Editing Kartavirya Arjuna (section)

==Encounter with Parashurama==
[[File:Parashurama killing Kartavirya Arjuna.jpg|thumb|Parashurama killing King Arjuna.]]

According to the [[Mahabharata]] and the Puranas, the most celebrated Haihaya king was Kartavirya Arjuna.<ref name="p4"/> His epithet was ''Sahasrabahu''. He was called a ''Samrat'' and ''Chakravartin''. His name is found in the [[Rig Veda]] (VIII.45.26).<ref>Misra, V.S. (2007). ''Ancient Indian Dynasties'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, {{ISBN|81-7276-413-8}}, pp.157-8</ref> He ultimately conquered [[Mahishmati]] city from [[Karkotaka|Karkotaka Naga]], a Naga chief and made it his fortress-capital.<ref name="p4"/> According to the [[Vayu Purana]], he invaded Lanka and took [[Ravana]] prisoner.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dowson|first=John|title=A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology, and Religion, Geography, History|publisher=Rupa & Co.|page=152|location=Calcutta|year=1984}}</ref> Arjuna propitiated [[Dattatreya]] and was favoured by him.<ref name="p5">Pargiter, F.E. (1972) [1922]. ''Ancient Indian Historical Tradition'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.229.</ref> Arjuna's sons killed sage [[Jamadagni]]. Jamadagni's son [[Parashurama]] in revenge killed Arjuna. Arjuna had a number of sons. His son Jayadhvaja succeeded him to the throne. Jayadhvaja was succeeded by his son Talajangha.<ref name="p4"/>

As per the Narada Purana (76:4), The Thousand Armed Sahasrabahu Arjuna was the incarnation of the Thousand Blade Sudarsana Chakra.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HD9KEAAAQBAJ&dq=kartavirya+sudarsana+incarnation&pg=PT291|title=Narada Purana Part 3: English Translation only without Slokas|date=24 October 2021|publisher=Kausiki Books}}</ref> He was born on the Earth in order to face the power of Vishnu in the contest with the [[Shaktyavesha Avatar]] Parashurama. In most accounts, Kartavirya is described as a righteous king, who eventually became egotistical. The kshatriyas of his age, on account of their war with the Bhargava clan over property, became unrighteous and began oppressing and slaying innocent Brahmins, etc. On this count, the Jivatma Parashurama (destined to be a future Saptarishi) was born with the God Vishnu's divine strength and power to rid the Earth of unjust rulers. Kartavirya was slated to be his prime opponent, as the mightiest king of that time.

In the Mahabharata [[Vana Parva]], according to the story of Akritavana, Kartavirya Arjuna became drunk with power, despite all the boons he had acquired. He lost control of his senses and began to oppress humans, Yakshas and the very gods themselves. Kartavirya even had the audacity to insult [[Indra]] in front of Shachi. Around this time, other Kshatriyas too had become drunk with power and oppressed innocents for pleasure.

Arjuna once troubled Varuna and asked him if there was anyone equal to him in power. [[Varuna]] replied that only Jamadagni's son, Parashurama rivalled Arjuna. Enraged, Arjuna went to Jamadagni's hermitage to see Parashurama's power.

The [[Puranas]] recount that Kartavirya Arjuna and his army visited a [[rishi]] named [[Jamadagni]], who fed his guest and the whole army with offerings from his divine cow [[Kamadhenu]]. The king demanded the cow for the betterment of his subjects; Jamadagni refused because he needed the cow for his religious ceremonies. King Arjuna sent his soldiers to take the cow. As the conflict developed among the Jamadagni and the King, Arjuna lost his temper and chopped off the head of Jamadagni. When [[Parashurama]] (Jamadagni's son and ''one of the [[Daśāvatāra]]s'' of [[Vishnu]]) returned to the hermitage, he was informed of the context by his mother. In revenge, Parashurama killed the entire clan of Arjuna and the King with a [[battleaxe]] given to him by [[Shiva]], eventually killing all kshatriyas, thus conquering the entire [[earth]]. He enacted this wholesale eradication of the kshatriyas for 21 generations.<ref>The Mahabharata, tr. John D. Smith, Penguin Classics, 2009, p. 17</ref>

In another legend, Kartavirya Arjuna visited the hermitage of Jamadagni, and was received by that sage's wife [[Renuka]] with all respect; but he made an ill return for her hospitality, and carried off by violence "the calf of the milch-cow of the sacred oblation." For this outrage Parashurama cut off his thousand arms and killed him.

In another legend, Kartavirya sent seventeen Akshauhinis to fight against the alone Parashurama who was on foot. Parshurama single-handedly slew the entire army and spared no one alive. Kartavirya arrived in his divine golden chariot which could go anywhere unobstructed. The King himself was a powerful archer, capable of simultaneously wielding five hundred bows and shooting five hundred arrows at a time. Parashurama broke Arjuna's bows, slew his horses and charioteer and destroyed the chariot itself with his arrows.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Arjuna hurled many weapons, rocks and trees at Parashurama, but the sage parried all these. Parashurama hacked off his thousand arms with his arrows and dismembered him with his axe.

In another place a different character is given to him, and more in accordance with his behavior at Jamadagni's hut. "He oppressed both men and gods," so that the latter appealed to [[Vishnu]] for [[succor]]. That God then came down to the earth as Parashurama for the special purpose of killing him.<ref>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= [https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/74 74]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref>

The Mahabharata mentions him as one of the best warriors and introduces his divine origin, attributing it to the Padmini Ekadasi. It is said that there was none who could rival him in Sacrifices, Charity, Learning, Austerity, Battlefield Exploits, Feats, Strength, Mercy, Generosity or Power.

In the controversy regarding his name the clarification is given as below; Sahasra<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shabdkosh.com/sa/translate/sahasra/sahasra-meaning-in-Sanskrit-English|title=Sahasra}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> is the correct prefix that means "a thousand", not Saha'''s'''T'''r'''a. However, it is invariably misspelled as the latter. The same prefix is spelled when referring to the crown chakra: "Sahasrara Chakra" or when it occurs in family names (example: Sahasrabuddhe) ''without'' a T. Also see Sahasralinga. The confusion arises because the Hindi letter "Sa" (स) merges with "ra" (र) and looks like "stra" (स्र).