An incident occurred in the life of Parashurama, son of the sage Jamadagni. One day when Jamadagni’s wife went to the river to fetch water, the king Vichitravirya was going in his chariot. She was a pure-hearted lady. She just looked up to see who was going in the chariot. She was struck for a moment by the beauty of Vichitravirya. When she returned to the hermitage, Jamadagni ordered Parashurama to cut off the head of his mother. Parashurama did not flinch for a moment. Carrying out his father’s command implicitly, he cut off the head of his mother.

Jamadagni then asked his son: ‘What boon do you want? You have implicitly carried out my command.’ Parashurama said: ‘Dear father! Restore the life of my mother.’ The sage gave back her life. Implicit obedience merits its own reward. This is the inner secret of how the Divine works. (SSS Vol.24, p. 263)