How did Lord Vishnu get Goddess Lakshmi as his consort?

 In Hinduism, you will often find multiple narratives that vary or even appear to contradict one another. This is due to Kalpa Bheda, varying Sampradayas, or Kula lineages. Ultimately, the Supreme Truth is experienced and described from different perspectives.

According to texts like the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, the Devi Mahatmya, and Lakshmi Tantra, it is Mahadevi who manifests and assigns consorts to the Tridevas (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). Similarly, texts like the Varaha Mahapurana and Padma Purana state that when the Supreme Purusha manifests as the Tridevas, Para-Prakriti simultaneously manifests as the Tridevi.

However, a highly specific and fascinating account is found in the Sri Dakshinamurti Samhita, which states that Sri Hari Vishnu practiced Vaishnavi Vidya to obtain Goddess Lakshmi as his wife.

Sri Dakshinamurti Samhita, Chapter Four:

Translation: "Now, O Great Goddess, I shall describe the deity of supreme empire, by whose worship Vishnu himself became the Lord of Lakshmi (Lakshmipati)."

The Form of the Goddess

The presiding deity of this Vidya is none other than Sarva-Samrajya-Lakshmi. The text provides a Dhyana on her divine form, which Lord Vishnu utilized during his worship:

Translation: "She resembles the Atasi flower (blue flax) and is adorned with gem-studded ornaments. In six of her hands, she holds the Conch (Shanka), Discus (Chakra), Mace (Gada), Lotus (Padma), Bow (Sharnga), and Arrows (Bana). With two other hands, she displays the gestures of Boon-giving (Varada) and Fearlessness (Abhaya). Meditating thus on her eight-armed form, the wise one should perform the recitation."

This is consistent with other sources, which note that Lord Vishnu successfully undertook the Sadhana of Goddess Kamala to gain her as his eternal consort.

Kamalā Kamalā 🌺🪷

Maa Sarva Samrajya Lakshmi.

Why is Garuda considered the vehicle of Lord Vishnu?

 Garuda is the celestial falcon, who is the chariot of Bhagavan Vishnu. At the time of pralaya, only Bhagavan Vishnu was there. Bhagavan Vishnu wished to create the universe. A 14-petalled lotus emerged from Bhagavan Vishnu’s navel. From that navel came Chaturmukha Brahma. Bhagavan instructed Chaturmukha Brahma to perform the task of creation. Lord Brahma divided Himself into two parts from which two people came, namely Svayambhu Manu and Shataroopa Devi, who were the first man and woman respectively in the universe. They both had three daughters by name Akooti, Prasooti and Devahooti.

Following Bhagavan’s instructions, Brahma gave birth to children, who were born from his mind for continuing the creation. That’s why they were known as Brahma Maanasa Putras. Out of these were the 4 Kumaaras, Sage Marichi, and Daksha Prajapati. Daksha Prajapati was married to Prasooti, the daughter of Svayambhu Manu. From Daksha Prajapati and Prasooti came 14 daughters. Out of 14 daughters, 13 daughters were married to Sage Kashyapa, the son of Sage Marichi. Whereas the 14th daughter, Satidevi, was married to Lord Shiva.

Now, out of these 13 wives of Sage Kashyapa, Aditi gave birth to the devatas, Diti gave birth to the demons, Danu gave birth to the Daanavas, and so on. Now, in this answer, we require only two wives of Sage Kashyapa, namely Vinata and Kadru. They had worshipped their husband, Sage Kashyapa, with great devotion. Sage Kashyapa, pleased by their devotion, asked them to ask for a boon. Kadru asked for 1000 powerful serpent sons. Whereas Vinata asked for only 2 sons who were more powerful than all 1000 sons of Kadru combined. Sage Kashyapa blessed them with the same.

As per the blessing, Kadru laid 1000 eggs, from which the serpents led by Vaasuki, Aadishesha, etc. were born. Whereas Vinata laid 2 eggs, from which two were born - Garuda and Aruna. Aruna became the charioteer of Suryadeva. Vinata and Kadru were rivals from the beginning itself. During the Samudra Mathana, a horse named Uchhaishravas came out from the Milky Ocean. Now, Kadru and Vinata got into an argument over whether this Uchhaishravas horse was black or white. Kadru said it was black, whereas Vinata said it was white.

Both placed a bet that if Kadru won, Vinata would be her maid, whereas if Vinata won, Kadru would be her maid. Kadru, for the sake of winning the bet, asked her sons to cover the Uchhaishravas horse so that it looked black and she would win. Note that Aadishesha had already left his brothers and had gone to do penance to please Lord Brahma. Now, these serpents disagreed with Kadru to do the same. Enraged by this disobedience by her own sons, she cursed the snakes to be burnt in the fire. These snakes were later burnt in the Sarpa Satra done by King Janamejaya, the son of King Parikshita. The serpents agreed and then covered the horse, and thus from far it looked black in color, and then Kadru finally won deceitfully, and Vinata had to become her maid.

Vinata was treated as a maidservant by Kadru and her sons. Kadru used to order Vinata to do heavy tasks. She even once asked Vinata to carry her on Vinata’s back and cross the ocean to a distant island, which was the island of the serpents. Vinata had to fly across the ocean carrying Kadru on her back. She even used to torture Garuda by ordering him to carry her sons on a pleasure trip on Garuda’s back. So, they were tortured a lot by Kadru and her sons. Garuda couldn’t see his mother suffer like this, and Vinata too couldn’t see her son suffering like this. When Garuda grew up, He asked the serpent sons what ransom they would take to stop torturing his mother.

The serpent sons demanded Amrita. Garuda, agreeing to that, flew to Svarga. His power was so much that He defeated Indra and other devatas in Svarga, bypassed all the securities in the Svarga, which were kept for the protection of Amrita, and then took the Amrita from there and came out of Svarga. There Bhagavan Vishnu appeared in front of Him. He saw that Garuda hadn’t drunk the Amrita out of selfishness. On seeing His selflessness and his struggle to save his mother, Bhagavan Vishnu was pleased. Lord Vishnu asked Garuda to ask for a boon.

Garuda asked for two boons, namely: To become ageless without drinking Amrita and to be above Bhagavan Vishnu on the flag of His chariot. Lord Vishnu, on this, said, “So be it.” That’s why Bhagavan Vishnu is known as Garuda Dhvaja. Lord Vishnu instructed Garuda to be His vehicle. Garuda joyfully agreed to be the Vaahana of Bhagavan Vishnu. So, Bhagavan Vishnu accepted Garuda as His vehicle because of His sheer selflessness, kindness, and devotion towards Him. Thus, Garuda became the vehicle of Bhagavan Vishnu.

Bhagavan Vishnu also has a name ‘Vishva ’, which is the first name of Bhagavan Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranaama. One of the meanings of the name Vishva is:

1. Vishanti Asmin Ananta kalyaana gunaaha iti Vishvam: The one who is the abode of all auspicious qualities.

2. Vishati iti Vishvam: The one who is all-pervading Bhagavan.

3. Vina Garudena Shvayate Iti Vishvam: The one who has Garuda as His vehicle. ‘Vi’ in Vina stands for Garuda, the celestial falcon, which is the chariot of Bhagavan Vishnu.

Since Bhagavan has Garuda as His Vaahana, He is also known as Vishvam. Actually, there are 100 meanings for the word Vishva, but these are a few meanings of the name Vishva.

Now, when Garuda brought the Amrita from the heavens, He kept it in front of the serpents, His step-brothers, on the Kusha grass. He advised them, “You cannot consume this Amrita when you are impure. First go and have a bath and become pure, then come and have it. Now, that I have brought Amrita for you, release my mother from slavery.” The serpents were overjoyed, and they declared Vinata free from slavery. They went for the bath. Here, while coming from Svarga, Garuda had made a pact with Indra. So, as the serpents went for a bath in the river, Indra came down, took the Amrita, and flew back to Svarga.

The serpents came back and saw there was no Amrita. They came and started licking the Kusha grass because they thought some drops of Amrita may have fallen. As the blade of the Kusha grass was sharp, it divided their tongues into two parts. That’s why the snakes or serpents have split tongues. And since the Kusha grass had the touch of Amrita Kalasha, they gained the property of shedding their old skin and growing a new skin. This is even today observed in snakes and serpents. Thus, this was the story of Garuda, as to how his life was, how he became the vehicle of Bhagavan Vishnu, and how he cleverly prevented the serpents from drinking the Amrita, thus gaining multiple boons from the Supreme Bhagavan Vishnu Himself.

He is equal to Aadishesha and Rudra in power, Vishnu Bhakti and knowledge, as stated in the Garuda Purana. His wife is Souparni Devi.

SriVishnuvaahana Garudaya namaha!🙏😊✨

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriGaruda Antargata SriBhaaratiramana Mukhyaprana Antargata ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

Is it true that whoever is slain by Lord Vishnu gets salvation and goes to Vaikunth?

No. It is not true. There is a misconception that whoever is slain by Bhagavan Vishnu gets salvation and goes to Vaikuntha, the supreme abode of Bhagavan Vishnu. Some even say that, “No matter with what bhaava you see Bhagavan, your mind is contemplating Bhagavan, whether it is by Bhakti or hatred.” This sounds nice to say and hear, but it's NOT the reality.

You CANNOT attain Bhagavan by mere hatred. Bhagavan can ONLY be attained by BHAKTI and nothing else. Yes, Bhagavan in the Bhagavad Gita does say that ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् । Bhagavan NEVER intends to say, ‘Approach me with hatred, and I will bestow you Moksha or salvation.’ If you approach Him with enmity, He reciprocates accordingly. Kamsa had enmity toward Krishna. But ultimately, when Krishna came to Mathura to kill him, Kamsa saw Yamaraja or his death in Krishna.

If one could attain Vaikuntha just by hating Bhagavan, then why should we practice Bhakti to Bhagavan? Everyone could have hated Him, thus being slain by Him and then attained liberation. What is the need for Bhakti then? Why do the shaastras emphasize more on doing Bhakti? Why don’t the shaastras teach us to hate Bhagavan then?? Here, some people even say that hatred is also a kind of devotion to Bhagavan. But the answer is a big NO.

Hatred is NEVER the way for liberation and CAN NEVER please Bhagavan. If that was the case, then Prahlada Maharaja would have mentioned hatred as one of the nine forms of devotion. Then it would have been 10. But he doesn’t mention it. Bhakti never means to hate Bhagavan. Bhakti is knowing the greatness of Bhagavan, plus simultaneously loving Him causelessly like an unbroken flow of oil. Without this Bhakti, liberation is never possible.

Now you might ask, “In the Bhagavatam, Pootana attained Sadgati after being killed by Krishna, Kamsa attained Sadgati after being killed by Krishna, Shishupala’s soul in the form of a light entered Krishna when He killed Shishupala. Don’t all these instances prove that all those whom Bhagavan Vishnu, as Krishna or Rama, slew attained His Parama Dhaama Vaikuntha?” These instances superficially do indicate the fact that the people whom Bhagavan Vishnu slew attained Vaikuntha, but the reality is different.

SriMadhvacharya, in His granthas, clarifies this misconception. All these people like Pootana, Kamsa, Shishupala, Dantavakra, Raavana, Kumbhakarna, etc. were split personalities (not in medical terms). There were two souls present in these people. This concept is known as Jiva dvaya avesha, which means ‘Presence of two souls in the body’. In the case of Pootana, there were two jivas within her, namely Taataki and Urvashi. Urvashi, due to the curse of Kubera, had to be born like this. In the case of Kamsa, there was Kaalanemi as well as Sage Bhrigu in him. That’s why when Kamsa thought of Krishna the whole day, inside it was Sage Bhrigu who was contemplating Krishna, whereas when Kamsa hated Krishna, then it was Kaalanemi named demon, who was hating Krishna.

In the same way, in Hiranyaksha-Hiranyakashyapu, Raavana and Kumbhakarna, Shishupaala and Dantavakra, there were two souls, namely Jaya (gatekeeper of Vaikuntha) and Adi Hiranyakashyapu, and Vijaya(another gatekeeper of Vaikuntha) and Adi Hiranyaksha. As we have devatas, we have demons too. Among demons, the foremost and best among the demons is Kali Purusha. After that comes Viprachitti, and below them both come Adi Hiranyaksha and Adi Hiranyakashyapu. So, both of them are inherently tamasik and have great hatred for Bhagavan Vishnu. [Source: HKS by SriJagannatha Dasaru]

Now coming to the point, when Bhagavan slew Pootana, the Urvashi present within Pootana attained Sadgati and got freed from the curse, because she fed the breast milk to Krishna with devotion, whereas the Taataki present within Pootana attained hell, because she fed the poison to Krishna with hatred. Same in the case of Kamsa. Sage Bhrigu attained Sadgati, whereas Kaalanemi attained hell. In the same way, in the case of Raavana-Kumbhakarna and Shishupala-Dantavakra, Jaya and Vijaya attained Vaikuntha, whereas the Adi Hiranyaksha and Adi Hiranyakashyapu attained hell. So, the soul which came in the form of light, which entered Krishna, after killing Shishupala, was Jaya. The Adi Hiranyakashyapu within Shishupala attained hell. When Lord Varahadeva and Lord Narasimhadeva killed Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyapu, Jaya and Vijaya attained Vaikuntha, whereas the Adi Hiranyaksha and Adi Hiranyakashyapu entered hell.

At last, all the noble souls like Jaya, Vijaya, Urvashi, and Sage Bhrigu will attain liberation, because they are inherently the devotees of Bhagavan Vishnu, whereas the evil souls like Taataki, Adi Hiranyaksha, Adi Hiranyakashyapu, Kaalanemi, etc. will attain the eternal hell, by the name Andha Tamas.

So, the reality is, no amount of hatred can ever lead to the pleasure of Bhagavan Vishnu. Only and only by true and unadulterated devotion can we attain Him. Hope this clears the doubt!

REMEMBER:

भक्त्यैकलभ्यः पुरुषोत्तमोऽसि जगत्प्रसूतिस्थितिनाशहेतो ।
अकिञ्चनं नान्यगतिं शरण्यं गृहाण मां क्लेशिनम् अम्बुजाक्ष ॥
O lotus-eyed Supreme Lord, You are attainable only through pure devotion. You are the cause of the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe. I possess nothing, have no other refuge, and am filled with suffering. O ultimate shelter, please accept me under Your protection.

[Jitante Stotra by Lord Brahmadeva, Paancharaatra Aagama]

Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

How did Shesha become the bed of Lord Vishnu?

 Even before creation, only one being existed. Lord Vishnu, in His child-form, was lying on the banyan leaf, sucking His toe, in the Ksheerasaagara. He wished for creation. He assumed His 4-armed form. From Lord Vishnu’s navel came Lord Brahma. From Lord Brahma came Sage Marichi. Sage Kashyapa is the son of Sage Marichi. He was married to 13 daughters of Daksha Prajapati, who was also a son of Lord Brahma.

Out of these 13 wives of Sage Kashyapa, Kadru and Vinata were the mothers of the serpents and Garuda, respectively. Out of these serpents, Shesha was the eldest one. But he was very noble in nature. He was devoted to Bhagavan. But his siblings were very bad in nature. So, disgusted by their nature, Shesha left his home and did deep penance for several years. He went to Badarikashrama, Gandhamadana, Gokarna, and Pushkara Kshetras and did an intense penance. Pleased by his penance, Lord Brahma appeared in front of him and asked him to ask for a boon.

But instead of asking for anything temporary, he asked for the permanent devotion to Lord Vishnu and to remain anchored in righteousness. Lord Brahma granted that boon to Shesha, plus assigned him the task of lifting the whole Bhumandala or Bhugola on his hoods, because the Bhumandala was destabilizing at that time. This Bhumandala consists of 14 lokas, such as Satyaloka, the above-most loka, Tapoloka, Janoloka, Maharloka, svarloka, bhuvarloka, and bhuloka. Bhuloka is where we live. Below Bhuloka are Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala, and Patala lokas. Below this Patala loka is Shesha lifting the whole Bhumandala. The serpents in Paatala loka worship Lord Sankarshana, residing within Shesha. This whole Bhumandala is of the size of a mustard seed on the hoods of Sheshadeva.

So, as per the instructions of Lord Brahma, to stabilize the earth, Shesha held up the earth on his thousand hoods. The Bhagavata Purana states that Shesha holds the whole Brahmanda on his hoods, and that the whole Brahmanda is just as the size of a mustard seed. By seeing Shesha’s bhakti towards Bhagavan and his selflessness, Lord Vishnu was very much pleased and thus accepted him as His bed. Shesha reclined on the Ksheerasagara, and Lord Vishnu rested on him. Thus, Shesha became the bed of Lord Vishnu.

Shesha has both, the serpent form, as well as devata form. In his devata form, he is white in color, with a crown on his head and adorned with ornaments and wears Neelambara. He has joined both of his hands in reverence. In the other two hands, he is holding a plough and a dandaayudha (a cylindrical club). Vaaruni Devi is his wife and is seated on his left thigh. This Shesha in his serpent form can be seen behind Lord Vishnu. Within Aadishesha, Lord Vishnu is present as Lord Sankarshana. So, Aadishesha worships the Lord Sankarshana present within him.

Shesha who was holding this Brahmanda (as discussed above in the Bhagavata Purana section), is further held by SriMukhyaprana Vayudeva. Even during the Ramavatara, when Lakshmana was hit by Ravana, he fainted. At that time Ravana tried to lift Lakshmana. Lakshmana at that time remembered his original form which is, Aadishesha form with which he lifted the whole Brahmanda on his hoods. Ravana couldn’t even lift Lakshmana. Hanumanji, the incarnation of Mukhyaprana Vayudeva, lifted Lakshmana easily and brought him to Lord Rama. So, the point is Mukhyaprana Vayudeva lifts Aadishesha, who lifts the Brahmanda on his hoods. And this Mukhyaprana Vayudeva is further lifted by Lord Vishnu, in His Kurma form.

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

Is it true that Lord Shiva is a devotee of Lord Vishnu and vice-versa?

 Mahadev is the greatest Vaishnav and Narayan is greatest Shaiva.

Vishnu worships Shiva in his every incarnation.

Krishna did penance for many years meditating on Shiv-Shakti to get a boon regarding his children.

Ram send Hanuman to get a Shivlinga from Kashi, before leaving for Lanka, but, fearing that his prayer will be delayed to Mahadev he himself made a Shivlinga(Rameshwar temple).

Shivlinga is also found in Ayodhya, Ram janam bhoomi, when the land levelling was done. Shiva also provided Ram with the knowledge of Ishwar Geeta.

Parshuram Mahadev temple(Rajasthan) is the temple of Shiva made by Parshuram(6th incarnation of Vishnu) himself by cutting the rock with the fence, had performed rigorous penance for many years of Lord Shiva. On the basis of austerity, he had received Dhanush, Akshay Tumar and Divya Charias from Lord Shiva.

Shiva on the other hand always meditates on Vishnu.

Gopeshwar Mahadev is another temple which brings out the beauty of their relationship.Where Mahadev took a form of Gopi to enter Raasleela and Krishna realizing that Shiva is there declared that he should be worshiped every time before entering the Raas.

One can’t be a pure devotee if he/she is praying to one and disrespecting the other.

Is it a misconception that Parasurama is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu?

 A Vaishnava-based answer ahead…

No. Lord Parashurama is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is very important to know which are Lord Vishnu’s avatars and which are not. Out of the infinite forms of Lord Vishnu, which are non-different from each other, Parashurama is also a form. Here are some proofs of Lord Parashurama being an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

यमाहुर्वासुदेवांशं हैहयानां कुलान्तकम् ।
त्रि:सप्तकृत्वो य इमां चक्रे नि:क्षत्रियां महीम् ॥ १४ ॥
Learned scholars accept this Paraśurāma as the celebrated incarnation of Vāsudeva who annihilated the dynasty of Kārtavīrya. Paraśurāma killed all the kṣatriyas on earth twenty-one times.
[SrimadBhagavatam, 9.15.14]

evaḿ bhṛguṣu viśvātmā
bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ
avatīrya paraḿ bhāraḿ
bhuvo 'han bahuśo nṛpān
In this way the supreme soul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord and the supreme controller, descended as an incarnation in the Bhṛgu dynasty and released the universe from the burden of undesirable kings by killing them many times.
[SrimadBhagavatam 9.16.27]

जामदग्‍न्योऽपि भगवान् राम: कमललोचन: ।
आगामिन्यन्तरे राजन् वर्तयिष्यति वै बृहत् ॥ २५ ॥
My dear King Parīkṣit, in the next manvantara the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead Lord Paraśurāma, the son of Jamadagni, will be a great propounder of Vedic knowledge. In other words, he will be one of the seven sages.
[SrimadBhagavatam, 9.16.25]

Appearing in the forms of a swan, a tortoise, a fish, O foremost of regenerate ones, I shall then display myself as a boar, then as a Man-lion (Nrisingha), then as a dwarf, then as Rama of Bhrigu's race, then as Rama, the son of Dasaratha, then as Krishna the scion of the Sattwata race, and lastly as Kalki. When the auditions in the Vedas disappeared from the world, I brought them back. The Vedas with the auditions in them were re-created by me in the Krita age.

In the Treta age I shall take birth as Rama in the race of Bhrigu, and exterminate the Kshatriyas who will become proud of their strength and possessions.
[Mahabharata, Shanti Parva]

Even SriMadhvacharya in His Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya says that, “Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki, Hari, Vedavyasa, Aitareya, Kapila Vaasudeva, Dattatreya, Badavalana, Dhanvantari, Mohini, Hayagriva, Yagya, Taapasa, Narayana, Rishabhadeva, etc. are verily Lord Vishnu Himself and there is no difference between Lord Vishnu and His avataras.”

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita says that He is the one who is worshipped in all the yagyas. There is a yagya by the name Vaishvadeva, which is done for anna shuddhi; the main Bhagavadroopa who is being worshipped is Lord Parashurama roopi Narayana residing within Agnideva. Parashurama is the antaryami roopa or the indwelling form within Agni. Even when we show Naivedya to Bhagavan Vishnu, Bhagavan accepts the Naivedya in His Kurma roopa, smells the Naivedya in Narasimha roopa, and gives it to Lakshmidevi. Then He gives one glance at the Naivedya in His Parashurama roopa, which is then accepted by other devatas as Bhagavat prasaada.

If you have a question regarding the Parashurama and Rama encounter in Treta yuga, you can refer to this answer of mine. In this, I have explained why it happened and all, as per SriMadhvacharya’s Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya.

SriNarayana Dasa

· Jul 7

How does the Madhva Siddhanta explain the spiritual significance of the encounter between Lord Rama and Lord Parashurama after the breaking of Shiva’s bow?

This answer will be purely based on Madhva Siddhanta. THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA STORY OF RAMA AND PARASHURAMA: The Valmiki Ramayana states that when Lord Rama married Sitadevi, Lakshmana married Urmiladevi, Bharata married Mandavidevi, and Shatrughna married Shrutakirtidevi. King Dasharatha, along with his sons and daughters-in-law, was coming to Ayodhya after the marriage. He saw some bad omens. The animals and birds were moving toward his left; they were making weird sounds, and King Dasharatha's heart was filled with foreboding. King Dasharatha was worried about it and asked Sage Vasistha, the kula-guru of the Solar dynasty. Sage Vasistha too saw these omens and replied, indicating towards the incoming fear. Suddenly, Lord Parashurama appeared. He looked like a blazing ritual-fire, with a matted tuft shining like molten gold. He was holding an axe in one hand and a bow in the other, and was shining with such a radiance that common people could not even see Him. Sage Vasistha and other brahmanas who were present there immediately went and offered arghya, paadya, achamana, etc. to Lord Parashurama. King Dasharatha was most concerned about his eldest son, Rama, who had just married Sitadevi. He feared that Lord Parashurama, being the destroyer of the kshatriyas, could harm Lord Rama. But his fear became reality. Lord Parashurama directly approached Lord Rama and said, “O Rama! I have heard a lot about your valor from the killing of the wicked Taataka, and protecting the sacrifice of the sages to the lifting of the mighty bow of Lord Shiva like a toy. I am greatly impressed by it.” Lord Parashurama said, “The bow which you broke was the bow of Lord Shiva. The bow that I have in my hand is Lord Vishnu’s bow. Long ago, Vishvakarma made both of these bows and gave them to Lakshmipati Narayana and Umapati Shiva. The devatas prayed for both of them to have a fight, wherein Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva stood in front of each other. Lord Vishnu, just with a humkaara (‘Hum’ sound), froze Lord Shiva. After that, Lord Vishnu was declared the winner and the supreme God. So, this is Vishnu’s bow, which I am currently holding. And this bow can only and only be lifted by Lord Vishnu and nobody else. I challenge you to a duel. Lift this bow.” Hearing the words of Lord Parashurama, Lord Rama, the husband of Ramaa, took the bow from Lord Parashurama’s hand and lifted it as if it were a toy and put the arrow on it, and teased Lord Parashurama, saying that He had been defeated. Lord Parashurama praised Lord Rama as verily Lord Vishnu. Lord Rama offered Lord Parashurama two options: first, He would destroy Lord Parashurama’s punya lokas, which He earned, and second, He would destroy Lord Parashurama’s tapas shakti by which He could go and arrive at Mount Mahendra. Lord Parashurama chose the first option, and Lord Rama shot the arrow towards it. Lord Parashurama disappeared. This is what is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana. HOW DOES SRIMADHVACHARYA PROVIDE NIRNAYA ON THIS STORY?? SriMadhvacharya, in His Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya, says that Lord Parashurama is verily Lord Vishnu Himself. Many assume that Lord Rama broke the arrogance of Lord Parashurama. But SriMadhvacharya says that Lord Parashurama cannot have arrogance at all, because He is Lord Vishnu Himself. As Lord Parashurama said, ‘This bow cannot be lifted by anyone except Lord Vishnu.’ If Lord Parashurama is not Lord Vishnu, then how can He hold the bow of Lord Vishnu? Lord Parashurama held it in His hand. Therefore, it proves that Lord Parashurama is Lord Vishnu Himself. Lord Vishnu is devoid of all faults; therefore, known as Narayana. Therefore, the reason why Lord Parashurama came was different. There was a demon named Atula. This Atula-named demon had done penance to please Lord Brahma and asked the boon: “May I never die no matter whatever bad sins I perform, and should not attain hell.” Lord Brahma, listening to Atula’s words, said thus, “O demon, you will not die and attain hell only on one condition. When the thought that ‘Narayana is defeated’ comes to mind, you will die on the spot. Otherwise, you will never die.” Thus, obtaining a boon from Lord Brahma, Atula did the penance to please Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva, pleased by his penance, appeared in front of him, and Atula asked, ‘I should enter the body of Lord Vishnu.' to which Lord Shiva said, “So be it”. Therefore, Atula entered Lord Parashurama’s navel region. He knew Lord Vishnu could never be defeated; therefore, He entered Lord Parashurama’s navel region so that He would remain safe. Now, when Lord Parashurama came and challenged Lord Rama for lifting the bow, and Lord Rama lifted the bow of Lord Vishnu and put an arrow on it and gave Lord Parashurama two choices, Lord Parashurama acted as if He accepted His defeat. Lord Rama, too, teased Lord Parashurama happily that He got defeated. The Atula who was sitting within got frightened since the thought came, ‘Lord Parashurama, who is Narayana Himself, has been defeated.’ Therefore, feared thus, Atula came out. Lord Rama, in the guise of destroying Lord Parashurama’s punya lokas, which He had gained, hit the arrow. At the same time, Atula came out and was hit by Lord Rama’s arrow, and the demon died. After this, Lord Rama and Lord Parashurama merged with each other to show the world that they are both the same and then separated again into their two visible forms. After that, Lord Parashurama disappeared. Thus, to destroy this Atula-named demon, Lord Parashurama approached Lord Rama, not because of arrogance, which is a materialistic attribute. SriMadhvacharya says, this is mentioned in the Moola Ramayana, which is written by Lord Hayagriva, who is verily Lord Vishnu. This is evident from the Matsya Purana that Lord Hayagriva was the original composer of the Ramayana. This Moola Ramayana contains 100 Crore shlokas, but nowadays it is not easily available. Lord Hayagriva told this Ramayana to Lord Brahma, and Lord Brahma told this to Naarada Maharshi. Naarada Maharshi told this to Sage Valmiki (which we see in the Balakanda first sarga). Sage Valmiki wrote the Valmiki Ramayana. So, SriMadhvacharya quotes from the Moola Ramayana, which is one of the Sadaagama. Hope this helps! Jay SriRam! ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

In the Vishnu Sahasranama too, there is a name of Lord Vishnu by the name “सुधन्वाखण्डपरशुर्दारुणो द्रविणप्रदः ।” where Akhanda parashuh means the one possessing an unbroken axe, and we know it is Lord Parashurama only. Plus, He is also considered one of the Dashavatara of Lord Vishnu.

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

Why does Lord Vishnu not prevent Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma from giving boons to Asuras?

 This is because of the roles of Trideva.

Hero doesn't stop director or script writer from making villain a powerful character that would create chaotic situations in film.

What does that mean?

Let me explain it by simplifying it and explaining it in layman's language.

I really enjoy explaining about the world and Sanatan Dharma by simplifying it as a movie. Even Niralamba Upanishad states that this world is not real, the only Reality is God (ब्रह्म सत्यं जगत मिथ्या). One Eternal Consciousness is Real, otherwise Maya that takes us away from non-duality and keep us attach to this world.

Let us consider the world as a film. We need to understand the roles of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. We have 33 Koti Devi Devtas and each of them have different roles though there is one Ultimate Consciousness Para Brahman that has these many forms.

So Brahma is the creator, which means he is the script writer ✍️, He is Vidhata and he is the dispenser of the destiny of all the characters including positive and negative.

Now since the writer has to prepare a fair script, giving the scope to all characters, Brahma does give the boons to Asuras in that sense.

Then we have the Preserver, Vishnu. He is Bhagwan, the central character, the lead hero of the movie.

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥ (4.7)
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्‌।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥

Whenever Adharma dominates, He incarnates in various forms, defeats the Asuras and establishes Dharma. This is the exact work of a hero, Vishnu as Varaha slays Hiranyaksha.

As Narsimha he slays Hiranyakshap.

As Parshuram he slays Sahasra Bahu.

As Shri Ram, he slayed Ravan, Kumbhakaran and others.

As Shri Krishna he slayed Kansa, Shishupal and many others.

And in his last incarnation as Kalki, he will again defeat the evil and restore the order of the world.

So Vishnu is the main hero while Indra and other Devtas are the supporting characters. You will never see Vishnu giving boons to Asuras because he is the hero who has to defeat the villains.

Now let's come to Shiva. He has an entirely different role although. He is Ishwar. He is the main director of the film who has the authority of running this world in the way he feels like.

A director is also like hero but in a different way. Hero has to directly fight with evil characters and defeat them. So Vishnu enters the system and brings order and balance. But Shiva is more transcendental in a sense that he remains out of the system, he remains in Samadhi but has his third eye open to see the world, just like the director monitors every scene from behind the scenes.

A director does not differentiate between hero and villain when it comes to providing them the roles. He has to provide role to every character, so in the film, villain also has the scenes where he is dominating the good characters, just like Asuras after getting boons would defeat Devtas and capture Swarg Lok. So everyone worships Shiva, be it Devtas, Asuras, Rishis, Munis, or all others. Every character, either positive or negative has to maintain good relationship with the director.

So it's not a wrong thing done by Shiva or even Brahma. This is the role of the main director and also of the script writer/casting director to assemble the characters in film and give them their powerful roles.

So Mahadev is the one who can even change the script written by Brahma, like if director wants to make changes in script, he can definitely do that. Just like Rishi Markandeya was supposed to live only for 16 years, but since he being a positive character showed his potential and was a great devotee of Mahakal, he got the boon from Shiva and was saved by him from Yamraj. Similarly negative characters also got some or the other boons depending on their potential and Tapasya they did to impress the director Shiva.

So Vishnu doesn't stop Brahma or Shiva from giving boons to Asuras because none of them are wrong. They are all knowing and do their work.

Since the hero is the dearest character of the director and in the end of the film, the director would definitely support hero only. Hero is the exact projection of director's idea about the film and perhaps hero is the one who makes director's film hit and hero also needs director to thrive in his role. Director and hero complete each other.

So Narayan is the dearest of Shiva and that's why they always support each other.

So I hope my answer would help in understanding Sanatan Dharma better with the help of cinematic perspective.

Jai Brahma 🙏Jai Vishnu🙏Jai Mahesh 🙏