Parasurameswara Temple,
Attirala – Legends
Parasurama Kshetram:
Sage Jamadagni lived along with
his wife Renuka lived in the Ramshrung mountains. Renuka helped the Jamadagni
in all of his tasks of performing various rituals and puja. Renuka would
wake up early in the morning to bathe in the river with complete concentration
and devotion. Her devotion was so powerful that she was able to create a pot to
hold water made only of sand, one fresh pot every day. She would fill this pot,
on the bank of the river and would use a snake which was nearby, turning it
into a rope-like convolution and placing it on her head, so that it supported
the pot.
Thus, she brought the water to
Jamadagni for his rituals of oblation. Renuka gave birth to five sons namely Vasu, Viswa
Vasu, Brihudyanu, Brutwakanwa and Rambhadra. Rambhadra was the youngest
and most beloved, gaining the favour of Lord Shiva and Parvati and
hence called Parashurama (the sixth incarnation of Vishnu). One day
when Renuka went to the river, she saw Gandharva spirits playing.
These were young couples carelessly frolicking in the water with abandon. For a
moment, she lost her concentration and devotion and fantasized about playing in
the river with her husband.
She wished she and her husband
had such fun sometimes too, living so close to such a beautiful place. After
some time, Renuka came to her senses and cursed herself for her indiscretion.
She hurriedly bathed, as she had lost precious time, and tried to create the
pot, but was unable to as she had lost her concentration. She even tried to
catch the snake, but it disappeared. Disappointed by this, she returned to
the ashram in shame. Jamadagni came to know of what had happened with his
yoga drusti (spiritual eye). He was furious with Renuka and Renuka and ordered
his sons to kill their mother for the sin committed by her.
One by one, four of them refused
flatly. Jamadagni, who possessed the power to burn anyone to ashes with his one
look, was so angry that he went berserk and turned four of his sons into four
piles of ashes. Parashurama, who was not there when this happened, found his
mother weeping by the piles of ashes when he arrived, and his father was still
raging mad. Jamadagni told him what happened and ordered him to behead his
mother for her infidelity. Parashurama had to think quickly. Knowing his
father's powers and the extent of his anger, Parashurama immediately obeyed his
father, using his axe.
His father then offered a boon
to Parashurama, who asked for his mother and brothers to be brought back to
life. Jamadagni having no alternative, brought Renuka and his sons back to
life. Yet the sin of killing his mother stuck to him and a bath in several
sacred rivers could not absolve him of it. It is the bath in the Bahuda river
at this place had absolved his sin. Hence, the place came to be called as Hathyarala
(Hathya means killing and Rale means removed off). Thus, the place is famously
called as Parasurama Kshetram.
Bahuda Nadi / Cheyyeru:
As per legend, two brothers
namely Sage Shanka and Sage Likhitha were living during Treta Yuga. Once,
Shanka was performing penance in a garden and Likhitha went to see him. He
decided not to disturb his penance and waited in the garden. He plucked some
fruits and ate them. After finishing penance, Shanka came to him and pointed
out to his brother that he had eaten the fruits without the permission of the
owner. Further, he informed that Likhitha has committed a theft.
Realizing his mistake, Likhitha
went to the king and confessed his theft. The king ordered his two arms to be
cut off as a punishment to his theft. Likhitha visited several sacred places
and took bath in several sacred waters. Finally, he returned to his native
place and took bath in the Bahuda Nadi / Cheyyeru (Cheyyi means arm & Yeru means
river in Telugu and Bahu means arm and Nadi means river in Sanskrit) and got
his arms back.
Dakshina Gaya:
It is believed that performing
Tarpan for the deceased ancestors in the Cheyyeru River is equivalent in
performing Tarpan at Gaya. Hence, Attirala came to be called as Dakshina Gaya.
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