(The birth of Lord Parshuram! Vyasa Mahabharata)
Long ago, King Ajamida was born in the Bharata race. He was a virtuous king. He was blessed with a son named Jahnu. His great-grandson (Sindhudwipa- Valakashva- Vallabha- Kaushika) was Gadhi. King Gadhi being childless went to the forest wishing to have a son but at that time he got the news that he was blessed with a daughter- Satyavati. She was extremely beautiful. None was equal to her beauty on this earth.
Beholding the matchless beauty of Satyavati, sage Richika desired to marry her. Richika was the son of the illustrious sage Chyavana from the Bhrigu race. He was very powerful but short-tempered. When he asked King Gadhi for his daughter, Gadhi showed his unwillingness. He didn't want to give his daughter to a poor Brahmin but he was also afraid of the short-tempered rishi. So, he demanded one thousand white horses with black ears to marry his daughter Satyavati. Somehow, Richika managed to get such horses from Varuna and thus married Satyavati.
After a while, Satyavati requested her husband to be blessed with a powerful, and virtuous son. When Satyavati’s mother came to know about this, she also requested her daughter to do some favors for her husband. Rishi Richika agreed and performed a Yanga to get the sacrificial offerings (Charu) for both of them. He told his wife Satyavati to embrace a fig tree and ask her mother to embrace a peepul tree after taking their bathe in season. And then to take the sacred Charu. Then Rishi Richika went off to the forest.
Satyavati was overwhelmed with joy and narrated all that had been told by her husband. Hearing her words, her mother told Satyavati in a soft voice, ‘O noble-hearted daughter! Everyone wishes to possess an excellent and pure son for themselves. The high-souled Richika must have prepared the Charu with the same intention. But, if we exchange these bowls, then you will have a glorious brother who will rule over the world. O my beloved daughter, let us exchange the Charu and the trees respectively intended for us.’
Thus, at her mother's request, Satyavati exchanged the bowls. When Richika came back from the forest, he could understand what had happened. He was very angry and said, ‘O excellent lady! You have not done any good to yourself. I had put the entire accumulated energy of Brahma in your Charu and Kshatriya energy in your mother’s Charu. I believed you to give birth to an excellent and virtuous son who would be famous in the three worlds and that she would give birth to an excellent Kshatriya! But unfortunately, the things are reversed- your son will be a dreadful Kshatriya and her son will be an excellent Brahmin with all the Brahma knowledge!’
Hearing his hard words, Satyavati filled with sorrow fell on her husband’s feet. She begged her husband to show mercy upon her. She said, ‘O lord! Let my grandson be such a one as you said, but not my son. Please, grant me this boon.’
Rishi Richika granted her boon. Thus, Satyavati gave birth to a blessed son Jamadagni and the wife of Gadhi (Satyavati’s mother) gave birth to the twice-born Rishi Vishwamitra. - well versed in the knowledge of Brahma! According to Satyavati’s request, Lord Parashuram was born as her grandson who killed the Kshatriyas twenty-one times!
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