Kartavirya

Quick Facts

About Kartavirya

Arjuna of the Haihayas, lord of Mahishmati on the Narmada, who won a thousand arms in battle by boon and asked, last of all, that righteous men be permitted to correct him whenever he went wrong. Riding out to demand who on earth was his equal, he was answered by a voice from the empty sky and then argued down by the wind god, who matched every royal claim with a brahmana's feat and left him a warning that his danger would come from the race of Bhrigu. It did: he seized Jamadagni's calf, and Parashurama's axe ended him and in time his whole order.

In Their Words

Is there anywhere in this world a man who is my equal?

Kartavirya

Traits

• mighty
• boastful
• teachable
• doomed

Story Appearances

• The Wind Answers the Thousand-Armed KingThe king argued down by the wind❧ 21 min
• The Warrior With the AxeThe thief of the sage's calf❧ 11 min
• Mahishmati, City Guarded by FireIts most famous king

Stories Featuring Kartavirya

10 further tales on this site name Kartavirya, in canonical reading order.

• The Two Pots of RiceA mother and daughter exchange their bowls and exchange their sonsVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Five Lakes of BloodParashurama's oblation to the fathers at SamantapanchakaVana Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Sacrifice of BattleDuryodhana makes the coming war his own rite, and his father disowns him for itUdyoga Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Boon Somadatta Asked ForA wrestling match at Devaki's self-choice, and the son born a generation later to answer itDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Brothers of AvantiTwo kings see Arjuna's horses tire, and one of them walks up to Krishna with a maceDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Princes the Earth HidWhat was left of the Kshatriyas after the axeShanti Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Wife Who Cooled a Naga's AngerPadmanabha would not go out to a waiting guest, until his wife named the ends of Ravana and KartaviryaShanti Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Three Sages Who Saved the GodsAgastya burns the Danavas, Vashishtha brings down the Sarayu, and Atri becomes the moon and the sunAnushasana Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Fourfold Religion of CompassionBhishma on abstaining from meat, and the kings who kept the vowAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Brahmanas and the KapasThe gods lose heaven and earth, and men on the ground win them backAnushasana Parva ‧ 15 min

Character Arc

1. 1The Fourth BoonAsks to be told whenever he is in the wrong
2. 2The Empty SkyA voice answers his boast, and Vayu takes up the argument
3. 3The CalfTakes what belongs to Jamadagni, and the axe follows

Key Relationships

• Slain by➝Parashurama
• Whose calf he seized➝Jamadagni
• Corrector➝Vayu

Places in Kartavirya's Story

Drawn from the stories Kartavirya appears in.

• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र
• Mahishmatiमाहिष्मती
• The Oceanसमुद्र
• Yamunaयमुना
• Saraswatiसरस्वती
• Sarayuसरयू
• Surparakaशूर्पारक
• Banks of the Gangaगङ्गा तट
• Mahendra Parvataमहेन्द्र पर्वत
• Kanyakubjaकन्यकुब्ज
• Gangaगङ्गा
• Badarikashramaबदरिकाश्रम

Related Characters

Others counted among the Sages & Others.

• ✦Sage Kanva
• ◎Eklavya
• ★Shukracharya
• ♛Vrishaparva
• ♛Yadu
• ✧Princess Amba