Question

If mother is superior to father then why did Parashurama kill his mother on his father’s command?

Answer

So why did Parashurama obey his father's command ?

This is answered in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

राम: सञ्चोदित: पित्रा भ्रातृन् मात्रा सहावधीत् । प्रभावज्ञो मुने: सम्यक् समाधेस्तपसश्च स: ॥ ६ ॥

Jamadagni then ordered his youngest son, Paraśurāma, to kill his brothers, who had disobeyed this order, and his mother, who had mentally committed adultery. Lord Paraśurāma, knowing the power of his father, who was practiced in meditation and austerity, killed his mother and brothers immediately.

उत्तस्थुस्ते कुशलिनो निद्रापाय इवाञ्जसा । पितुर्विद्वांस्तपोवीर्यं रामश्चक्रे सुहृद्वधम् ॥ ८ ॥

Thereafter, by the benediction of Jamadagni, Lord Paraśurāma’s mother and brothers immediately came alive and were very happy, as if awakened from sound sleep. Lord Paraśurāma had killed his relatives in accordance with his father’s order because he was fully aware of his father’s power, austerity and learning.

But nowhere does this Purana say that this killing was in accordance with dharma. In fact, the Mahabharata says this was done out of wrath:

And mighty and powerful and of a wrathful turn of mind...

Also, Apastamba sutra 1.1.2.19 says:

Ācārya adhīnaḥ syād anyatra patanīyebhyaḥ || 19 ||

  1. He shall obey his teacher, except [when ordered to commit] crimes which cause loss of caste.

Killing the mother is a mahapataka, which is worse than a sin which merely causes "loss of caste".

And Manusmriti 4.162 prohibits this killing:

He shall not injure his Preceptor, or Teacher or Father, or mother, or another elder, or Brāhmaṇas, or Cows, or any persons performing austerities.

Moreover, the Mahabharata passage here explicitly says that this killing was sinful:

sa vavre mātur utthānam asmṛtiṃ ca vadhasya vai | pāpena tena cāsparśaṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ prakṛtiṃ tathā ||

He chose for his mother to be brought back to life and forget the killing, non-contact with that sin (for himself), and for his brothers to be brought back to life.

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