Shri Guruleelamrit – Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI. – CURSE OF SAHASRARJUNA.

Sahasrarjuna ruled over all the seven islands of the
world as a suzerain king. By the power given to him by Lord
Dattatreya, he protected his subjects as a father does his
children. He saw that sacrifices were properly performed,
religious rites observed that nobody remained jobless and
hungry in his territory. He invited great learned sages, got
built golden public halls, gave gifts of gold, earth, fine
dresses to Brahmins. All began to sing his praises. No one
died prematurely. There was no famine in his kingdom. All
earned their bread justly. Nobody practiced fraud and
deceit. He once saw the sons of the Cobra Karkotak behave as
they liked in an unjust way. He fought with them, defeated
their armies, put them in bondage, annexed their territory
and put all the things in proper order. Then he came to the
river Narmada with his queens, baulked her waters with his
thousand arms, and indulged in water-sports with his queens.
The sea rushed towards the river Narmada with its thousands
of waves, but Sahasrarjuna beat it back with his arms. The
gods were afraid of his increasing power. They assembled and
deputed the sun-god to arrange for his downfall. The sun-god
assumed the form of a Brahmin, hungry, with eyes sunken in
their sockets, lean and thin, with shaking limbs. The king
was surprised to see such a poor hungry Brahmin in his
kingdom. He went to him, worshipped him and inquired of his
place and name. The Brahmin replied that he had heard his
fame, pervading all the three worlds, and that he had come
only to beg the food in alms from him. He gave Diwaker as
his name. The king agreed and gave him all the vegetables in
his kingdom to eat, thinking to revive it by his Yogic
powers as soon as it was eaten. The sun-god requested him to
make all plants and grass dry so that he would eat them all
up in the form of fire. It was done as agreed upon, but the
king could not revive the vegetables after they were burnt
up and consumed. The trees in the hermitage of Sage
Vasishtha also got burnt. So he became angry and cursed
Sahasrarjuna that Parashuram, the son of Sage Jamadagni,
will cut off all his thousand arms, and kill him with his
axe in battle. The curse was an instrument in the scheme of
Providence, for Parashuram had to be born to uproot all the
haughty and irreligious rulers of the time. It is rightly
said that pride goeth before destruction. God Vishnu had
consoled all gods, tired of the haughtiness of Sahararjuna,
that he would kill him after incarnating himself as
Parashuram, a Brahmin warrior, born in the family of Sage
Bhrigu.

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page 12 – Chapter VII