Slowly burning was the body of the sage,

Raam's thoughts found no language.

At the last ember's dieing out

He picked up his axe without a doubt.

This time he walked to palace

With determination, average pace.

One akshauhinee army was standing to welcome,

That Parashuraam then had to ram

To reach Kritaveerya's descendants,

In God's world immoral tenants,

Who think they are the owner of the world,

Wherever went would be their flag whirled.

Strong chariots more than twenty thousand,

More than hundred thousand infantry band,

More than twenty thousand elephants and

Cavalry crossing number sixty-five thousand.

One akshauhinee militia that makes,

Any offence to capital that breaks.

Raam stood awhile and watched the regiment,

His goal-defying vast impediment.

He clasped his hands Parashu handling,

The greatness of Shiv filled his being.

To the Power he pranaam offered,

Recollected how his father suffered.

No plan. He dived at instant,

Wielding axe with rage blatant,

Towards the sea-like gathering mass,

His confidence schemes surpass.

Archers fired hundreds of arrows

To the hero equalling thousand heroes.

They missed his velocity extraordinary,

Incoming missiles easily to parry.

The ones reaching got bounced off

By his axe heavy, rough.

Sometimes jumping, cutting the arrows,

When archers, at last, downed the bows.

His jumps made pace accelerated;

The shower of arrows markedly abated

As the quivers got out of stock.

The dhanurdhaarees thus failed to block

The so-called demon's rapid advance.

Then began his taandav dance,

The dance that Mahaadev at pralay dances,

Reducing royalty's defence chances.

What energy the fire at cremation brought?

Did it overwhelm as he fought?

Moving like tornado, hitting with heavy axe,

At once shifting with no sign of tracks,

Tremendously agile, going in rounds,

By enemies untouched, invisibility bounds,

Like a whirlwind, hitting you out,

Incoming weapons all to flout.

The moment he is seen is the moment he is gone,

Like in swirling waters a crocodile ran.

The heavy axe with great strength

Cracked the armors and reached the veins.

Before a soldier hits him with sword

He has moved away to another horde.

Boxing, kicking, with axe thundering,

Each blow straight death to bring.

His each box their hard skulls broke,

His each chop made their necks choke.

His forehead blows made two bleeding,

One fainted, another brought to kneeling.

He drove his axe as if in air,

Severed some heads of souls bare.

A leader attacked a horse driving.

It's head got cut off, death to bring.

It was falling on the opposite side,

But an enemy from Raam can never hide.

He pulled the rider his komarbandh by,

Target of Raam cannot death defy.

With large left palm he gripped his neck,

Neckbone brittle instantly to break.

The cavalry broke out, a swarm of waves.

Tireless, Raam aggressively braves

The horde of knights single-handed.

The horse died of the leader commanded

When Raam jumped and hit with elbow

Its forehead with powerful blow.

A killing daanav, a juggernaut as if,

Made a terrible massacre short, brief.

Extremely energetic, with great body mass,

Great power all hindrance to pass,

Fear-evoking great warring skill

In subdued hearts depression to fill

Among evildoers to bring dominance,

Hopefully hint of goodness-resonance.

Hitting horses' stomachs, ribs,

Hitting with axe the legs that gives

Detached legs of moaning horses,

Prayed for death each embraces.

Above the riders the horses fell,

The war zone now filled with yell.

All around animals wounded, dead,

Warfield drenched with blood bled.

The horses living found difficult to ride,

Riders had only each other to chide

As the ground became thoroughly uneven

With corpses of horses. Wayward driven,

The cavalry charge lost sharpness,

Baring royalty's battle finesse.

With ashwas cut in attack decisive,

Ashwaarohees found their byuha divisive-

Formations they form in offence and defence

To lure the enemy, or create suspense.

Devoid of horses, the riders took out

Asis- swords- to altogether clout

The terrible upstart- from their kosshes- scabbards-

With ferocious faces, hands upwards-

Beautifully designed, engraved in wood,

Harbinger of death looking not so rude.

They ran towards the braahman from hell,

Like the infantry they only fell

To swirling of axe like leaves in breeze,

As Raam cuts down the branches of trees.

Now the battlefield is filled with corpses-

Scattered pieces of men and horses.

Seeing the massacre before their eyes,

Hearing heart-wrenching all sorts of cries,

Hearts shrunk of experienced charioteers,

Minds were filled with all sorts of fears.

Many ferocious battles they had seen,

Such one man army never had been.

Whatever you are, God comes tenfold,

Snakes, jackals or tigers bold.

God shows you are nothing to Him,

In your efforts, your chances are grim.

The talents, power that you establish

To dominate or to accomplish,

Are peanuts to Him, gives the realisation

At your death or ultimate destruction.

Rathees their dharma followed

With sunken eyes, hearts hollowed.

Each rath bound with horses four,

Decorated with gilded iron they bore.

All raths decorated with wooden design,

As predatoring eagle's inside fine.

An wooden umbrella in the middle fixed,

Chariots advancing thus commixed.

Quadruple horses made their pace vigorous,

Raam frowned at his task rigorous.

They are intelligent, don't give war-cry,

In concentrated attack their enemy die.

They move fast, hit and go,

Bewildering the attacking foe.

An arrow unneeded, their horses trample,

Can moul an infantry chariots ample.

The senaapati- army chief- shouted for attack,

On Parashuraam the charioteers did crack.

Before palace were lying heaps of bodies,

Soldiers, horses and all sundries.

As if a mountainous terrain arisen,

The chariots were difficultly driven.

Parashuraam drove his axe on horses,

Three got cut off as the axe pierces.

He pounded on charioteer, hit with hilt,

Skull under crown heavily built

Broke as the poor chap fell on earth,

Will he learn more in after-birth?

The rathees showered arrow-rain,

Previous story to run again.

Like lightning Raam advanced forward

At speed hitherto unseen, unheard.

The arrows missed target, way behind,

Soon he was before them to find.

The powerful archers aimed straight,

Now the bait is at the gate.

With one chop he destroyed horses, or chariots,

And moved to another before the shots.

Soon in heaps horses, chariots fell,

How much to tell the telling tale?

Then rushed the tornado as before,

The fate of the archers- all blood and gore.

Arjun's sons were watching all these,

It was but time for their souls' release,

They realised, they hurriedly discussed,

Now their defence is open bust.

Hoarsely cried, ''Order the elephants!''

Who is the elephant? Who are the ants?

With bringhan- trumpet- the elephants of war

Advanced, destroyer of all kinds of bar.

Enemies perish before their pillar-legs,

Or run for life, and the king begs.

Parashuraam's chops made their legs disassemble,

The maahuts on top in fear to tremble.

Raam jumped up, from the side,

Head to head to match an elephant's might.

From his all-destroying axe a devastating blow

Severed head of the animal- on mud did show.

He came down, an elephant coming,

Broken tusk with great pain only to bring.

He broke once Shree Ganesh's task,

The petty powerful's counter was thoroughly brusque.

The one who fought with Shakti's son,

His match in world has never been born.

From the flank, hit another stomach,

All inside parts out to crack.

Against ribs another got hit,

Broken bones were in pieces bit.

From front, body down, he hit below,

The heart got chocked at massive blow.

By then many him surrounded,

He curled and dived, ground bounded.

From underneath a beast, out he came,

Ran to open space from them.

The trunkers chased, Parashuraam ran,

His speed is theirs greater than.

No man can surpass a tusker in speed,

But Parashuraam is a superman indeed.

We all are Supermen, overwhelming Our heart,

When we know Our True Self, what We art.

Creating a distance, he turned around,

Threw his axe a grand head bound.

The heavy, fine axe broke a skull,

Turning the owner's life to null.

It vanished, at the beast's falling;

Murmuring of mantra again to bring.

He took out his bow, hit arrows after arrows;

Piercing of heads, one after other follows.

At Jayadhwaj's order, all fell out-

Remaining of army- against the stout.

Still a massive crowd, roaringly gaining,

Even to Parashuraam that was straining.

Applying an arrow, he a mantra recollected,

Dazzling of the arrow instantly affected.

It went to the sky with sound thunderous,

All through its body white fire to pass.

Paashupataastra! The Paashupat weapon!

Destroyer of world, of anything to leap on;

Energy of Pashupati, the Lord of Animals,

That is Shiv, devourer of credentials.

It fell on army- soldiers, chariots,

Elephants, horses- the light furious

Entered into bodies of all living or not-

Quick, great flames and then ashes hot.

With great sincerety these weapons to be used,

In accepting and applying, cannot be abused.

What remained were Arjun's 100 sons,

The King in front, now gone are pawns.

Jayadhwaj, Shoorsen, Vrishabh, Madhu and

Oorjit instructed the rest of band

To surround and destroy the destroyer,

While they fled, cowardlyness-buyer.

Brave, very good warriors were the brothers,

Parashuraam was facing just not others.

Powerful arrows Raam wounded,

First time his blood got shed

Other than scratches merely inflicted,

But Raam fought on unrestricted.

His bow got cut off, with axe he fought,

That altogether their death brought.

Parashuraam journeyed for his hut,

Victorious of great battle, but

Mind blank, staggering a bit,

Frowning, head stooped, as if in a pit.

He proudly looked at his blood oozing

From his arm, strength to bring.

At his door was standing

A luminous man, respect-generating.

''Namah, I am Indra, Mahaadev sent me,

My Vijay- Victory bow yours to be.

It was once given by Him,

You fight with this the malicious, grim.''