Shloka 16
Akṛtavraṇa’s Account Begins: Gādhi–Satyavatī–Ṛcīka and the Bhārgava Lineage Prelude
कार्तवीर्यका ऐसा अत्याचार देख देवता तथा महान् व्रतका पालन करनेवाले ऋषि मिलकर दैत्योंका विनाश करनेवाले सत्यपराक्रमी देवाधिदेव भगवान् विष्णुके पास जा इस प्रकार बोले--“भगवन्! आप समस्त प्राणियोंकी रक्षाके लिये कृतवीर्यकुमार अर्जुनका वध कीजिये।” एक दिन शक्तिशाली हैहयराजने दिव्य विमानद्वारा शचीके साथ क्रीड़ा करते हुए देवराज इन्द्रपर आक्रमण किया। भारत! तब भगवान् विष्णुने कार्तवीर्य अर्जुनका नाश करनेके सम्बन्धमें इन्द्रके साथ विचार-विनिमय किया
kārtavīryakāḥ etādṛśam atyācāraṃ dṛṣṭvā devatāś ca mahāvratadhārina ṛṣayaś ca sametya daityavināśanaṃ satyaparākramaṃ devādhidevaṃ bhagavantaṃ viṣṇum upetyaivam ūcuḥ— “bhagavan! sarvaprāṇirakṣārthaṃ kṛtavīryakumāram arjunaṃ vadhyatām.” ekadā śaktimān haihayarājo divyavimānena śacyā saha krīḍan devarājam indram abhyākrāmat. bhārata! tataḥ bhagavān viṣṇuḥ kārtavīryārjunasya nāśaviṣaye indreṇa saha vicāravimarśaṃ cakāra.
Akṛtavraṇa disse: “Vendo tal opressão por parte dos filhos de Kārtavīrya, os deuses e os grandes sábios observantes de votos reuniram-se e foram a Viṣṇu — destruidor dos Daityas, de valor verdadeiro e inabalável — e suplicaram: ‘Ó Senhor, para a proteção de todos os seres vivos, mata Arjuna, filho de Kṛtavīrya.’ Certa vez, o poderoso rei Haihaya, divertindo-se com Śacī num vimāna celestial, chegou até a atacar Indra, rei dos deuses. Ó Bhārata, então o Senhor Viṣṇu deliberou com Indra sobre como levar à destruição de Kārtavīrya Arjuna — resposta à tirania e salvaguarda da ordem cósmica.”
अकृतव्रण उवाच
Educational Q&A
When power becomes oppressive and threatens the welfare of beings, dharma may require decisive restraint of the wrongdoer. The verse frames punishment not as personal vengeance but as protection of all creatures and restoration of cosmic order, undertaken through deliberation and legitimate authority.
The gods and vow-keeping sages, distressed by the atrocities associated with Kārtavīrya’s line, approach Viṣṇu and request the slaying of Kārtavīrya Arjuna for the sake of universal protection. The narrative adds that the Haihaya king even attacked Indra while enjoying with Śacī in a celestial chariot, after which Viṣṇu and Indra consult about his destruction.