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Kartavirya Arjuna ((サンスクリット:कार्तवीर्य अर्जुन), ; also known as Sahastrabahu Arjuna) was a legendary king of an ancient Haihayas kingdom (Kalchuri Rajputs) with capital at Mahishamati which is on the banks of Narmada River in the current state of Madhya Pradesh. Kartavirya was son of Kritavirya, king of the Haihayas. This is his patronymic, by which he is best known; his real name was Kartaviryarjuna. He is described as having a thousand hands and a great devotee of god Dattatreya. Eventually Kartavirya was brutally defeated and slain by the powerful sage, Parashurama. Vayu Purana extolls his virtues Having worshipped a portion of the divine being called Dattatreya, sprung from the race of Atri, he sought and obtained these boons: a thousand arms and a golden Chariot that went wheresoever he willed it to go; the power of restraining wrong by justice; the conquest of the earth and the disposition to rule it righteously; invincibility by enemies, and death at the hands of a man who was more powerful than himself. By him this earth was perfectly governed," and of him it is said:-"No other king shall ever equal Kartavirya in regard to sacrifices, liberality, austerities, courtesy, and self-restraint." "Thus he ruled for 85,000 years with unbroken health, prosperity, strength, and valour. The Mahabharata mentions him as one of the best warriors and introduces his divine origin, attributing it to the Padmini Ekadasi : The king (Kartavirya Arjuna's father) was very happy to hear this. Naturally he asked for the son he had desired for so long: 'O master of the universe, O killer of the Madhu demon, kindly grant me a son who will never be conquered by demigods, human beings, snakes, demons, or hobgoblins, but whom only You can defeat.' The Supreme Lord immediately replied, 'So be it!' and disappeared. The prayer for return of lost or misplaced things is addressed to Kartavirya Arjuna. == Rise and Fall == Kartavirya Arjuna came to power thanks to the boons of righteousness and invincibility, along with a thousand strong human arms and a divine chariot he had acquired from Dattatreya. For 88,000 years, Arjuna ruled the earth with prosperity as a Chakravartin Samrat. Towards the end of this period, all the kings suffered a diminution in wealth and were unable to rule well. Hence the Kshatriyas levied heavy taxes on their subjects and punished anyone who failed to do so. Soon they got carried away and became tyrannical in nature. Some Kshatriyas discovered that the Brahmanas were hoarding wealth and they were refusing to share it. Kartavirya believed that the Brahmanas wanted to grab his power for their own use and perceived them as unrighteous people and began to oppress the Brahmanas. The Brahmanas, tired with long lifespans wanted to attain salvation quickly. Hence they used the Kshatriyas as instruments for their deaths by conjuring wealth by their spiritual power. The diverse clans of the Rakshasas, the Asuras, the Gandharvas and the Yakshas took advantage of this as means of consolidating power from Kartavirya. Many vassals of the Haihayas opposed the oppression of the Brahmanas and rebelled against the emperor. Wars broke out and made Kartavirya delusional. He used brute force to suppress them for the time being, but he himself lost the true meaning of Dharma and became a tyrant. Other kings followed his example and thus the Kshatriya race became violent and cruel, no longer benevolent and protective towards their subjects. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kartavirya Arjuna」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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