s palace to plead mercy upon them in a true ‘daughter-of-a-king’ type. J allows. So J’s wife goes to Sahasrarjun’s palace. But Sahasrarjun, bound by her beauty, makes advances towards her. Sahasrarjun’s wife tries to stop, but is rudely pushed away. However, J’s wife slashes Sahasrarjun with a sword and runs away. Sahasrarjun survives the attack.

However, J suspects his wife’s foul play with Sahasrarjun, as she had taken an awful long time (due to the fight that she had with him). A slight misunderstanding and lack of proper communication makes J ask his other 4 sons to kill J’s wife. Torn between father’s order and crime of mother’s murder, sons decide to disobey father. J disappointed in life, sets off to the woods, whereupon he finds Ram – now called Parashuram – returning from Shiva with the kshatriya knowledge.

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