Who did Parashuram Actually Kill?

Images of Parashuram are appearing across India, depicted always with Shiva-like hair, wearing a Brahmin thread across his chest, and brandishing an axe.

- Devdutt Pattanaik Mythologist, Author, Speaker

It's a fierce image like that of a folk hero, a vira, found in many rural communities. But these images are gigantic and have appeared in the last two-three decades. Parashuram is being presented as a great hero who drove away the enemy, with suggestions that he expelled cow-killing invaders from the land. But is this really true?

For those who believe mythology is history, Parashuram is said to have lived before Ram. He is considered an immortal being, born centuries before the events of the Ramayana, allegedly before 7000 BCE. Even though this claim is not supported by any material evidence, it is a strongly held belief in political circles. Yet, these politicians and their historians rarely clarify who Parashuram actually killed.

According to scriptures, Parashuram killed a king named Kartavirya Arjuna, who ruled Mahishmati on the banks of the river Narmada. Kartavirya belonged to the Haihaya clan, a branch of the Yadu clan. Many Indian kings, particularly those from Central India in the Malwa region, even today, trace their descent to this lineage.

As per the scriptures, Kartavirya was a great and virtuous king, a follower of Atreya Rishi's son, Datta, who is considered a form of Shiva. It was Shiva who granted Kartavirya his thousand arms, and it was also Shiva who gave Parashuram his axe. Thus, the conflict between Parashuram and Kartavirya was essentially a battle between two followers of Shiva.