Slokam 8

Karthaveeryarjuna is said to have a thousand hands.  This can be considered to be a figurative and poetic way of describing Karthaveeryarjuna’s reach and power through his subjects. 

The slokam describes an incident of that resulted in Karthaveeryajuna causing an inundation. 

Extract from Wikipedia

Encounter with Ravana

Kartavirya's power is popularly told in the Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, which is not often considered to be the part of the original Valmiki Ramayana and its constituent 6 adhyayas (अध्याय), since the original Ramayana speaks of the number of verses and the shlokas in Ramayana - Verse 2 of Chapter IV of Baala Kaanda of Srimad Valmiki Ramayana reads as under:

चतुर्विंशत्सहस्त्राणिश्लोकानामुक्तवानृषिः | तथासर्गशतान्पञ्चषट्काण्डानितथोत्तरम् ||

This epic contains 24,000 verses split into 500 chapters in Six Cantos. (Baala Kaanda: refer Ch IV:2) [The six cantos are Baala Kaanda, Ayodhya Kaanda, Aranya Kaanda, Kishkinda Kaanda, Sundara (Lanka) Kaanda and Yuddha Kaanda.]^[3][4].

Kartavirya is considered to be the contemporary of Ravana. The story goes that once when Kartavirya Arjuna was having a bath in the river Narmada along with his wives, he stopped the force of the river with his thousand arms from both sides. The teenage Dasagriva (Ravana), who was singing the hymns of Shiva and praying to him, made him lose his concentration. Enraged, he challenged the former for combat in which Ravana was defeated and was put to humiliation. Then, on request of his paternal grandfather Pulastya the great emperor Arjuna released Ravana.

Another account states that when Ravana came "in the course of his campaign of conquest to Mahishmati (the capital of Kartavirya), he was captured without difficulty, and was confined like a wild beast in a corner of his city."

The Vayu Purana states that Kartavirya invaded Lanka, and there took Ravana as prisoner, but later he was killed by Parashurama and Ravana was rescued from Arjuna.^[5]

None of the missiles launched by Karthaveeryarjuna had an impact on Parasurama.  Karthaveeryarjuna then realized that Parasurama was none other than the Paramathma Himself.  Being a true bhaktha, Karthaveeryarjuna,  immediately meditates upon the Paramathma. 

The Paramathma is never known to turn down anyone who surrenders to Him.  The meditation on the Paramathma relieves Karthaveeryarjuna of all his papam.  He then has the fortune of being killed by the Paramathma Himself,  which is the surest acceptance to Vaikuntam.  The Paramathma accepts both good and bad as qualifications for moksham.  We are entrusted to play the roles of good and bad by our karma.  All the paths of life lead to the same destination, which is the Paramathma.  However,  in Paramathma’s own words,  there is no release from bondage if we are enslaved by succumbing to temptation.  To qualify to be killed by the Paramathma means that there is no one else on earth that can defeat the powerful (but adharmic) ruler.  That in itself is an achievement that will not be attained without sincerity of purpose.

The Paramathma never turns down sincere repentance. The Paramathma treasures sincerity of purpose and effort,  be it for Him or against Him.  All the demons in the puranas acquired their immense strength only by meditative effort. 

Whenever an asura is overcome in physical battle,  he becomes gracious enough to accept the supremacy of the Paramathma.   Hiranyakashipu realizes the infinite strength of the Paramathma and smiles in acceptance in his last moments on the lap of the Paramathma, in the form of Narasimha avatar.

Attainment of Vaikunta is a grant of the Paramathma in recognition of the sincerity of effort in one’s chosen path.  Sometimes we put on pretentious layers to fool ourselves into thinking that we are better than we actually are.  This pretention will actually detract and downgrade our effort.  It is better to be sincere and honest wilh ourselves as to what our true capabilities and attainments are. Pretention has very limited use. It may provide us with a temporary shelter.  But the shelter will be blown away in the first storm that is encountered.  Life sets up obstacles and challenges only for the purpose of distinguishing true attainment from pretention.

We have to be convinced that there is no alternative to attainment of moksham. We are living in a world that is time bound. It will disappear sometime in the future.  This is not a permanent abode.

Asuras, although possessed by evil nature knew their weaknesses and were sincere in their desires.  Bali,  for all his conquests,  does surrender unconditionally to the Paramathma, when he displays his true immense form.  Bali recognizes that the physical world that he thinks he owns, is unreal and that the ultimate attainment is one of surrender to the Paramathma.

Hanuman is the only one who turns down the offer of a place in Vaikuntam. He chooses to live in those places wherever Ramayana is recited,  which he considers to be his Vaikuntam.  His dedication is absolute.  He has transcended the physical abode and his consciousness is always resident with the Paramathma.  Hanuman is a clear example of someone who has no pretentions. He is clear that his Vaikuntam is listening to Ramayana with all Bhakthas. 

Trishanku wants to go to Vaikuntam with his mortal body.  He is rejected,  although he is otherwise qualified.  Sage Viswamitra shows sympathy and creates a separate vaikuntam or eternal abode for Trishanku.

May we be sincere and transparent in our goals and objectives.  May we drop all pretentions in our pursuit of devotion to the Paramathma.