Lord Parashuram and Agni:

According to Madhvacharya (the founder of the Dvaita Vedanta school), Lord Parashurama resides in fire (Agni).

Madhvacharya identifies Agni (fire god) as an avatara (incarnation) of Lord Parashurama in his tattvavāda (dualistic philosophy). This interpretation is rooted in his analysis of Vedic texts and his belief in multiple concurrent manifestations of the same deity.

Madhva interprets the Shatapatha Bramhana mantra (1.12.1) "Agnir vai kṣatriyaḥ. Sa vā etām agnimindhate."

(Agni is indeed a Kshatriya) as supporting the view that Agni is Parashurama himself, who was a Brahmana by birth but performed Kshatriya duties by destroying evil rulers.

This idea is further supported in his Tantrasara Sangraha and other works, where he assigns Vishnu's amsha (divine aspect) to various deities including Agni, identifying Agni with Parashurama. He identifies Agni as a form or manifestation of Vishnu through Parashurama. This is based on Vedic interpretation and Madhva’s unique mapping of amsha-avataras.

Madhvacharya introduces a distinctive concept in his Dvaita Vedanta known as amsha-avataras—partial incarnations of Vishnu where different deities are considered to embody or represent aspects of Vishnu.

In this framework, Agni (the fire god) is seen as an amsha (partial manifestation) of Parashurama, who is himself an amsha of Vishnu.

Madhva holds that Vishnu’s avataras are eternal, even if they are not visible to us at all times. Parashurama, in particular, is said to live on till the end of Kali Yuga, and thus must have a current abode.

Madhvacharya draws inferences from the Rigveda, Mahabharata, and Pancharatra texts, and provides his unique commentary in various works. Relevant references include:

a. Shatapatha Bramhana (1.12.1) reference – “Agnirvai Kshatriyaḥ”

This phrase literally means “Agni is indeed a Kshatriya.”

Madhva interprets this to mean that Agni represents Parashurama, who though born a Brahmana, took on the Kshatriya dharma to destroy evil rulers.

Thus, Agni and Parashurama are identified.

b. Tantrasara Sangraha

In this lesser-known but crucial work, Madhvacharya lists the amsha-avataras and explicitly identifies Agni with Parashurama.

c. Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya

Madhva’s epic commentary on the Mahabharata repeatedly confirms that Parashurama is still living, and his current residence is within Agni.

He is said to emerge again during the end of Kali Yuga to teach martial knowledge to Kalki (the future avatara of Vishnu).

Madhva’s system assigns hierarchies and identities to various deities. According to his classification:

Deity Identified with

Agni: Parashurama

Vayu: Hanuman / Bhima / Madhva

Chandra: Brahma

Surya: Narayana (amsha)

This mapping is not metaphorical, but ontological. He believed that the real divine being behind the fire god Agni is Parashurama.

In Madhva tradition (Haridasa Sahitya and Mutt teachings), followers accept that: 'Agni is a living deity, not just a physical force. Parashurama resides in Agni, both symbolically and metaphysically. During Vedic yajnas, invoking Agni is also a way to honor Parashurama indirectly'.

Parashurama is eternally alive and will return in the future through Agni.

🙏 Namo Narasimha 🙏