Shloka 65
यः कार्तवीर्यो बुभुजे समस्तान् द्वीपान् समाक्रम्य हतारिचक्रः कथाप्रसङ्गेष्व् अभिधीयमानः स एव संकल्पविकल्पहेतुः
yaḥ kārtavīryo bubhuje samastān dvīpān samākramya hatāricakraḥ kathāprasaṅgeṣv abhidhīyamānaḥ sa eva saṃkalpavikalpahetuḥ
కార్తవీర్యుడు—సమస్త ద్వీపాలను ఆక్రమించి శత్రుచక్రాలను ఛేదించి రాజ్యభోగం అనుభవించినవాడు—కథాప్రసంగాల్లో కేవలం ప్రస్తావించబడినప్పటికీ మనస్సులో సంకల్ప-వికల్పాలకు కారణమవుతాడు.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How the fame of conquerors like Kārtavīrya persists only as story, yet still provokes mental agitation (resolve/counter-resolve).
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas
Concept: Even the remembered greatness of an emperor can become a psychological trigger for saṃkalpa-vikalpa (oscillating desires and doubts), revealing how fame feeds inner bondage.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Notice how stories of power stimulate comparison and craving; redirect that energy into steady practice—japa, service, and discernment—to quiet saṃkalpa-vikalpa.
Vishishtadvaita: Mind’s oscillations subside when oriented to the Lord as the supreme object (parama-viṣaya); worldly exemplars are secondary and should be integrated as dharma-lessons, not ego-fuel.
Key Kings: Kārtavīrya (Arjuna)
FAQs
The verse portrays his renown as psychologically potent: merely hearing of his conquests provokes determination, rivalry, and competing ambitions in others—showing how exemplary kingship becomes a force that moves human intention.
Parāśara uses concise genealogical narrative (vamsha-charita) and characterizing epithets—like conquering the dvīpas and crushing enemies—to communicate both lineage continuity and the moral-social impact of a ruler’s fame.
Within the Vishnu Purana’s framework, royal power and historical rise-and-fall operate under Vishnu’s cosmic order; the king’s glory is meaningful as part of dharma’s administration in the world, ultimately dependent on the Supreme Reality who sustains all sovereignty.