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Why?
?The debt to the Rishis is the debt which he owes to learning in the shape of his cultural heritage.
Such an obligation, he can discharge only by making his own contribution to learning, which he can
achieve only on the basis of Brahmacharya? (Vide Radha Kumud Mukherjee, ?Ancient Indian
Education?, Delhi, 1989, p.69)
Dharma Sastras require us to pronounce the name of the Rishi of one?s Gotra as also those of the
Rishis of one?s Pravara. We do this in all our domestic rituals like Sandhyaavandanam, Upanayanam,
Abhivaadanam, Vivaaham etc.
It is therefore, necessary to know about the Gotras and Rishis because it is these Rishis who
discovered the Mantras in the first place. Being ?Mantra DrishTas?, Rishis becomes the principal
Gurus of the respective Mantras and the founded the Gotras bearing their names.
(Vide: ArshEya BraahmaNa 1.1.6, Brihad-yoga Yaagjnavalkhya 1.27, Bharadwaja 5.43, Brahma
Sutra 1.1.39, Sankara Baashya Brihad Devata 1.2.
They emphasize that -
?The remembrance of the Seer of a Mantra becomes an integral part of any recitation?. ?
ArshaanukramaNI? is a work that gives a list of hymns, the authors etc. to familiarize us in this
regard.
GOTRA:
What is GOtra?
?GOtra? is an exogamous (septs) patrilineal sibship whose members trace their descent to a common
ancestor?
(Brough, John ?The early Brahminical system of Gotra and Pravara?, Cambridge, 1953 (page 2)
In Atharva Veda, it referred to a clan. All are believed to have descended from one or the other of the
?Rishis? who lent their names to the various Gotras. Thus, Gotra signifies one family or one?s
lineage.
What is ?Pravara??
In daily worship, one mentions not only the name of the specific founder of one?s GOtra and the
Rishi who founded it but also the ?Pravara? consisting of a group of Rishis who constitute a
triumvirate (3) or pentagon (5) of remote ancestors of one?s family.
Why is this?
?GOtra is the latest ancestor or one of the latest ancestors of a person by whose name his family has
been known for generations; while ?Pravara? is constituted by the Sage or Sages who lived in the
remotest past, who were most illustrious and who are generally the ancestors of the Gotra Sages or in
some cases the remotest ancestor alone?
(Vide P.V. Kane, History of Dharma Sastra, Poona Vol.II, Part I, p.497)
PaaNini in his ?Vaachaspati kOsam? defines ?Rishi? as ?Rishati jnaanEna samsaarapaaram?- ?one
who crosses and reaches the other shore of the Sea of Samsara?
Rig Vedam 1.31.16 and 9.96.18 describe ?Rishi? as ?one who lights the flame of knowledge, one who
stimulates thinking?.
It is clear from the above that the Rishis took elaborate efforts to discover the Vedas, Vedangas and
all branches of knowledge to make our life on earth enjoyable while at the same time showing the
way to salvation in the after-life scenario.
It is therefore, our duty to remember them for their invaluable contributions towards our well being
and pay our respects and gratitude to them.
The Rishis seem somehow to be closely associated with element of fire (agni). In fact, KrishNa yajur
Veda, 2nd KhaaNdam 5th Prasna, 8th Anuvakam calls a Rishi as ?SaamithEni? which means one who
can kindle fire properly for performing Homam?
There was a competition between one NrumEdan and his colleague ParuchEpan as to which of them
had grasped the Mantras perfectly. It was agreed that the one who was able to generate fire in a wet
log of wood would be the winner. NrumEdan uttered his Mantra but he could not ignite and only
smoke issued forth from the log. When ParuchEpan did the same, it immediately caught fire.
NirumEDan praised ParuchEpan calling him ?Oh! Rishi!? This shows how the word was held in
highest reverence in days of yore.
Rishis were classified into several categories. Apart from ordinary ? Rishis?, there were ?Vipra
Rishis?, ?Brahma Rishis?, ?Deva Rishis? ?Daanava Rishis? and ?Raaja Rishis?.
Those who were priests by virtue of their birth as Brahmins were called ?Vipra Rishis? (e.g) Sage
Uthanga.
Those who had realized ?Brahman? through intense Tapas were known as ?Brahma Rishis?(e.g.)
VasishTa, Atri, and Aaangirasa.
Though generally Rishis were Brahmins, there were a number of Kshatriyas or rulers who also
achieved the status of Rishi by their Tapas. And, they were known as ?Raaja Rishis?. (e.g.) Sage
Viswaamitra, Ambareesha, Trasadayu, Sibi Chakravarthi and Maandaata were in this category. We
know that King Janaka was a ?Raaja Rishi?.
Rishis are drawn from all the four Ashramams viz., Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vaanaprasta and
Sannyaasa. In the beginning of AraNya KhaaNDam of Srimad Valmiki RamayaNam, we find several
kinds of Rishis enumerated. Similarly, in KaLidaasa?s ?Raghu Vamsa?, we find the life sketches of
several Rishis.
In Bhavabhooti?s ?Uttara Raama Charitram?, the essential characteristics of a Rishi are brought out
beautifully in the following SlOKa:
In other words, they have unshakeable determination in the pursuits conducive to the attainment of
their spiritual goal, a total disregard for pleasures that flesh is heir to, knowing that such pleasures to
be of no lasting value, unremitting in the performance of Tapas, simple living and high thinking,
compassion in heart for all living beings, extreme devotion to the Lord (i.e) Bhagavad Bhakti of a
very high order matched by absolute probity and rectitude of character, self control, long life,
forebearance and fortitude in the face physical and psychological calamities and discomforts -and
such other innumerable qualities.
Even today, there may be some great souls who do not claim to be ?Rishis?. In the PuraaNas,
however, we find sometimes that some Rishis also seem to falter from this ideal code of conduct.
We will discuss these later.
And, unfortunately, today, there is also no dearth of pseudo Swamis who strut about claiming to be
Rishis without any of the qualities enumerated above, making it difficult to tell the fake from the
genuine!
Rig vEda itself is replete with many women ?Rishikaas? also known as ?Brahmavaadinis? who not
only recited Vedas regularly but perhaps some of them also taught Vedas to their Sishyas.
Sounaka?s Brihad Devata, BrihadaaraNyaka and other Upanishads refer to several such ?
Brahmavadinis? like ?
Aditi, Agastyasvasaa, Apala, DakshiNaa, GhOsa, Godhaa, IndraaNi, Indramaataa, Indrasnushaa,
Jaritaa, Juhu, Lakshaa, Medha, Nadyah, Nisat, Oorvasi, PoulOmi, Raatri, Romasaa, Sarasvati, Sachi,
Saramaa, Sarparajni, SikaTa nivaavari, Sooryaa, Sraddhaa, Srih, Upanisat, Vasukrapatni, Visvavara,
Waak, Yami.
?Known as Brahmavaadinis, the Rishikas were eligible for ?Upanayana?, ?Vedaadhyayana? and ?
Agni Upaasana?
cf ibid yamOpi ?
puraakalpE kumaareeNaam mounjee bandanam ishyatE /
Adhyaapanam cha vEdaanaam saavitree vachanam tatha //
Some of the ?Rishikas? were Rishipatnis too. It will not be out of place to mention that the better
halves had equal rights with their men in the performance of yagjnas, for the wife, says the Veda, is
half of oneself.
?ArdhO vaa esahaatmanO yat patni? (Taittriya Samhita 6.1.8.5; Taittriya BraahmaNa 3.3.3.5;
Jaimaniya BraahmaNa 1.86)
The Vedic text ?ayagjnO vaa yEsha yO apatneeka:) emphatically says that there is no Yagjna without
a wife.... It was for the performance of ?Dharma?; the duties ordained by the Veda, that the Rishis had
led the householder?s life. ?Rishipatnis? had a prominent place in the Society. VasishTa- Arundati,
Agastya-LOpaamudra, Atri-Anasuya, Goutama-Ahalya, and others are the Rishi couples who are
regarded with veneration even today?.
In BrihadaaraNyaka Uponishad 3.6; 3.8, we see Vachaknavi Gaargi questioning the Sage
Yagjnavalkya. The same Upanishad 2.4; 4.5 mentions MaitrEyi learning Brahmavidyaa from
Yagjnavalkya, her husband. It is interesting to mention that the Upanishad prescribes a ritual for
ensuring the birth of a daughter endowed with learning. Atah ya ichchEd duhitaa mE paNDitaa
jaayEta,?tiloudanam paachayitvaa?asneeyataam iti?
THEN, WHY SHOULD IT BE SAID THAT WOMEN SHOULD NOT RECITE THE VEDAS?
This is because these women Riashikas were quintessence of celibacy, actually practiced the
technique and exercise of overcoming their own inherent feminine biological disabilities connected
with menstrual cycles. They were quite conversant with the requirements of intonation and
pronunciation that often needed drawing sounds deep from the navel. They were also fully conversant
with the rules of grammar peculiar to Sanskrit ? the language through which religion spoke in days of
yore. That is why, even in those days, women who could not master the perfection of the language
preferred to speak in the much easier but not-so-perfect Praakrit.
?Apart from grammar, the accent, intonation, articulation and pronunciation play a vital role in
preserving the heritage. They are variously defined as - Ucha staayi (high pitch) Neecha staayi (low
pitch) Madhyama staayi (middle pitch) Dheergha (elongated) Hrasva (shortened), GaNa (repetition
back and forth) Udaatta (high key), Anudaatta (low key) Swara (tone) etc. so that even the letter, let
alone the words of the mantras and other sacred literature could not be altered or tampered with at
will. It would be sacrilegious to do so. As for pronunciation, they are governed by rules on - gutterals,
palatals, linguals, retroflex, dentals, labiels, aspirates, nasals, semivocals, diphtongs, visarga and
anuswara which are distinct and clear so that if anyone of them is misused in the place of the correct
one, it would render the words either meaningless or twisted out of shape?
(Chapter 4 of ?Hinduism Rediscovered? by Anbil Ramaswamy)
And, Veda Adhyayanam has to be continued like Taila dhaara (flow of oil) without interruption even
for a single day. For the modern women, uninitiated in this technique and exercise makes it difficult
for them to follow the rules both in letter and spirit.
DOES THIS MEAN THAT THERE CAN BE ?RISHIS? AMONG MEN IN THE MODERN
TIMES?
Even in these days, some men might be able to follow these rules of grammar but there can be no ?
Rishis? in modern times. The codes of conduct for ?Rishis? were extremely hard and the transgression
of the rules was not only considered a sin but it was also believed that the holy learning would leave
the offender.
Apasthamba says that because of this, no Rishis (Mantra DrishTas) are born amongst the men of later
ages.
Aswalaayana Grihya Sutra 1.8.10-12 states that a ?Rishi? can sill be born to the newly married, if they
abstain from saline food and sleep on the ground for one year ?
Haradatta concludes thet there will be none who will receive the revelation of Mantras in Kaliyuga.
If one does not know or forgets one?s GOtra, Dharma texts recommend the adoption of the GOtra of
the great Rishis Jamadagni or Kaasyapa.
First, we will present the Pravaras of these Gotras, gaNas and lineages:
Gotra / gaNa/ lineage Pravara
1. Atri a a.k.a. AatrEya: AatrEya, Archanaanasa, Syaavaasva
2. Brigu a.k.a Bhaargava
(1) Srivatsa: Bhargava, Syaavana, Aplavaana, Aurva, Jamadagni
(2) Vadoola Bhargava, Vitahavya, SavEdasa
(3) Vatsa Bhargava, Syavana, Apanavana
3. Kutsa: Angirasa, Mandatra, Kutsa
4. VasishTa
(1) KaunDinya VasishTa, MaitraavaruNa, KaunDinya
(2) Parasara VasishTa, Shaktya, Paraasara
5. Goutama: Aangirasa, Aayasya, Goutama
6. Kasyapa
(1) Kasyapa: Kaasyapa, Aavatsara, Daivala
(2) Naidruvakasyapa:Kaasyapa, Aavatsara, Naidruva
(3) SaNdilya:
(a) Kaasyapa, Aavatsara, SaaNDilya
(b) Kaasyapa, Aavatsara, Naidruva, Repa, Raipa, SaNdilya
7. Angirasa:
(1) Bharadwaaja: Aangirasa, Baarhaspatya, Bharadwaaja
(2) Harita: Aangirasa, Ambarisha, Yuvanaasva
(3) SadamarshaNa: Aangirasa, Paurukutsa, Trasatasya
(4) Gargi:
(a) Aangirasa, Baarhaspatya, Bharadwaaja, Sainya, Gaargya
(b) Aangirasa, Sainya, Gaargya,
(c) Kaasyapa, Aavatsara, SaaNdilya
(5) Moudgalya:
(a) Aangirasa, Pharamsva, Moudgalya
(b) Dharkya, Pharamsva, Moudgalya
(c) Aangirasa, Davya, Moudgalya
(6) KaNva:
(a) Aangirasa, Ajaamilana, KaNva
(b) Aangirasa, Gaura, KaNva
(7) BaadrayaNa: Aangirasa, Baarhaspatya, Raatra
(8) Agastya: Agastya, Dardyayuda, Saumavah
(9) Sankriti:
(a) Aangirasa, Gauravita, Sankritya
(b) Saadhya, Gouraveeta, Sankritya
Besides the above, there are much too numerous other groups beyond the scope of the present write
up, like -
Agastya Agastya, maahEndra, amyObhuva
Aja Vaiswamitra, Madhuchandasa, Aajya
Dhanajaya Vaiswmitra, Kaushika, AgamarshaNa
Jamadagni Baargava Aurva, Jaamadagna
Kousika: Viswaamitra, AgamarshaNa, Yuvanaasva
Shunaka Shaunaka
Upamanyu VasishTa, Aindrapramaada, Aupamaanyava
VaamadEva Aangirasa, VaamadEva, Baarhadukta
Viswaamitra: Viswaamitra, Devaraatha, Audala
and many others
The Gotra Pravartaka of this Gotram is Sage ?Atri?. He is reputed to be one of the six ?Manasaputras?
of Brahma, the others being - Mareechi, Aangiras, Pulastyar, Pulahar and Kratu. He is considered to
be the Senior-most of the Sages, having been born, may be, when the earth itself was born!
His wife ?Anasuya?, was equally great, if not more, than Sage Atri himself in her Tapas. Her father
was Kardama Prajapathi who knew the past, present and the future (trikaaljnaani). He named her as ?
Anasuya?. True to her name, she was devoid of jealousy so totally that others felt jealous of this trait
in her!
She was the role model for a Pativrata. No greater proof is needed than the incident in which she
transformed the Trimurtis of Brahma, VishNu and Siva into ?just born? babies and fed them being
nude herself, when they tried to test her Paativratyam!
All the Vedas praise the glory of this Sage Atri. His power of intense penance (tapas) is such that he is
deemed to have performed tapas seated under the deepest part of the Ocean for 3000 dEva years (not
manushya years!).
He begot innumerable sons and each one of them lived true to the adage ?Like father, like Son?, and
performed equally intense Tapas. That is why AatrEya Vamsam is said to be the largest of all
lineages.
He is reputed to have founded the whole of the 5th MaNDalam of Rik Veda.
Rik Veda 5.40.9 alludes to how he restored the brilliance of the Sun (Soorya) when the demon, Raahu
blacked him out, while none else could accomplish this impossible feat.
Ya vai soorya svarbhaanus tamasaavidyad asura: /
Atraya: thum anvavindan na hi anyE asaknuvan //
The Sun can shed light during day. What about the night? We know that in the night, the moon shines
on earth. It is said that it is this Sage who bade moon (SOma) to shed his light on the plants to invest
them with healing powers. That is why Moon is also known as ?Oshadeesa? Thus, the credit for
making the Sun and the moon to shine goes to Sage Atri.
There is a Yaaga named after this Sage. It is called ?Atri Chaturaham?. The Sage performed this
Yaaga and reaped its full benefits. ?Anyone performing this Yaaga is sure to reap similar benefits to
the full,? says Taittriya Samhita 7.1.8.1.
Gold is considered to be the most valuable material. Taitriya Samhita 1.4.43.2 while referring to the
procedure for performance of Soma yaaga, stipulates that this precious gold should be gifted on the
occasion only to a Brahmin born in the precious lineage of Atri.
Taittriya Samhita 6.6.1 specifically refers to such a one as the most suited for receiving the ?gift of
gold?. Though there may be 16 Ritviks who tirelessly engage in the conduct of the Yaaga, Veda
ordains that only a Brahmin born of the Vamsam of Sage Atri should be honored first and foremost.
Apasthambha Srouta Sutram 13.6.12 mentions that of the three Pravartakas of AtrEya Gotra, the first
honor should go to the one belonging to the direct descendants of Atri and only if and when such a
one is unavailable, the honor could go to the second and the third and in that order.
Non-violence (Ahimsa) is deemed to be the first quality to be acquired. But, this is not always
possible in practice. Should an occasion arise when germs need to be exterminated, Veda Mantram
prescribes expatiation of the sin accruing there from by simply uttering the name of Sage Atri. It is
said that the Sage had mastered the means of dispelling such sins by virtue of his ?power of penance?
(TapObalam).
Sage Atri is known as one of the four primary disciples of Lord Vikaanasa who appeared from the
nail of Brahma to propagate the procedure for Bhagavad Aradhana.
To this day exist a Samhita granta, in the name of Sage Atri, as a basic reference manual in this
regard. Vedas and Puranas speak very high of the glory of AatrEya Gotram.
Let us pay our obeisance to the most ancient Rishi couple of Atri and Anasuya and seek their
benediction.
The other 4 Rishis who constitute Pravara Rishis besides Brighu are Chyavana, Aaapnavaana, Ourva,
and Jamadagni.
Each one of these is hailed for his individuality and greatness. But, it is Sage Brighu who outshines all
of them.
What more proof is needed than the declaration of Lord KrishNa Himself when He said ?
mahrsheeNamm Brighur aham??
Another aspect by which Sage Brighu covered himself with glory is the fact that like Ksheera-
Samudra Raja, Rajarishi Janaka and Periyazhwar, he became the Father-in-law of the Lord Himself!
Mahaalakshmi was born as the daughter of Brighu Maharishi and his wife Kyaati (daughter of
Kardama Prajaapati). And, that is why Mahaalakshmi is known as ?Bhaargavi?
You know that Sriman Narayana is the Supreme Lord who alone can grant Moksham. And, it is not
possible to attain Moksham without the Purushakaaram of Sri Mahaalakshmi. Mahaalakshmi, as
Nammaazhwar puts it, is never separated from the Lord. The merciful Thaayaar (Sri) is the one to
look up to, whether you want spiritual liberation (Moksham) or material prosperity or both. And,
wealth is the sine-qua-non for material prosperity.
?AruL illarkku avvulagu illai, poruL illarkku ivvulagu illai?
It is found in ?Atahrva Veda - Uttara bhaagam?. It is called ?Sri Lakhmi Narayana Hridayam?. The
beauty of the Stotram is that first you recite Naryana Hridayam. Goddess Lakshmi will hasten to
where Narayana is remembered. Then, you recite Lakshmi Hridayam and this will please her. Then,
again you conclude by repeating Narayana Hridayam. A clever way to lock in both Lakshmi and
Narayana in your own Hridayam! And you are assured of realizing what you need both here and
hereafter.
Of the 10 major Avataras of the Lord, we come across the name of Rama three times - Rama with the
axe (Parasuraama), Rama with the bow, (Sri Raama) and Rama with the plough (Balaramaa). The first
of these three namely Parasuraama is known as ?Bhaargava Raama? to indicate that he was born in
the lineage of Sage Brighu.
A few of the other famous personalities belonging to the Bhaargava Gotram are:
· Sounaka, who learned all the PuraaNas from the renowned Sootha PouraaNikar and publicized them
to the world.
· Sage MarkaNDeya who won over the Lord of death and who was the sole witness to the
VaTapatrasayee during the great deluge.
· Sage Dadeechi who gifted his backbone to Indra to be used with Vajraayudam to kill Vritraasura.
· Uddangar who helped JanamEjaya in performing the terrific serpent sacrifice ?Sarpa Yaaga?
· And, countless other brilliant Sages too numerous to be enumerated in this short write up.
There is an important portion of Taittriya Upanishad named after Sage Brighu and is called ?
Brighuvalli? which deals with the expatiation of Vedanta.
In the Mahaabhaarata, we see the famous discussion between Bharadawaja and Brighu known as ?
Brighu Bhaaradwaaja Samvaadam? where the eternal rals (Tattvas) are discussed threadbare.
The name of Sage Brighu is associated with several holy places (PuNya Kshetras) like ?Brighu
Desam?, holy waters (PuNya theerthas) like rivers ?Brighu Theerrtham?, ponds like ?Brighu
PushkaraNi?, streams like ?Brighu PrasravaNam? and holy mountains like ?Brighu Thungam?.
The popular notion is that fire and water do not go well together. Scientists are now rediscovering the
nexus between the two by means of scientific experiments. Long before mankind started these
experiments, it was the Rishis of Bhaargava lineage who first discovered this nexus and declared it to
the world! Though generally, Rishis have great association with fire, the attachment of Bhaargava
Rishis? to fire is one of its kind.
Fire was hiding in a secret place. What was this secret place? It is water. None could find this out.
But, it was because of the extreme attachment to fire that prompted the Rishis of Bhaargava Vamsam
to search for and find out fire from its hide out. Rik Veda likens this to the anxiety and efforts of the
owner of a missing cow in somehow finding it by tracing its footsteps! This is the meaning of the
above statement.
There is a Mantram in Rik Vedam which Ritviks utter:
?Oh! Agni! I call upon you, in the name of such great Rishis like Ourvar, Brighu and Aapnavaanar?
In spite of his close association with fire, an occasion arose when Sage Brighu spelled a terrific curse
on fire. The whole world came to a standstill. The celestials including Brahma were stupefied. All
Yaagas came to a dead halt because of this curse. What was the curse, how did it come about, was it
solved and if so how?
There is long story behind this. We will see this in the next issue.
This was not the case before the curse. Fire used to accept only those Havis offered in Yagnas that
were sanctified by appropriate Mantras, for transmission to the respective deities. Other articles would
neither be offered nor would fire accept them. Fire is known as ?Havya Vaahana? ? the Courier of
offerings. In this respect, fire represented the mouth of the celestials and received offerings on their
behalf.
Do we put anything in our mouth that is not fit for consumption?
The same applies to the mouth of the holy Fire god. It is Brighu?s curse that changed this situation.
There was actually a BrhmaRaakshasa in that tree. Neither PulOma nor her parents knew this but the
Raakshasa knew the all. He convinced himself that the parents of the beautiful girl had repeatedly and
voluntarily promised to offer her to him and waited for the right moment to receive her in marriage!
When she was married to Brighu, he felt insulted and duped in what appeared to him a denial of his
lawful right. He could do nothing due to the power of the Rishi except nursing a grievance of injured
pride waiting to be avenged and was lurking near the hermitage of the Rishi. The Rishi could see
through his designs by dint of power of his penance and took steps to protect her from the advances of
the Raakshasa. Whenever he had to go out, he used to entrust her to the care of his good friend, the
Fire God.
One day, when the Rishi had gone for his bath in the river, the Raakshasa entered the hermitage and
attempted to abduct her. A spat ensued between the Raakshasa and Fire God. The Raakshasa argued
that her parents had offered her to him duly in return for benefits received and that it was the Rishi
who had wronged him by marrying one who was his due. He reminded the Fire God that he was
aware of this fact because Fire god was also called ?Jaatha Vedas? meaning ?one who knew all that
had happened? and cited him as an ?eye-witness for the prosecution?!
This became a ?Dharma SankaTam? for the fire God. On the one hand, what the Raakshasa said was
true. On the other, it is but natural for parents to scare their wards through such tactics, which were
just that and no more. And, there was no wedding ceremony performed between PulOma and the
Raakshasa with Vedic rites, whereas her marriage ceremony was duly performed and consecrated
with the Rishi. The claim of the Raakshasa was unjustified. Consequently, he gave a ruling against the
Raakshasa.
But, the Raakshasa could not wait till the delivery of judgement. He forcefully kidnapped PulOma
saying that he would marry her through ?Raakshasa Vivaaham? ? a form of marriage allowed in the
Sastras for the Raakshasas.
PulOma was then in the final stages of pregnancy. In the melee, she fell down on one side, the
Raakshasa on the other. She gave birth to a baby boy who was resplendent like the Rishi himself. Its
brilliance was such that the Raakshasa was reduced to ashes.
Do you know who was this child? It was the famous ?Chyavana Maharishi? He was named so,
because he literally slipped out of his mother?s womb (Chyavana means slipping out)
(Cf The name of Sriman NarayaNa ?A-chyuta? which means ?One who would not forsake or give up
or let slip his devotees from out of his protection)
Brighu returned after his morning ablutions. Finding his wife in that condition, he took her to a safe
place and with raging ire, he cursed Fire God as aforesaid for failure to protect PulOma entrusted to
his care.
?Sarva? means ?all? including the dirty and the reprehensible. Unable to accept such unpalatable
offerings, Devatas loathed thm and refused to accept such filthy stuff. ?Homas? came to a standstill.
The Devas who were literally starved of their routine provender approached Brahma to solve the
problem!
Brahma could not change the curse. But, he assuaged the celestials saying ?It is a blessing in disguise,
since fire has the capacity to purify by incineration even such unclean things. Agter all, such
purification was beneficial to all and the offerings became purified to make them fit for transmission
to the celestials. The Sun also does cleanse the earth with his rays and for this reason, we do not
consider him as unclean. The same applies to fire also?
Brahma to Agni:
na tvam sarva sareerENa sarva bhakshtvam yEshyasi /
UpaadEna archishO yaastE sarvam Dhakshyanti taah sikhaah //
Yathaa soorya suchih sprushTam sarvam suchi vibhaavyatE /
Tathaa tvadarchir nirdagdham sarvam suddham bhavishyati //
(Mahaabhaaratam 1.7.22.23)
Thus, we see that even the great Brahma had to bow to the words of Sage Brighu. Such was the glory
of the Sage.
Let us see some more reasons that add credit to the name of Brighu.
- ?Gaayatri? is considered as one of the greatest of Mantras. The expression ?Bharga:? occurring as
the key word in this Mantra alludes to the brilliance of the Sun.
- The summit of a steep mountain goes by the name of Brighu. Committing suicide by jumping from
the top of such mountains is called ?Brighu Pathanam? ? a reference to the highest point in a
mountain that serves as the ?Suicide point?!
- There are several works in Astrology, AyurvEda etc that carry his name.
- In the lore of creation, a separate part known as ?Brighu Sargam? deals extensively with the creation
process.
It might mean that perhaps he was very exasperated with the vagaries of the world and was vocally
expressing his displeasure to the annoyance of those who were annoyed with him for his stentorian
disciplining. And, therefore, this name got stuck to him.
It is, however, seen that even this great Rishi who was so strict in his own observances, once made a
mistake in pronouncing a Veda mantram and, therefore, was cursed to become a ?frog in the well?.
When he atoned for his lapse, Veda Purusha told him that even while being a frog, he would
remember his previous birth and will be relieved of the curse if he did penance in a PushkaraNi (Holy
waters) and prayed to Soundararaja PerumaaL in Vaalmiki kshEtram for 48 days. This he did and was
cured of his curse and regained his former self.
This Valmiki kshetram is none other than my native place, ANBIL, the birthplace of Sage Vaalmiki
and one of the 108 Divya DEsams consecrated by Tirumazhisai Azhwar. The PushkaraNI is known as
?Mandooka PushkaraNi?.
(Authority: ?Tiruvarangam TirukkOyil? (pages 73-74) of the official publication of Sri Ranganatha
Swami Devastaanam, Srirangam)
Nevertheless it does not detract from his glory due to his extreme and punctilious adherence to probity
and rectitude, fame, greatness, severity of penance, knowledge, strict observance of codes of conduct
as laid down in the Saastras, attitude of absolute benevolence, that earned him the respect and regard
from even his critics.
We are familiar with the PrOkshaNa mantram, ?Om Bhoo: Bhuva: and Suvaha?. The Mantra drishTa
of the fourth Vyaahriti ?Suvah?. Is none other than this ?Kutsa? Rishi. The Veda Vakhya in Taittriya
Samhita 2.6.5 attests this fact thus:
?BrahmavaadinO vadantyatbhir haveemshi proukshee: kenaapa iti brahmaNEti brooyaat adbirhyEva
haveemshi prOkshati brahmaNaapa:? This occurs in the Yaaga prakaraNam in the Vedas as an answer
to the question:
?With what do you purify the offerings (havis)??
? By sprinkling water?
?With what do you purify water to be able to impart purity to the havis??
? With mantra?
?What is that mantra??
?Boo: Bhuva: Suvaha: mantra?
The mantra drishTas of this triad were Atri, Brighu and Kutsa. It is this mantra that is the foundation
for all lowkeeka and Vaideeka karmas tirelessly referred to throughout the Vedas and Upanishads.
This forms an integral part in all Nitya and Naimittika karmas, in Yaagas, in offering prayers to
Bhagavaan, in all expiatory homas ?Sarva Praayas chitta hOmam, in the Gaayatri japam, in Arghyam
and in PraaNaayaamam. Sage Kutsa is one of the three Rishis who discovered this mantra.
That the name of Kutsa is found mentioned in the Vedas in about 40 to 50 contexts shows how the
greatness of this Rishi is recognized in the Vedas.Rik Veda 4.16.10 mentions a conversation between
Sage VaamadEva and Indra which illustrates how Kutsa and Indra were not only bosom friends but
also were ?look-alikes? so much that at one stage IndraNi herself could not differentiate between
them. She had to ascertain from the ?horse?s mouth? of Indra himself!
It would appear that at the request of Kutsa who was the son of one Rajarishi called ?Ruru?, Indra
helped in decimating Ruru?s enemies and invited Kutsa to Indraloka to celebrate the victory. It was
then that the above incident happened.
There is a Sooktam in Rik Veda 1.106.6 that consists of 7 mantras. Though Kutsa discovered this
Sooktam, he took pride in calling it in conjunction with his Achaarya, Aaangirasa as ?Kutsa:
Aangeerasa:
Once, Kutsa fell into a deep well. Indra came running and saved his friend. This is mentioned in Rik
Vedam 10.40.6.
Kaalidaasa commences the 5th Sargam of his ?Raghuvamsa? with an invocation to Kutsa. ?Koutsa:
prapEdE Varatantu sishya:? This Koutsa was the Sishya of Sage Varadantu who was himself the
Sishya of Kutsa Maharishi. In those days, it was a matter of pride for the Sishyas to call themselves
after the names of their Praachaartyas. Thus, the name of ?Koutsa? was fashioned out of the name of ?
Kutsa?.
This ?Koutsa? learned all the scriptures at the feet of Sage Varadantu. On completion of studies, he
requested his Guru what he wanted as ?GurudakshiNa?. Varadantu did not desire anything. But, when
Koutsa insisted, the Guru got wild and asked for 14 crores of sovereigns. Like Brahmin Brahmacharis
were wont to, Koutsa was eking out existence by begging for alms ?Unchavritti?. Where would he go
for such a huge amount? He approached Raghu Mahaaraja for help. Raghu was so munificent that he
offered Koutsa a huge treasure that far exceeded the funds asked for. Koutsa agreed to take only what
he had requested (14 crores of sovereigns) and not anything more. Raghu was insistent that he should
take the entire offer. Finally, Raghu bought camels and horses with the excess amount and mounted
the treasures on them and sent them to the Acharya. All were happy and satisfied.
That was Krita Yuga. None would chase after wealth more than what was absolutely needed and
considered it a great sin to amass anything more. We in the Kali Yuga, chasing after mammon, cannot
comprehend this virtue that the people of yore practiced!
While taking leave of Raghu, Koutsa blessed him to beget an equally virtuous son. In due course,
Raghu Maharaja got an illustrious son called ?Ajan?. This ?Aja Maharaja? was the father of
Dasaratha, the father of Sri Rama. Thus, it was due to the blessings of Sage Koutsa that fame of
Raghu Vamsa was firmly established.
INTRODUCTION
Sage VasishTa needs no introduction. His name reverberates through the entire gamut of our holy
scriptures so that there can be none even remotely acquainted with Srutis and Smritis who could ever
miss this Sage. He spans like a colossus over ages and eons, being associated with the galaxy of Gods
and Goddesses, dynasties of Kings and emperors, lineages of Sages and Savants.
We have a famous Slokam, which literally details his heading the genealogical tree. While
introducing Sage Vyaasa, it says-
Vyaasam VasishTa naophtaaram SaktEh poutram akalmasham /
Paraasara aatmajam vandE Sukha taatam tapOnidhim //
?Vyaasa was the great grandson of VasishTa; Grandson of Sakti; Son of Paraasara; father of Sukha?.
Thus, generations of famous Maharishis belong to the lineage of VasishTa.
He was one of the ten sons of Brahma. Valmiki Ramayanam attests to this fact saying ?VasishTo
BrahmaNa Suta:? (VR 1. 52.6)
His strict adherence to the codes of conduct prescribed in the Sastras(anushTaanam) is proverbial and
has become a by-word for referring anyone with a high record of moral rectitude and scrupulous
adherence to the religious rigor and discipline being called ?Saakshaat VasishTa?
One such Sage living amidst us today is H.H. Srimad ANDavan, Srimad Gopala Desika
MahaaDesikkan of Poundarikapuram Swami Ashramam, Srirangam hailed verily as ?VasishTa? by
all the Prakrutam Acharyas today.
ARUNDATI
If VasishTa is so renowned, his wife Arundati is equally venerated as the exemplary chaste spouse,
the perfect wife for the perfect husband!
Even to this day, showing the bride Arundati star is an integral part of Hindu Weddings. The
significance is that the wife-to-be is exhorted to follow the example of Arundati in upholding
steadfast fidelity to the would-be husband.
VEDAS
Prior to Vyaasa?s times there was no division of Veda into Rik, Yajur, Saama and Atharva, All the
Vedas were in one whole. Like father the four faced Brahma, (though VasishTa did not have four
faces), he had mastered all the four Vedas in their entirety. VasishTa is the Pravartaka of for
innumerable mantras lying all over the Vedas. (e.g.) Rik Veda has 10,000 Riks. This forms only 10%
of the Rik Samhita and VasishTa is reputed to be the mantra drishTa for a majority of these. The
whole of the 7th MaNDala containing 100 Sooktas and 819 Mantras are attributed to him. In Saama
Veda, there are special sections called ?VasishTa Nivaham?, ?VasishTa chapam?, and ?VasishTasya
ankusam? etc. KaaLIdaasa describes VasishTa as the very treasure of Veda:
? atha atharva nidhE tasya vijitaari poorNa: /
Arthyaam arthapatir vaacham aadadE vadataam vara: // (Ragu Vamsam 1.59)
He adds further tributes like
?VasishTam rOga naasanam? (Ibid 6.44.2)
?VasishTam veerudhaanaam? (Ibid 6.21.2)
NANDINI
Though he could have commanded all the wealth one could dream of, he deemed Jnaana and
AnushTaana as the only real wealth. All that he could call his own was a cow named ?Nandini?.
Nandini could produce instantly whatever he desired and all that he needed were the ingredients
(saamgri) for the homas that he conducted innumerable times. And, Nandini never failed in providing
all this and more.
When Viswaamitra tried to take away Nandini by force, at the command of VasishTa, it created an
invincible army that routed the forces of Viswaamitra.
Worsted and humiliated at his defeat, Viswaamitra did severe penance for no better purpose than
acquiring powerful weapons including the mystic ?Brahma astra?. Having got them, he hurled all of
them at VasishTa, the ?Brahma putra?. VasishTa merely planted his holy staff consecrated with the
brilliance of his power of penance (TapObalam). All the weapons of destruction of Viswaamitra were
disarmed, demolished and rendered impotent before this staff!
Viswaamitra gave up declaring that the ?Power of prince was no match to the power of penance
(Brahma tEjas)?
? Dik balam kshatriya balam, Brahma tEjO balam balam? (VR 1.56.23)
His only ambition now was to be recognized as ?Brahma Rishi? and that
?Right from the horse?s mouth? ?as they say - the mouth of VasishTa. It was thus, the expression ?
VasishTar vaayaalE Brahma Rishi? has become popular.
TRISANKU EPISODE:
A strange desire overtook the Ikshvaaghu king, Trisanku. He wished to ascend to the heavens with his
physical body in tact! It is well known that it is impossible to do so according to Veda Sastras. He
approached VasishTa who was the Kula guru for the Ikshvaaghu Vamsam, because he believed that
nothing was impossible for VasishTa.
Another example is that several generations later, there was a king called Raghu in the Ikshvaaghu
dynasty. He created a chariot to transport his guest, Sage Kutsa together with a huge treasure gifted to
him as dakshiNa. This chariot could move without let or hindrance on land, sea or the skies as
desired> how did this chariot acquire this power? Again, it was by a miracle wrought by VasishTa.
VasishTa uttered a mantra and sprinkled water on the chariot. This invested the strange powers on the
chariot. KaaLidaasa mentions this incident in his ?Raghuvamsa? (5.27)
If VasishTa, who had such miraculous powers to do anything he wished, turned down the request of
Trisanku, there must be some valid reason behind it. What was this reason?
Anything that VasishTa did was to be precisely in tune with Dharma, never against it. Trisanku?s
request to become a ?permanent Resident? (Green-card holder?) of Svarga in his present form was
against Dharma Sastras. Naturally, he rejected the request outright.
Then, Trisanku approached the 0ne hundred sons of VasishTa, only to be cursed to become an
outcaste ?ChaNDaaLa?, that incidentally made it impossible for him to fulfill his desire with a
ChaNDaaLa body at that.
He made straight to Sage Viswaamitra, the archenemy of VasishTa in the hope of cashing in on his
enmity with VasishTa and the belief that Viswaamitra would not let him down. The rest is history.
RishyO vaa Indram pratyaksham naapasyan/ thum VasishTa: pratyaksham apasyath/ sO abhraveet
braahmaNam tE vakshyaami yathaa tvat purOhitaa: prajaa: prajanishyantE/ atha itarEbhyO rishibhyO
maa prOvaacha iti tasmaa yetanta stOmabhaagaan abhraveet tatO VasishTa purOhitaa: prajaa:
praajaayanta tasmaad VasishTO Brahmaa kaarya:/
(Taittriya Samhita 3.5.2)
This is an important mantram in which Arundati?s name occurs. At the time of commencement of
Oupaasanam, it is customary for the groom to ?show? ?Dhruva? and ?Arundati? stars. This is the
mantram that is recited on the occasion.
The seven Rishis (Sapta Rishis) on the firmament are Mareechi, Atri, Angeeras, Pulastyar, Pulahar,
Kratu, and VasishTa. They have their respective wives who had their respective names, but
collectively they were called by the name ?Krittika?. Arundati is the 7th Krittika. All the other Rishis
and their wives acknowledged that ?Arundati? was the firmest one. The groom while ?showing? the
Arundati star, tells his bride to be firm and act as the ?8th Krittika? taking after the 7th one viz.,
Arundati.
Arundati was never separated from VasihTa and they could be seen always together, KaaLidaasa says
in his ?Raghu Vamsa? that when King Dileepan visited VasishTa?s place, he paid his respects to both
of them ?together?.
In Kumaara Sambhavam also this togetherness of this couple has been referred to in the context of the
Sapta Rishis negotiating the marriage proposals between Lord Siva and Paarvati. While other Rishis
came without their spouses, only Arundati accompanied her husband during the negotiations!
It is the ?Brahmavarchas? of VasishTa that was responsible for the ultimate coronation of Sri Rama
and the establishment of ?Rama Rajya?.
Such is the glory of VasishTa GOtram.
(Postings on VasisTa GOtram completed)
Next only to the lineage of Aangeeras Maharishi, which branched off into those of Gautamas,
Bharadwajas and Kevala Aangiras, the one bearing the name of Goutama is one of the largest groups.
His lineage itself branched off into 1o subsets viz.,
1. Aayaasyas,
2. Shaardwatas,
3. KoumaaNdas,
4. Dheerghatamas
5. Ouchnasas,
6. KarENupaalis,
7. RaahugaNas,
8. Somaraajakas,
9. Vaamadevas and
10. Brihdgeetas.
The Pravaras of all these, commence with the name of ?Aangiras? and ends with the name of ?
Goutama?, the names of the respective Rishis being sandwiched between these.
The name ?Goutama? is derived from the root ?gOtama?. ?tama? means ?darkness? and ?gO? means
inter alia ?bright light?. Together, they indicate that he dispels darkness (ignorance) by his brilliance
(knowledge).
Another interpretation goes like this: ?gO? means ?Cow?. The words ?tara? and ?tama? indicate the
comparative and superlatives in Sanskrit. By this, it could be held that he was the one who had
countless cows in his cowshed.
The name ?Goutama? occurs in Rik Veda, yajur Veda, Saama Veda, Atharva Veda, Itihaasas,
PuraaNas, Kalpa Sutras, Tarka and other Sastras. It is not clear whether all these relate to one ?
Goutama? or one or more of the descendents of the original ?Goutama?, who also were known
generically as ?Gautama? only! But, one thing is clear. This name has undoubtedly a conjuring effect
by virtue of the virtues of the great Rishi and his illustrious descendents so much so that, numerous
others have sought to pride themselves assuming this name!
Superficial readings of some of the stories about ?GOutama? seem anything but flattering though they
do convey a moral beneath each. We will allude to a few such dubious stories that, however, in the
ultimate analysis enhance the greatness of the Rishi.
Sastras permit offering obeisance but prohibit offering Abhivaadanam to ladies other than one?s
mother. This Rishi seems to have done Abhivaadanam to a lady and that too to a ?Brahma
Raakshasi?. He introduces himself to the Raakshasi, as ?gOtama? thus:
? GObhistamO mama dhvastamjaatamaatrasya dEhatah /
viddhi maam gOtamam krityE yaatudhaani nibOdha maam //
How it came about is contained in a story in the 94th Chapter of Anusaasana Parva of Mahaa
bhaarata.
Once upon a time, there was a severe famine that took a heavy toll on the lives of livestock, birds and
humans as well. All the bodies of water had become bone dry; not a blade of grass or other greenery
survived. When no food was available, cannibalism ruled the roost not only among men but extended
to the great Rishis themselves! Who were these Rishis, who stooped so low? The list is unimaginable.
The above Rishis known as Sapta Rishis went hungry for days on end. They chanced to come across
the corpse of a man lying unattended and were preparing to eat up the entrails of the dead person.
A King belonging to the Vamsam of the famous Sibhi Chakravarthi happened to see their plight and
was as much shocked as we are today! Many questions arose in his mind:
· ?How come these great Rishis could stoop to such a despicable act?
· What happened to their Jnaanam, AnushTaanam, Tapas and Vairaaghyam?
· Does it prove the old adage that in the face of hunger every virtue vanishes??
(Pasi Vandaal pathum parandu pOm)
He fell at their feet, prevailed upon them to stop this sinful act and offered to give them not only
sufficient food but also great treasures that he had saved ?for the rainy day? (may be, in this case ?the
rainless days!).
The King successfully weaned them from consuming the corpse but he was not successful in
persuading them to accept his gifts. This is because the Rishis felt ?accepting alms? was even more
heinous than what they were about to embark upon. (Yerpadu igazhchchi). All the Rishis spoke to
him in one voice that accepting alms was like consuming honey adulterated with poison.
The King was totally disappointed. He summoned his guards to fetch some fig fruits; concealed
within them some gold coins and asked them to hand over to the Rishis. He did it in all good faith so
that the Rishis could slake their hunger by eating the fruits while he could acquire some merit in
seeing that some portion of his wealth reached the deserving recipients.
The Rishis who noticed the coins, refused to accept the gift of fruits saying ?Those who desire
supreme happiness here and the hereafter should never accept such gifts: ?apratigraahyam Yetat
prEtya cha Iha sukhEpsinaa?.
Each came up with an excuse for not accepting the coins concealed in the fruits. Let us confine
ourselves with what ?Goutama? said:
?There is nothing in this world that can satiate a person?s desires completely. Desire is like a vast and
deep ocean. Man will never be satisfied with anything?
When the King heard this from his guards, he became very angry. But what could he do against such
great Rishis? He started doing a Yaagam. From the sacrificial fire pit arose a frightful Raakshasi. The
King ordered the Raakshasi to kill the Rishis. But, how could she also carry out the King?s orders in
the face of the power of penance of the Rishis. She hid herself under the water of the only lake that
had a semblance of water inspite of the severe drought. She was sure that the Rishis would come to
the lake to drink water and tormented by hunger they would attempt to pluck a few lotus stems that
were still there in the lake and that she could make it a pretext to kill them.
As expected, one day the Rishis came to shores of the lake. She prevented them from drinking the
water saying that she was the guardian of for the lake and none could drink its waters without her
permission. She demanded that they should appear before her one by one and do ?abhivadanam?
spelling out their respective Gotram, Pravaram etc. The Raakshasi expected that in their thirst and
hunger they would not heed her warnings and she could make that an excuse to kill them for
disobeying her.
This, however, was a transgression of the Sastric injunction against offering Abhivaadanam to a lady!
A real ?Dharma SankaTam? for the Rishis!
In their hunger and thirst, the Rishis preferred to disobey Sastra rather than disobey her command!
Each one of them approached her and told their respective names, Gotrams, Pravarams etc. This is the
context in which ?Goutama? did Abhivadanam as mentioned earlier.
We will see another such story in our next posting.
GOTRAS AND PRAVARAS ? AN OVERVIEW ?
PART 10 THE GLORY OF GOUTAMA GOTRAM ? 2
GOUTAMA DROWNS HIS FATHER!
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
Based on Monograph of MahaamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Srivatsaankaachaar Swami, now Head of Dept.
French Indolgical Research Institute, Pondicherry and "MaharishigaL Charitram" by Mimamsa
SirOmaNi Mimamsa Vidvan Mimamsa Kovida, Ubhaya Mimamsa Saaragjna, Veda Vedanta
ChooDaamaNi Sri N.S. Devanathachariar (referred by Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"GOUTAMA DROWNS HIS FATHER!"
Another incident that does no credit to the great Sage is that on an occasion, he attempted to drown
his own father.
"PardvEshi" got fed up with him and started hating her husband. One day, true to her name, she called
her sons and directed them to throw away their old, decrepit and blind father in the river Ganga.
Goutama and his brothers dutifully carried out the order instantly. They put him on a wooden plank
(an apology for a boat) and let it float on the surface of the fast rushing, raging floodwaters. They
returned home in smug satisfaction that they had not directly killed him and if the sharks in the river
were to eat him up, it was not their fault! In those days, people used to adopt this method to get rid of
unwanted persons. Was not KarNa given the same treatment by none other than his own mother?
Sometimes, the victims used to survive and live happily ever after, thanks to some good Samaritans as
it happened in the case of KarNa. The poor old man was caught in the swirl and was struggling for
life but he also luckily found a savior. A king who saw his predicament rescued him and took him
under his tutelage.
Be that as it may. The question arises : How could a Sage stoop to perpetrate such a heinous crime
(adharmam), write on "Dharmam" in what is known as "Goutama Dharma Sutram" (GDS) and held in
high esteem for this contribution?
This work seeks to provide guidance for leading a virtuous life. Is it not funny travesty and
contradictory for the sage preaching good conduct contrary to what he himself practiced!
But, Goutama is not seem to be alone but is in good company. Did not Parasurama cut off the head of
his own mother? And, we see that on occasions, many other Rishis also transgressing moral codes of
conduct.
It is natural for us to ponder over their indiscretions and tempted to generalize our condemnation
against all Rishis in general.
Goutama seems to have entertained the same reflection on his own conduct. Even at the outset, in the
said (GDS)he hastens to raise this question and proceeds to provide an answer.
"drushTO dharma vyatikramaH saahasam cha mahataam" (GDS 1.1.3) and
"Avara dourbalyaath") Ibid 1.1.4)
Great ones have indeed transgressed Dharma and performed such extraordinary actions. But, others
cannot copy them because they do not have the strength"
What is this "Strength", he speaks of? The great Rishis could do intense Tapas to neutralize the effects
of their misdeeds committed due to force of circumstances. They had firm determination and the
power to expiate their sins through "Praayschittam" and would never ever withdraw from taking
adequate steps in this regard. Their only aim and objective would be to attain "Atma-Suddhi" and
would not mind any shame or hardship, but with single-minded concentration would be ready to
torture themselves for thousands of years till achieving this expiation.
Lesser folks cannot attempt to do such feats. Therefore, it would be dangerous to cite them as
precedents. If they had resorted to exceptionable behavior at times, they also had recourse to
exceptional means to expiate the stigma attached to such conduct. We cannot adoptthe former when
we are not capable of the latter.
That we have to follow the "Aachaarams" (Conduct) of Sages is true but the exceptions also have to
be taken note of. The Conduct of great ones fall under two categories viz
(1) Those that are in accordance with Saastras and
(2) Those that are contrary to the Saastras. Others can follow those in category (1) by all means. In
respect of
(2), the Rishis knew that some of their actions were not in accordance with Dharma. Though they
knew this, they had to perform them knowingly due to special circumstances.
It is not for ordinary folks like us to question what is Dharma and what is not in the case of Rishis. All
we can do is to ascertain whether a particular action is sanctioned in the Saastras and avoid those that
are not so sanctioned.
Kumarila BhaTTar explains this very clearly in "Poorva Mimamsaa Darsanam,1.3.7, Tantra
vaartikam" thus:
The above Slokas prove the above conclusions. Those well versed in Saastras have given this verdict
after good deal of deliberations of the circumstances.
No doubt, for all intents and purposes, the action of Goutama was indeed "Adhrama"; so also was the
conduct of Parasurama in cutting off the head of his mother.
Sometimes, parents differ from each other and order opposite actions on their sons and daughters.
This is really a case of "Dharma SankaTam". Such a dilemma arose in the case of Sri Rama. His
father asked him to go on exile to the forest. His mother, Kousalya prevailed upon him not to go. But,
Sri Rama found an ingenious solution. Poor Parasurama and Goutama could not find such an escape
route! They incurred enormous sin by their actions but also did enormous Tapas, the power of which
relieved them of their sins.
We ordinary folks should never make this a pretext to indulge in "adharma'. Kumarila BhaTTar again
gives the example of a huge elephant playfully breaking a massive branch of a mammoth tree.
Smaller animals cannot try to copy this and risk their life in the process. He says:
"Manda tapasaam gajairiva mahaa vaTa kaaashTaadi bhakshaNam aatma
vinaasaayaiva syaat" (Tantra Vaartikam 1.3.7)
In our own times, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa while walking on the road with one of his disciples
stopped to drink some liquor on a wayside grove. The disciple thought that he could also do the same.
After sometime, they found molten iron in the boiling cauldron of a blacksmith. Without any
hesitation, Ramakrishna drank of the liquid as easily as one would gulp down water. The disciple
realized that he could not repeat the feat. The moral is that we should follow what great people advise
and not try to do what they do.
DEVABAAGAR:
KaaTakam waxes eloquent on the greatness of this Devabaagar. Of all the Rishis, special mention is
made of him as the only one who knew the esoteric mantra propitiating the fire god ?Agni?, known as
?Saavitraagnisayanam?. He was so conversant with this, that one day he heard a voice from heaven
(an asareeri) saying: ? ?Goutama dEvabaaga who knew Savitram well, knows everything?.
Devabaagar was astonished at the body less voice and asked the voice itself
?Who are you??
The voice replied
? I am Savitraagni, the seat of the exalted celestials; I hold the secret light of knowledge?.
The scriptures aver that in those days when ?Agni dEva? was propitiated with total dedication, he
would condescend to converse with the Upaasaka in a human voice.
For example:
You would have heard of the popular story of ?UpakOsalan?. With a view to learn Brahma Vidya, he
approached his Guru for Gurukulavaasam. With absolute Bhakti, he tended the fires of his Acharya
for 12 long years. Still his Guru did not impart the Vidya. UpakOsala was not deterred and continued
?Agni pooja? with utmost patience in the hope that the Acharya would someday teach him the
precious Vidya.
One day, after completing his daily chores, he came to offer ?Paadapooja? to his Guru. But, his Guru
had gone out somewhere. Acharya?s wife also did not know where the Acharya had gone and when
he might return. UpakOsala was beside with grief.
AgnidEva saw his plight and himself came forward to teach him the Brahmavidya that he had longed
for, for so long! ?Atha hi agnayas samoodirE?- says ChandOkyha Upanishad 4.10.4
Later on, the Guru returned and came to know what had transpired in his absence. Appreciating the
patience of UpakOsala, he completed the instructions.
Such was the greatness of the one belonging to the ?Goutama Gotram?
It would appear that everyone belonging to the lineage of Goutama were deeply involved in the study
and interpretation of Vedanta. In fact, they seem to have been responsible for starting most of the
philosophical disputes on Brahmavidyas like Sadvidya and Panchaagni Vidya, the two most important
Vidyas dealt with in the Upanishads.
The King thought about it deeply and then agreed to impart Panchaagni Vidya on condition that
Uddaalaka should do service for a long time and be waiting patiently. Uddalaka did accordingly and
learning the Vidya, finally revealed it to the world for our benefit. What he got with so much of effort,
toil and trouble has become easily accessible to posterity. This Vidya deals with how the soul leaving
the body rests at 5 different places before being born again as a human. It also reveals the path taken
by those who have done enormous PuNya and the path open to others who have done only sins and
many such rare Tattvas.
It is this Uddalaka who taught ?Sad Vidya? to SvEtakEtu. It is this Uddalaka who learned ?
Antaryaami BraahmaNam? from Sage Yagjnyavalkyar and published it for the benefit of humanity. In
the Upanishads, Uddalaka is referred to as ?Goutama? only. In fact, all the Rishis who followed him
in this lineage are reputed to be great Vedaantins.
VAAMADEVAR
This is another illustrious Rishi belonging to ?Goutama? Vamsam. Rg Vedam calls him ?VaamadEvO
Goutama:? because it is he who founded the 4th MaNDalam of Rg. Vedam that contains 589 Mantras
And, that is why both these take prime spots during the coronation. Although the other preceptors of
Dasaratha were equally well qualified as great seers, Vaamadevar of the ?Goutama? lineage occupied
such an exalted position next only to and along with Sage VasishTa.
This VasisTa-VaamadEva duo was prominent in the deliberations at the time of King Dasaratha?s
earlier AswamEdha Yagjna. In AyOdhya KhaaNdam, on the death of Dasaratha, these were the ones
who arranged for Bharata?s return from his maternal uncle?s place. Thus, these two could be seen
appearing at all times when important decisions were to be taken in the entire Ramayana.
?Goutama? Vamsam has its own specialties. They were the pioneers in leading the World in
following the path of the Vedas (Vedamarga PratishTaapana). The 4th MaNDalam of Rg vEDa
relates to VaamadEva. The 26th Sooktam here in just 3 mantras clearly explains the state of mind of a
realized person (Brahmagjnaani). Those who have attained Brahmaswaroopm do not come down to
earth to relate their experience! Even if one were to explain, we do not have the capacity to
understand what they say. Till VaamadEva?s exposition, this remained an inexplicable mystery. It is
he who clarified the position in unambiguous terms in these 3 mantras. (Vide Rg Veda 4.26). In short,
these mantras explain how Bhagavaan is the sole cause of all that is and will be in the universe.
BrahadaaraNyaka Upanishad and Brahma Sootram speak about the glory of VaamdEva thus:
?Tadvaitath pasyan rishir vaamadEvO pratipEdE
aham manur abhavam sooryas cha iti? (BrahadaaraNyaka Upanishad 3.4.10)
?Saastra drushTyaatu upadEsO vaamadEvaath? (Brahma Sootram 1.1.31.)
PaaNini in his AshTaadhyaayi 4.2.7.9 indicates that VaamdEVa Goutama was the seer of ?saama
VEdam: ?DrishTa saama/ vaamadEvaaayadhyaou/?
To Continue THE GLORY OF GOUTAMA GOTRAM ? 4
NachikEtas belongs to ?Goutama Gotra? and like others of this lineage; he was also one of those who
acquired Brahmajnaanam even as a kid. The family tree of Nachiketas reveals this.
There was a great personality in the Goutama Gotra called AARUNI. His son was UDDALAKAR
and Uddalakar?s son was SvEtakEtu.
Another son of Uddalakar was ?VAAJA SRAVAS? and his son was ?VAAJA SRAVASAR?.
Nachiketas was the son of this Vaaja Sravasar. All of them carry the family name of ?Goutama? only.
Once, Vaaja Sravasar performed a Yaaga called ?Viswajit?. The inexorable condition attaching to this
Yaaga is that the performer should give away their entire possessions as gifts (DakshiNa). Cattle were
the greatest wealth in those days. So, the Rishi gave away his entire stock of livestock. Nachiketas
was closely watching. He thought within himself:
? All these cows are pretty old, infirm and decrepit, so much so that they could not even consume
grass or drink water, let alone yielding milk. Of what use would they be to the recipient?? So
thinking, he took bold to ask his father:
? To whom are you going to give me away as gift??
Vaaja Sravasar did not take his query seriously and ignored. But, Nachikatas was not to be put off like
that. He repeated the question again and again. The father became mad at him. In a fit of anger, he
screamed:
?I am giving you away to the Lord of death?
Immediately Vaaja Sravasar realized the enormity of his words because in such a Yaaga when the
yajamaana declares his intent to give away something, there can be no looking back. He was beside
with grief. The boy pacified his father and his words of solace are remarkable.
?Oh! Father! You don?t have to feel sorry. I am not alone in my march to the kingdom of death. A
veritable crowd goes before me and another big crowd will be following me?. ?bhaoonaamEmi
prathamO bahoonaamEmi madhyamah? (kaTopanishad 1.1.5.)
Though he pacified his father, it was now his turn to feel desolate, not that he was afraid of death. But,
his concern now was what better use he could be to the Lord of death that these crowds were not
capable of providing.
?thaih ha smOthitam vaag abhi vadati / Goutama kumaaram iti/? (KaTakam 2.8)
The Goutama-the father, advised Goutama-the son, of a suitable strategy. The son was equally smart
to do exactly as advised, with the result that he came back alive to his father, having secured a
threesome of boons from Yama, the last and most important of which related to the esoteric truth
about the ?after-life scenario?. This truth that he got from Yama with utmost perseverance is now
easily available to the world today. Thus, all the great personages belonging to the Goutama vamsa
are greatly responsible for the enlightenment of the ?ways and means? of liberation that lie open for
us to adopt and benefit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHIRAKAARI
We have heard the adage ?Procrastination is the thief of time?. This thief, however, is not always bad.
And, we have also heard ?Haste makes for waste?. Here is an occasion when the miracle of
procrastination saved a descendent of Goutama vamsa from the agony and consequences of bad
decisions taken in haste leading to waste.
Another Goutama called ?Medhatithi ? is spoken of highly in the PuraNas. He had a son named
(appropriately) as ?CHIRAKAREE?. He used to be sluggish in whatever he did. The word ?urgent?
was not in his dictionary. So, the name meaning ?One in slow motion? seemed to fit his demeanor.
Though everyone made fun of him, he was not in the least bothered about it. ?Slow, and steady?, he
won ultimately. Let us see how:
MEdaatithi once suspected the chastity of his wife and ordered Chirakaaree to behead her. Dutiful son
that he was, Chirakaaree went with a knife in hand to the riverside where he found his mother. He was
?hamletting? within his mind whether ?To kill or not to kill?. It was truly a ?Dharma SankaTam?
situation for him. If he killed her, it would result in the sin of matricide though he was only carrying
out his father?s orders; if he did not, he would be guilty of transgressing the command of his father.
True to his name, he was greatly perplexed and went on debating the issue within his mind for hours
on end.
It was not very difficult for him to find a solution to this dilemma. After all, ?Goutama Dharma Sutra?
has clearly spelled a way out in such tricky situations.
Aachaaryah srEshTO gurooNaam / maatEtyEkE/ maatEtyEkE?
(Goutama Dharma Sutra 1.2.56)
This lists and provides a protocol for grading various persons who should be deemed superior inter se
among them. It says that of all those who should be revered, the following gradation has to be
observed viz Mother, Father, Acharya, Maternal uncle, Ritviks who lead Yaagas, and in that order.
Should a doubt arise, the Sutram declares that the mother is the one deserving utmost reverence and
precedence over the rest. After all, was it not the author of this Goutama sutra, who obeyed his mother
in resorting to homicide by letting his father drift into the fast flowing waters of the river? Finally,
Chirakaaree came to a conclusion not to kill his mother.
Meanwhile, DevEndra appeared before Medaatithi in the garb of a Brahmin. He was muttering a
proverb to the effect ?one should not act in haste and repent in leisure?. Medaatithi realized his
mistake. He rushed to the riverside. To his great astonishment and greater sense of relief, he saw the
mother and son sitting side by side. He called his son aside and told him that he had changed his mind
and that Chirakaaree had no need to execute his order. His regret (SOKam) issued forth in the form of
a couple of beautiful verses (slOkams). These have been incorporated in Kumaarikaa KhaaNDam
6.25.29 of Skaandam.
The father heaped praise on the son for his patience. All this is the norm of Krita yuga. People were
not afraid of acknowledging their faults and readily accepting responsibility, unlike now when we see
some people indulging in worst abominable crimes without qualms of conscience and yet acting as if
they are the paragons of virtue on earth! We need not condemn for these lapses because they know
and do what is necessary to expiate.
Tridan wanted to do a ?SOma Yaaga?. The brothers gathered cows, money etc needed for the Yaaga
under the leadership of Tridan. Ekadan and Dvidan were jealous of Tridan?s popularity and were
biding for the right time to wreak vengeance on him and planned to carry away the cows and the
booty. Tridan was leading and the others were following him.
They traversed long distances in the search for the provisions for the Yaaga and at the time of late
night one day, they reached vicinity of the river Saraswati, The brothers who followed deliberately
slowed their pace and Tridan was far ahead of them. He was shocked to see suddenly a fox face to
face howling at him threateningly. In his predicament, he slipped and fell into a deep well (Paazhum
kiNau). He called his brothers aloud for long for help. But, they coolly walked away without coming
to his rescue, thinking that if he were to die, it was good for them. And, if he happened to get out of
the well alive, he would in any case be able to gather the materials again due to his popularity.
Tridan was not afraid of death. He knew death was inevitable. His concern was different. After having
prepared everything, to die without performing the Yaaga, without drinking the sacrificial Soma juice
was not acceptable to him. Suddenly, he ogled a creeper hanging inside the wall of the well. Luckily,
it was the Soma creeper that he was searching for. He took what little water was in the dry well,
crushed the Soma creeper, and took out the juice. Mentally conjuring up the ?YaagavEdhi? and ?
TrEtaagnis? he started reciting loudly the appropriate Veda mantras. His voice reached the Heavens.
Indra came down to the well site with the band of celestials and accepted the ?SOma rasa?. He
ordered the nearby Saraswati river waters to swell. The surging waters lifted up Tridan and he came
out unscathed. He got a boon from the Devas that anyone taking bath in the waters of this well should
reap the benefits of performing Soma Yaaga. Such was the glory of Trida Goutama. When he came to
know of the treachery of his brothers, he cursed them to be born as monkeys and bears. But, this is a
different story.
GOUTAMI:
Goutami is the name of a Brahmin lady. It is not known whether she was the wife, sister or daughter
of one born in the Goutama GOTram. In accordance with the tradition of this Vamsam, she is known
by the Gotra Pravartakar of this GOtram. Mahaabhaarata takes a significant turn on account of her
life. Anusaasana Parva commences with a reference to her.
The great KurukshEtra war was over. Bheeshma Pitaamaha was lying on the bed of arrows awaiting
the now famous as ?Bheeshma Ekaadasi?. YudishTira was pestering him with lot of questions and
clarifications and Bheeshma was answering him about Dharma with utmost patience. The great
Chapter of ?Saanthi Parva? was coming to a close. YudishTira could not avoid thinking of the events
in the war in which the heroic acts of the warriors on the one hand as well as the treachery and deceit
ruthlessly adopted with the blessings of Lord KrishNa Himself on the other - were passing in his mind
like an endless procession of remembrance (yaadOn ki bhaaraat?). Totally confused, YudishTira
asked Bheeshma why even after listening to the Saanthi Parva, his mind was still agitated. It was then
that Bheeshma narrated the anecdote connected with Goutami.
A poisonous snake bit the only son of Goutami and caused his instant death. A hunter by name,
Arjunagan saw this and caught the snake, tied it tightly with ropes and dropped it in front of Goutami
and asked her how she wished the snake to be killed whether by burning or by cutting it into pieces.
Goutami would not have it killed saying that killing it would not bring her son back but would result
in their rotting in hell endlessly. Here is her SlOkam:
Hatvaa cha yEnamruta: syaad ayam mE jeevati asmin kOtyaya: syaad ayam tEAsyOtsargE praaNa
yuktasya jantO: mrityOr lOkam kO nu gachEd anantamBecause, as one belonging to the Goutama
Vamsa, she knew the subtleties of Dharma, she would not be a party to the killing.
When the hunter insisted on meting out capital punishment to the snake for the crime of murdering
the young boy, she replied that it was because the life period of her son had come to a close that he
had died and that the snake was not to blame. The snake suddenly started to talk in the tongue of
humans and said: ?Oh! Hunter! I am not at fault. I was ordered by the Lord of death to bite the boy. I
have nothing to gain by killing the boy?
The dispute between the hunter and the snake went on unabated. Lord of death appeared before them
and said; ? Neither the snake nor myself is responsible for the boy?s death. I am also bound by the
inexorable laws of Dharma and none of us act on one?s own volition? His SlOKam is:
The purport of the slOkam is that it is the inevitable result of the boy?s own actions ?Karma? that was
responsible for his death and none else could be blamed. The Lord of death, otherwise known as ?
Dharma devata? explained clearly the action- reaction phenomenon that worked inexorably in
everyone?s life.
Goutami who already was clear in her mind became clearer still and experienced great mental peace.
She consoled herself saying:? Neither Yama, nor the snake was at fault. He died because he was
destined to die at the specific moment in a specific manner. I have also committed sins to deserve this
trauma. So, every one of you may go to your respective abodes after releasing the snake? Here is her
slOkam:
Male or female, every one of the descendents of Goutama GOtram were reputed for strict rectitude in
conduct and perfect comprehension of the philosophy underlying such rectitude. Though each may
have had a personal name, they took pride in calling themselves after the gOtra pravartaka, the great
Goutama Maharishi.
14 to come
He is associated with the work of creation of all living beings. He is found associated with Kurma,
Vaamana, Parasuraama and Raama Avataaras. It is mind boggling to comprehend his ubiquitous
presence spanning over several Kalpas.
The Atharva Veda says, ?The self-born Kaasyapa sprang from time?. And, Time is identical with
VishNu. Thus, he is identified with LORD VISHNU HIMSELF.
Srimad Ramayana and VishNu PuraaNa also state that ?VishNu was born as a dwarf, the son of Aditi
and Kaasyapa? and thus he is associated with VAAMANA AVATAARA.
Mahaa Bhaarata also mentions that Parasuraama, after the destruction of the Kshatriya race and
performance of Aswamedha sacrifice, is said to have presented the sovereignty of the earth to Sage
Kaasyapa who was his priest
(MB viii.3164). Thus, he is associated with PARASURAAMA AVATAARA.
And, he is considered to be one of the priests of Sri Rama also, next only to Sage VasishTa. Thus, he
was associated with RAMA AVATAARA.
By his other 12 wives, he had numerous and very diversified offspring: demons, naagas, reptiles,
birds, and all kinds of living beings. He was thus, the father of all, a prolific procreator and as such is
sometimes called ?Prajaapati?. Among his wives were: Aditi, ArishTa, Danu, Diti, Kadru, Puloma,
Surabhi, Vinata etc who were equally responsible for the proliferation of life on earth. Thus, a peep
into the stories of his wives would be interesting to understand what a prodigious personage Kaasyapa
was. More about this later.
It is debated among scholars that the name ?Kaasyapa? may be generic and many Sages took pride in
calling themselves as ?Kaasyapas?.
Many subdivisions of Kaasyapa families are known through the ages (e.g.) Urubilva Kaasyapa, Gayaa
Kaasyapa, Dasabala Kaasyapa, NaaDi Kaasyapa, Mahaa Kaasyapa, and Hasti Kaasyapa etc.
Swami Desika alludes to how Vaalakalyas came to offer their obeisance to Sage Kaasyapa and having
been slighted by Indra on their way, cursed Indra that the son of Kaasyapa would defeat him. This son
is none other than our revered Pakshiraaja, GaruDa, the eagle mount of the Lord.?Vaalakhilaya-
pratijnaa- avateerna!? GaruDa, who was born by the vow of Vaalakhalya ?Sages?.
{Vaalakhilayas were a group of sages who were extremely dwarfish in bodies, but were great by their
penance. When they were coming to attend the sacrifice performed by Sage-Kaasyapa, they were not
able to cross a small pit with a handful of water because of the smallness of their bodies. Indra who
was coming on his elephant saw them and made fun of them. They became angry and cursed him that
he would be defeated in a fight by a son of Kasyapa. When GaruDa went to Svarga to take the
Amrita, Indra with his army came to fight hard and was defeated by GaruDa (who was the son of
Sage Kaasyapa). [From the Life and works of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan- by Prof Sri A.
Srinivasaraghavan]}
KAASYAPA AND MAADABHUSI
WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD "MADABHOOSI"?
It is said that when Bharata went to request Sri Rama to return to AyOdhya, Sri Rama declined saying
he could not transgress the command of his father.
When during the conversation between them (celebrated as "RAMAGITA"), Bharata admired Sri
Rama for his devotion to their father. Sri Rama is reported to have referred to Kaasyapa Rishi (of
Naidruva Kaasyapa Gotram fame).
Kaasyapa's mother was too old to even stand but wanted to be taken for a pilgrimage. Kaasyapa put
her comfortably on a hammock and carried her all along to fulfill her wish. Sri Rama referred to him
as "one who adorned his mother" (Matru bhooshaNam) and that he himself was no bhooshaNam to
his father (quite unlike Kaasyapa), since he could not even perform the last rites of his father.
This word "Maatru bhooshaNam" in course of time got corrupted into "MaaDa bhoosi". (I understand
that all "MaaDa bhoosis" belong to "Naidrava Kaasyapa GOtram ?Authority: heard in KAlakshepam
and it is said that because of this "Maatru Sisroosha", Kaasyapa attained Svarga and became
Prajaapathi subsequently - ibid. VR. Notes on AyOdhyA khANDam (p19)
Besides the above the following authorities were also consulted for this posting:
1. C.R. Srinivasa Iyengar Swami?s Notes on Valmiki Ramayanam
2. Monier Williams Sanskrit- English Dictionary.
3. A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and religion by John Dawson, heritage Publishers,
New Delhi
4. ?Who is who in the Mahabharata? by Subash Mazumdar, published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,
Bombay
5. ?Life and works of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan?- by Prof Sri A. Srinivasaraghavan.
====================================================
We mentioned in the previous posting that Sage Kaasyapa?s glory is enhanced by the life stories of
his 13 wives. Let us allude to a few of them:
ADITI:
Aditi literally means boundless, unbroken, entire, unimpaired, happy, immense, abundant, creative
power mentioned in Rig Veda as daughter of Daksha and wife of Kaasyapa and mother of the
Adityas. According to Max Muller, ?the visible infinite, visible to the naked eye; the endless expanse
beyond the earth, beyond the clouds, beyond the sky?
In the Rig Veda, she is frequently implored ?for blessings on children and cattle, for protection and
forgiveness? She is called ?Deva Maatri?, mother of the Gods. She is represented as the daughter of
Daksha.
In the Yajur Veda, Aditi is addressed as ?Supporter of the sky, the sustainer of the earth, sovereign of
this world, and wife of VishNu?. But, in Mahaabhaarata, Ramayana and the Puranas, Vishnu is called
the son of Aditi.
According to Matsya PuraNa, a pair of earrings was produced at the churning of the milky ocean,
which Indra gave to Aditi
Devaki, the mother of KrishNa, is represented as being a new birth manifestation of Aditi. (Rig Veda
i.230, Muir?s texts iv.11.v.35).
DITI:
Wife of Kaasyapa, She is considered to be the very personification of the Vedas. She was the mother
of the Daityas. Maruts are also are described as her progeny or derived from the embryo in her womb
divided into pieces by Indra. The VishNu puraNa relates that having lost her children, she begged of
Kaasyapa, a son of irresistible prowess, who could destroy Indra. The boon was granted, but with the
condition: ?If with thoughts wholly pious and person entirely pure, you carefully carry the babe in
your womb for a hundred years?. She assiduously observed the condition. Indra came to know of this.
So, he went to Diti, her rival and attended upon her with utmost humility, watching his opportunity. In
the last year of the century, Diti retired without washing her feet. Indra then with his thunderbolt
divided the embryo in her womb into seven portions. Thus mutilated, the child cried bitterly, and
Indra being unable to pacify it, became angry, and divided each of the seven portions into seven, thus
forming the swift moving deities called ?maruts? from the words, ?maa rOdih?, ?weep not?, which
Indra used to quiet them.
DANU:
She was another wife of Sage Kaasyapa. Her descendents were called ?Daanavas? who were giants in
size and constantly at war with the gods and created obstacles in the way of Brahmins performing
Yagjnas and prevented them from carrying out their religious rituals. Among them were Hayagriva,
PulOma, Shambara, Suarabhanu, Vasihvaanara, Viprachithi, Virupaaksha, Vrishaparva etc. (MB
1/65, Harivamsa iii.20).
ARISHTA:
She was one of the many wives of Sage Kaasyapa. Her son was ArishTanEmi. King Parpuranjaya by
mistake killed ArishTanEmi?s son But, ArishTanEmi revived his son and absolved the king of all sins
for having killed a Brahmana because the king had gone to him in sincere repentance. MarkandEya
Rishi related this incident to the Pandavas to illustrate the powers acquired by great Rishis of Kasyapa
lineage. (Vide MB 3/184)
SURABHI:
Literally ?sweet smelling? fragrant, Charming, pleasing, lovely.She was yet another wife of Sage
Kaasyapa and mother of cattle and of Rudras, sometimes considered as one of the ?matris? or as the
cow of plenty. Amongst her many children was VasishTa?s divine cow, KaamadhEnu (aka) Nandini
that could fulfill man?s all wishes. She once went to Indra in sorrowful tears to complain that one of
her children was being beaten by a farmer and forced to pull very heavy loads. Indra asked her as to
why she was so particular about this one son when all her other children were also being similarly ill-
treated. Surabhi then replied that while she loved all her children equally, she had as special fondness
for this one who was weak, meek and less privileged than the others.
Accepting this line of reasoning, Indra caused heavy rains to fall on the farmer?s field so that he was
obliged to release the bull from his heavy duties. Vyaasa related this to DritaraashTra to get him to be
more considerate towards the PaaNDavas who had lost not only their father but also their kingdom,
their wealth and everything else. (MB 3/9)
PULOMA:
She was one of the daughters of Daksha whom married Sage Kaasyapa. But, MB describes her as the
daughter of demon Vaiswanara and states that PulOma, also a demon loved her but she became the
wife of Kaasyapa.
She is said to have pleased Brahma by her severe penances and obtained from him the city of
HiraNyapura for the benefit of her sons. This city could not be destroyed either by Devas or by
Gandharvas or by demons. But, Brahma knew that humans could destroy it and it thus came to pass
that Arjuna destroyed it in accordance with the wishes of Indra. (MB 1.4 and 3.173)
KADRU:
Literally meaning tawny, brown, reddish brown. She was one of the 13 daughters of Daksha whom
Sage Kaasyapa married. She was mother of ?a thousand powerful many-headed serpents, the chief
amongst whom were SEsha, Vaasuki and many other fierce and venomous serpents?. VishNu PuraNa
from which this is taken, names twelve, the Vayu PuraNa forty. Her offspring bear the metronymic ?
KaadravEyaa? (MB 1.16)
VINATA:
She was the most beloved wife of Kaasyapa. He was the mother of SuparNa, AruNa and ?GaruDa?,
the eagle mount of Lord VishNu. That is why he is otherwise known as ?VainatEya? Vayu PuraNa
describes the meters of Veda as her daughters and VainatEya himself as ?Vedaatma VihagEswara?-
the very personification of the Vedas. His elder brother is AruNan, who rises before Sunrise. He has
two wives named Rudraa and Sukeerthi
Once Vinatha and Kadru argued over the color of the tail of a horse. Vinata said it was white and so it
was. But, Kadru insisted that it was black. They decided to settle the issue by inspecting the horse.
But not before they entered into a wager. If it were white, Kadru would be Vinata?s slave. If black,
Vinata should serve as a slave of Kadru.
Kadru surreptitiously asked her sons, the black serpents to wind themselves around the tail of the
horse to make it appear black. When the two rivals visited to inspect the horse, the tail looked black.
As per the wager Vinata had to become Kadru?s slave. The only way to get her released from serfdom
was that Vinata?s son should bring the divine nectar (amrutam) from the mansion of Indra. GaruDa
dutifully set forth on the venture. At that time, Vinata blessed him with a sloka as follows:
Pakshou tE maaruta: paatu chandra: prushTam cha putraka /
Siras tu paatu tE Vahni: Bhaaskara: sarvamEva avatu/
VishNu: sarva gata: sarvaaNi angaani tava chaiva hi //
It is said that if one set out on a long journey recites this sloka will not encounter any difficulties on
the way but would safely and successfully conclude the journey. It is with this Sloka that Kousalya
blessed Sri Rama when he was proceeding on exile to the forest. Such is the glory of the descendents
of Sage Kaasyapa.
Aangeeras is said to be the ?maanaseeka putra? of the original creator, the four faced Brahma. May be
because, he appeared the very moment Brahma thought of creating him, he is considered so. He is
also said to have emanated from the face of Brahma. Since the fire-god, Agni was also born from the
face of Brahma, both Aangeeras and Agni become brothers.
In the Vedas, the word ?Aangeeras? is mentioned as a substitute name for ?Agni? ?nEdeeyO yagjnam
aangeerah? (Taittriya Samhita 2.6.11) Sometimes the suffix ?tamah? is added to the word ?
Aangeeras? for referring to ?Agni? Tubhyantaa angirastamah? (Taittriya Samhita 1.3.14). Thus ?
agnir? and ?angir? were deemed to be equivalent terms (paryaaya padas).
The AitarEya BraahmaNam 3.34 also confirms this. In fact, live coal (TaNal) is called ?angaara?. In
any fire- based karma (agni-kaaryam), the word ?angaara? is used to denote live coal Vide- ?angaaran
Niroohya?. When we come across a person with a blinding brilliance, it is customary to call him as
shining like burning coal ? one whose Brahmavarchas shines through one?s face.
ChandhOkhya Upanishad belonging to Saama Veda, however, gives another interpretation. It says:
?Tamhaangiraa udgeethamupaasam chakrE, yETamu yEva anggirasam manyantE/
angaanaam yad urasah // (ChandhOkhya Upanishad 1.2.10)
This statement is made in the context of describing the first part of Saama Veda called ?Udgeetam?.
It says that Sage Aangeeras meditated so much on ?Omkaaram? as ?Mukhya praaNan? that he came
to be identified with the very breath. ?Angam? means ?limb? We know what is ?Rasam? ? the very
essence. What is the essence of limb? In other words, what makes the limbs function? It is the ?
mukhya praaNan? - the very essence of breath. The limbs function only so long as there is breathing.
When the breath finally goes out without returning, the limbs become inactive and the body becomes
a dead body. This way, the Sage ?Aangeerasa? is also deemed to the very life breath, says Saama
Veda BraahmaNam.
Thus, ?aangeeras? is at once the brilliance of fire and the essence of life breath that are the basis of all
life on earth.
Sage Aangeeras is the pioneer in demonstrating how to perform sacrifices properly as laid down in the
Saastras without any blemish. This fact is attested in all the four Vedas. (e.g.) Taittriya Samhita 5.5.6
says:
The art of constructing such urns is known as ?agnisayanam?. Clods of mud of varying sizes and
consistency were hand picked and arranged with special care. These clods are called ?IshTikais?. The
way they were juxtaposed is called ?PratishTai of IshTikais?. Though it is said so easily, in practice, it
entailed great effort and clear knowledge of the art. Vedam avers: ?one who knows this art of
constructing a stable ?homa kunTam? will remain stable in life?.
It is not only the art of juxtapositioning that matters. The practitioner has also to offer prayers to ?
IshTkais? in the following manner:
Oh! IshTikai! Please be as firm and stable with me as you were with Sage Aangiras?
One thing is clear from this. Sage Aangeeras did ?agnisayanam?. When he arranged the clods, they
automatically juxtaposed themselves without any disheveling, firm and beautiful to behold and stood
like rock. The Yajamaana refers to this incident and seeks the mercy of IshTkais to help him
similarly. Vedas prescribe that every time the clods are arranged, it has to done uttering the mantra ?
angirasvad dhruvaaa seeda?. This string of utterance has to be scrupulously remembered and uttered
without fail or forgetting. Those who have done ?Veda Adhyayanam? can appreciate this fact better.
Ever since the appearance of mankind on earth, numerous Rishis, Kings and commoners have
performed ?agnisayanam?. Vedas have not mentioned any of them but has reserved its special praise
to sage Aangeeras as a model performer. That this mantra relating to Sage Aangeeras has been made
compulsory while constructing the ?YaagavEdi? on all those who seek to perform yagjnas speaks
volumes of the glory of this Sage and how mankind stands inextricably connected with him.
Meaning;
?Oh! Aangeeras! Grant me wisdom; Oh! Saptarishis! Grant me wisdom;
Oh! Prajaapati! Grant me wisdom; Oh! Agni (Firegod)! Grant me wisdom?
It is only by uttering this Mantram that the boy should offer Homam in the sacrificial fire.
Study of the Vedas that the boy is about to embark upon is no small affair. It requires a steady mind to
assimilate the wisdom contained therein. Only if the boy is endowed with this wisdom can his efforts
bear fruit. That is why he is made to pray to these entities renowned for such wisdom. It may be
noticed that of all of them, it is Sage Aangeerasa who leads them all. It appears that Sage Aangeerasa
is the one whose blessings are of prime importance for all those who wish to learn the Vedas.
RAGHU VAMSAM
Mahaakavi KaaLidaasa describes the lineage of Sage Aangeerasa in his famous ?Raghu Vamsam?.
Do you know who the progenitor of this Vamsam is? It is none other than Sage Aangeerasa. Sri
Rama?s GOtra- Pravara recital makes this clear. It says ?Aangeerasa- Ambareesha- Youvanasva?. It
is Aangeerasa in whose glorious lineage that we find Sri Rama. This lineage accounts for great heroes
like Dasaratha and his forefathers who were so renowned that the Lord decided to take birth in that
lineage. All this is mentioned by Sage VasishTa while narrating the lineage on the occasion of Sri
Rama?s wedding with Sri Sita. He recounts ?Yuvanaasva?s son was Maandaata; Maandaata?s son
was Ambareesha ? all of them were descendents of Sage Aangeerasa.
A MALE PREGNANCY!
Yuvanaasva?s life is very interesting. He had no issues for long. So, he performed a Yagjna with the
help of great Sages. But, because, there was a faux pas committed by him, the whole dynasty was
about to be decimated. Luckily, thanks to the intervention of Aswini dEvas, the impending tragedy
was averted. Yuvanaasva became pregnant! May be, this was the first instance of a male pregnancy.
Let us see how this happened in the next posting.
It was midnight. Yuvanaasva woke up and was feeling thirsty. He entered the Yaagasaala. Half asleep
and tormented by intense thirst, he drank fully the waters contained in the pot. And went to sleep
again.
Next morning, when the priests who sought to use the waters were shocked to find the pot totally
empty. ?Who drank this water?? was the question on everyone?s lips. Yuvanaasva admitted that
without knowing what he was doing, he drank the waters.
The priests were flabbergasted because the one who drank the holy waters would become pregnant
and this event could not be averted. They were sure that not only the baby would not be born normally
but in the process Yuvanaasva himself would die. The ?Purusha Garbham? grew by the day and
reached the stage of delivery. All were perplexed.
Thanks to the intervention of Aswini dEvas who did a miraculous surgery (a caesarian?), they took
out the baby safe without any injury to the king. Yuvanaasva became the father and mother for the
child all at once! But, the unfortunate child could not enjoy breastfeeding and this created a further
complication.
In this predicament, Lord Indra appeared and since the Yaaga was addressed to him, he undertook to
feed the baby. He put his finger into the mouth of the newborn. Milk started flowing and the baby got
his fill and grew. To commemorate this event the child was named ?Maandaataa?.
Meaning ?Maandaata, the son of Yuvanaasva ruled the entire world wherever there was sunshine, and
at all times whether day or night?
This Maandaataa who was born out of divine intervention and the blessings of Sages came to be
recognized and proudly recited in the Pravara of the Aangeeras Gotra.
Ambareesha was the son of this Maandaata. He had two brothers named Purukutsar and
Muchukundar. Purukutsa?s son was Trasatasyu. His descendents are said to belong to ?
ShaDamarshNa Gotram?.
Aangeerasa was the progenitor not only of the famous ?Raghu Vamsam? but also of the great
DrONaachaarya, who is one of the central figures in Mahaa bhaarata which attests to this fact: ?
DrONamangeerasaam varam; angeerasaam varishTa: Aswataamaa?. His wife was ?Sraddhaa Devi?,
daughter of Kardama Prajaapati. The divine priest Brihaspati and his elder brother Usathyar were his
sons. His daughters were Suneevaali, Guhu, Raaga and Anumati. Vedas, Itihasas and PuraNas, glorify
Sage Aangeerasa frequently.
We will allude to some of these in our next posting.
The answer can be gleaned from Yajur Veda, Taittriya Samhita 3rd KhaaNDam,
1st Prasnam, 9th Anuvaakam. There is a story behind this.
NaabhaanEdishTa (we will call him, Naabha, for short). His father Manu divided his entire property
and gave them away to all his other sons. He forgot to retain a portion for him because Naabhaa, the
youngest of the lot, was away studying Vedas in the Gurukulam.
Manu: putRbhyO daayam vyabhaajata,
sa naabhaanEdishTam brahmacharyam vasantam nirabhajat/
(Taittriya Samhita 3.1.9)
Naabhaa came home after completing his studies. He came to know that he was denied a share in the
properties of his father. He enquired why he was denied a share. Manu admitted that he forgot about
him but assuaged him saying that he would make alternate arrangements for Naabhaa to acquire
property. What was that?
?Your brothers are performing Satra yaaga seeking Suvargam. But, they do not know the secret
mantra (braahmaNam) that will take them there. I will teach you the same. Go to their Yaaga saala
and initiate them. They will go to MOksha. When they go, they will leave all their cows (properties)
to you?
Naabhaa did accordingly and his brothers bequeathed all their belongings to Naabhaa. No wonder
Naabhaa showered profuse praise on them. From this incident, it is clear that Naabhaa became the
pioneer in showing to posterity the way to mOKsha through this braahmaNa.
HOLY WATERS
We all know that taking bath in the holy waters of Ganga is said to cleanse us of all our sins. Even
today, we see that those who are not able to travel to the river, arrange to secure pots full of ?
Gangajal? and sprinkle on themselves especially on DeepavaLi. And, people greet each other on that
day asking ?Ganga snaanam aachaa?? meaning ?Have you taken bath in the waters of Ganga??
It is worth noting that the titles ?Gangai koNDa sOzhan?, ?Gangai koNDaan mantapam? etc. refer to
this practice in the olden days.
(It is another matter that even when one takes bath in pipe water, this greeting is invariably employed
and that Ganges water (?) is often sold nowadays in beer bottles!)
Such substitute water is really no substitute at all, to taking bath physically in the flowing waters of
Ganga. Not only the waters, but also in the waterfronts (Turai in Tamil) Rishis and Munis used to
improvise hermitages (Asramams) on the entire course of the river to take bath and purify themselves.
So, these spots where they took bath were also regarded as sacred (e.g.) Atri Theertham, Brigu
Theertham, Raama theertham etc.
An important part of any Yaaga is to get first initiated into what is known as ?Dheekshai?, as a
prerequisite for the performance of any Yaaga to be effective. Nowadays, people mistakenly think
that ?Deekshai? means growing hair without haircut face shave etc.
The word ?Deekshai? means much more than this. It refers to strictest observance of certain rigorous
disciplines. For example, smearing butter on the entire body, never scratching with finger nails while
performing the Yaaga. Should there be any itching, deer horn would have to be used to relieve itching
and many more such conditions.
When the Aangeerasa brothers ascended to heavens as aforesaid, they are reported to have left the
power of their ?Dheekshai? in the waters of the Ganges. That is why, taking bath in the flowing river
waters of Ganga is considered to purify our bodies and cleanse us of our sins for becoming eligible to
enter the kingdom of God.
meaning
?Those who take bath in the Ganga waters obtain the fruits of the Dheeksha and Tapas, left behind in
the waters of Ganga and they will be deemed as pure as the Aangeerasa Maharshis themselves?
Taittriya Samhita 7th KhaaNDam, 1st Prasnam, 4th Anuvaakam answers this question. The
descendents of Aangeerasa performed Satra Yaagam and attained Svargam.
?aangeerasO vai satramaasata, tE suvargam lOkamaayatan?.
But, two of them remained on earth for some reason. They were called ?Havishmaan? and ?
Haviskruth?.
?tEshaam havishmaan cha havishkrithchaaheeyEtaam?.
They devised a new type of Yaaga called ?Dviraatram? and scrupulously observed the procedure for
performing it.
?tatO vai tou suvargam lOkamaitaam?
It was thenceforth decreed that those who observed this Dviraatram? could attain Suvargam easily.
?Havishmaan agni dhanam poorvam ahar bhavati,
Havishkrith nidhanam uttaram pratishTityai?
In the Saama hymns to be recited in this Yaaga, it should begin with the name of ?Havishmaan? and
conclude with the name of ?Havishkrith?, if the yaaga should be effective.
To this day, those who engage in performing this Dvi- raatram, begin with a Sankalpam ?
angeerasaam dvi-raatrENa yakshyE?.
This is what the Veda Vakhyas prescribe. This goes to prove the eternal fame of the Aangeeras
maharishis who devised the ?easy way to heavens?.
?angeerasO nah pitarO navagvaa atharvaaNo brigavas sOmyaasah? meaning?Let us be in the good
books of our great forefathers called Aangeerasas, Atarvaas. Brigus etc. who are fit to be pleased
through Yaagas?.
It will be seen that ?Aangeerasa? lead the list. This shows how the Aangeerasas stand uniquely
prominent among all those who should be revered in the entire world.
And finally, emerged the cause that pointed to Sukracharya, the Preceptor of the Asuras who could
bring back to life his wards who were ?killed in the line of duty?. This, he could accomplish by using
a special technique called ?Sanjeevani Vidya? which only he knew. The Deva Guru Brihaspati did not
master this technique. This was the reason for the rout in his camp. How to fix this problem?
The only way to solve the problem was to learn the secret from Sukracharya himself. But, how?
Both the preceptors were of equal rank and station. It would be demeaning for one to seek instruction
from the other. Brihaspati agreed to depute his son, Kacha to approach Sukrachaarya as a sishya to
beg to be initiated in the secret vidya. Kacha dutifully went to Sukracharya and begged to be admitted
as his student. Let us see how he introduced himself to the Asura Guru.
What greater honor could a preceptor hope for than to be the Guru of a scion of his arch enemy? And,
he was moved by the supplication when Kacha said:
Both Kacha and Sukracharya were aware of the fact that begging for knowledge from an Acharya of
the opposite camp was degrading to the dignity of the lineage of the supplicant. Yet, Kacha did not
mind it. The asuras knew that this was going to spell doom for their side. They killed Kacha,
pulverized the remains, mixed with a drink that Sukracharya drank unsuspectingly.
Sukrachaarya came to know of this and brought Kacha back to life by using this ?Sanjeevani Vidya
mantra?. But, Kacha could come out of the body of Sukracharya only be bursting out from his tummy.
This entailed the Guru?s death. Now that Kacha had learned the mantra, he used it again to bring back
to life his Guru. Thus, both became ?survivors?.
It is said the DEvayaani, the daughter of Sukracharya fell in love with Kacha. But the latter declined
to marry her saying that as both of them emanated from the same Sukracharya, they had become
siblings forbidden to intermarry!
Kacha returned to the camp of the celestials having enriched himself with the newfound knowledge of
the secret formula that helped in making the scores even as between the warring entities.
When the creator of the world, Prajapati offered his vitality (veeryam) into the fire, a flame arose and
this flame transformed itself into a Maharishi. This was Brighu. When the flames subsided, the live
embers of burning coal transformed itself into another Maharishi. This was Aangeeras. We saw this
already.
Those who were witnessing this phenomenon spotted one more Rishi emerging out of the cinders of
the burnt down coal. The words mentioned in this connection ?Here is a third one? (atra triteeyOpi
asti). This word itself became the name of the third Rishi. This was ?Atri?.
They exclaimed ?it does not stop with three? meaning there was a fourth also (a-tri also means ?Not
three) which meant four. Who is this fourth person?
They dug the coals and there came out one whose name means ?One who was dug out? (vikanas).
What was dug out? It is the cooled down cinders (KarikkaTTi). He was ?Vikaanasa? the originator of
?Vaikhaansa Aagama?.
We find in the Vedas that though all the four were brothers, there was special bonding between
Brighu and Aangeeras and between Atri and Vikhaanas.
(cf Rama and LakshmaNa on the one hand and Bharata and Satrugna on the other)
How the name ?Angaara? came into being? When embers of burning coal are kept in a place, it would
scar and leave a mark at the spot. That which makes a mark is itself called ?Angaara?.
Aangeerasa Maharishi had a son ?GhOra:? ChaandOKhya Upanishad of Saama Veda mentions a
special Upaasana called ?Purusha Vidya?. It also says that it is this ?GhOra;? who instructed Lord
KrishNa himself in this ?Purusha Vidya?.
>From this, it appears that he was a contemporary of Lord KrishNa.
Tadvaitad ghOra aangreerasa: krisNaaya dEvakee putraaya uktvOvaacha/
apipaasa eva sa bhaboova/ sOntavElaayaam etat trayam pratipadyEta,
akshitamasi, achyutamasi, praaNa samsitamasi, iti?
(ChaandhOKhya Upanishad 3.17)
The name of this ?GhOra:? is mentioned in several other contexts in the Vedas, Kalpa sootras etc. The
word has several meanings, one of them being ?One who is fit to be revered?. If a Maharishi could
instruct Gitachaarya himself a vidya, it goes to show how venerable this ?Aangeerasa putra? should
have been.
What is this ?Purusha Vidya?? It is an Upaasana in which the various limbs of a person (purusha) are
deemed to be the sacrificial offerings. This Vidya has been glorified in the later part of Taittriya
Upanishad of KrishNa Yajurveda and in the 3rd Adhyaaya of Brahma Sutra in a separate
AddhikaraNa.
In the same way, Rishi Aangeeras, accompanied by Sage Narada, is known to have brought back to
life the son of a king. But, lo and behold! The son refused to live in the mortal coil that he had given
up earlier and returned to the kingdom of death. This strange story is mentioned in Sri Bhaagavata
PuraaNa.
We will see this story in our next posting.
Once upon a time, there was a king named Chitraketu of SoorasEna desa on the banks of River
Yamuna. He was in fact, a monarch ruling over the entire earth. Under his virtuous rule, the land was
prosperous, people happy and contented, with Mother Earth showering plenty like the proverbial
KaamadhEnu. He had thousands of beautiful damsels as his wives and he was immersed in happiness
that could be termed only as the ultimate. One day, Bhagavaan Aaangeerasa Maharishi came to see
him. Sukha Brahmam hails the Rishi as "angiraa bhagavaan rishih". The King received him with royal
honors and they were closeted for long exchanging courtesies and enjoying each other's company.
During the course of these exchanges, the King expressed his one and only cause for grief. In spite of
his being a Chakravarti and in spite of his having all the luxuries one could hope for and in spite of
having innumerable beauties as his wives, what tormented him was that he had no issues to perpetuate
his lineage. Angeeras was moved by the pathetic plight of the King. He asked the king to perform a
sacrifice, the deity "dEvata" of which was TvashTa. He advised the king to give the remnants of the
"havis" to his senior most and most beloved wife, Krityuti saying that soon she would give birth to a
baby boy who will bring him joy and sorrow and left the palace. The King's joy knew no bounds. In
his excitement, the latter part of the Rishi's words did not register in his mind.
Krityuti gave birth in due course to a darling baby boy who was a cynosure for all who beheld it. He
gave away valuable gifts to all and sundry. The rituals of "NaamakaraNam" and "JaatakaraNam" etc
were duly done. All were happy as never before. The popularity ratings of Krityuti skyrocketed ever
since the birth of the prince charming.
In fact, the other queens of the harem were literally ignored even by the servants, let alone by the
king. They were already jealous of the PaTTamhishi, Krityuti. The green monster turned their
attention pointedly to the child, who they thought, was instrumental in their downfall. Mutual
consultation among them led to a conspiracy to do away with the child. They administered poison
surreptitiously as a result of which the baby expired. The moment the King and Queen and indeed all
in the palace came to know of the death of the baby, a pall of grief enveloped the whole country. Even
the perpetrators of the crime joined in the wailing as if they were also genuinely in grief over the
demise of the baby.
Krityuti was the most affected. The child was born as a result of the great Yagna and after so long and
with the blessings of great Maharishi Angeeras. How could this happen? That was the question on
everyone's mind. The King swooned and it was feared whether he would survive.
Angeeras Rishi could sense what had happened through his eye of knowledge (Jnaana drishTi).
Accompanied by Sage Narada, he hastened to the King's place as gipsy mendicants. Chitraketu who
was so dazed and beside with grief, yet gathered himself up to ask them who they were.
Angeeras revealed his identity and said that he was the one who had granted him the boon of a son
through the PutrakaamEshti sacrifice and reminded the King about the latter part of his statement that
the King had forgotten saying "Your period of enjoyment is over and now is your turn to bemoan in
bereavement". The Kind would not be consoled. The two sages concluded that the King would be
convinced only if the dead son came alive and explained the truth.
Sage Narada invoked the boy's soul saying: "Oh! Soul that exited from the body of the prince! See!
How the parents, his friends and relatives are going through excruciating pain on your leaving the
body. May you re-enter the body of the prince and explain to the King the truth. Then and then only
would he have peace of mind"
The soul of the dead prince entered the dead body and the prince came alive and started to speak!
"It is not correct to differentiate people as relatives, coparceners (Gjnaati), enemies, impartial ones,
friends, indifferent ones etc. That they change their stances from one to the other and that so
frequently is a phenomenon that we see constantly. This is not only within this one lifetime but over
as many lives that we take from time to time. All the relationships turn topsy turvy either in this life
itself or in subsequent reincarnations. There are neither permanent friends nor permanent enemies. So,
whether one is born or whether one dies should not be an occasion for joy or grief. Everything
happens as per one's "karma". It is out of ignorance that we call each others as friends or foes.
Different grains of sands on the river bed come together for a while and in the flow of waters they get
separated from each other. Discreet folks would not feel for these coming together or separation. This
body that stinks is not a fit place for me to occupy again. So, I am leaving it for good".
So saying the soul escaped from the body of the prince. The Royal couple got relieved and regained
their balance.
Those who administered poison to the child admitted their faults and did Praayschittam (atonement).
Leaving ChitrakEtu saner and sober and as a man of wisdom, the sages went back to their
BrhmalOkam.
Thus, Angeeras Rishi accomplished the impossible feat of bringing back to life a dead person. And
made him speak also! Such was the greatness of Sage Angeeras.
Those who are familiar with Puranic lores would have known about the greatness of this Munivar.
They will know how Vritra, son of TvashTa started on a rampage to devastate the whole earth and
Indra had to kill him with his Vajraayuda. Though Vajraayuda was a potent weapon, it was not
powerful enough to deal with Vritra. The celestials deliberated on the strategy to eliminate him.
Suddenly an idea flashed. They identified that the only person who could help was this Dadeechi
Munivar. This sage had been doing penance for long and had preserved the accumulated power of
penance in his backbone. If this backbone could be conjoined with Vajraayudam and used, Vritra was
sure to fall. How is this possible, unless the Munivar himself was killed in the first place? Who can do
this? Will it not amount to Brahmahatya?
There was only one way to do this. If the Munivar were to be persuaded to give up his life voluntarily,
his backbone would become available to Indra without entailing the sin of Brahmahatya. When
approached, the Munivar readily agreed in the interests of the welfare of the world.
Though he was known as Dadeechi and is being called so by PouraaNikas, his real name was ?
Dadhyang?.
The names of Atharva, the father of Dadhyang and Angeeras, his grandfather appear in several
contexts in the Vedas.
?tvaamagnE angeerasOguhaahitamanvavindan?
Taittriya Samhita 4.4.4
?Oh! Agni! When you were remaining in cognito, it was Angeeras who brought you out by means of
friction of pieces of wood called ?AraNi? That this same Angeeras is also known as Atharva is
gleaned from another Mantra thus:
Thus, both attribute the discovery of fire to Atharva and Angeeras. Scholars conclude that both refer
to the same person, who was the son of Brahma.
It is interesting to note that the names of Angeerasa and Atharva are also applied to fire itself!
Possibly, this is due to the fact that it was Atharva was the pioneer in showing to the world the entity
of fire and how to do Soma yaga into fire.
MUNDAKOPANISHAD
In Mundakopanishad, there are several contexts linking Angeeras and Atharva.
1.1.1. commences with the saying that Brahma taught the Brahma Vidya first to his son, Atharva.
1.1.2. says that Atharva initiated his son, Angeerasa and the latter initiated Satyavaha (of Bharadwaja
Gotram) into it.
1.1.3. says that Sounaka learned the Vidya from Angeerasa.
This leads to some confusion. The one who received the Akshara Vidya in the first place was
Atharva. If he is taken as Atharva 1, Angeerasa who came after may be Atharvaa 2 a.k.a. Angeerasa 2
How Satyavahar, son of Bharadwaja comes into the picture? Satyvahar is the son of Bharadwaja who
himself belongs to the vamsam of Brihaspati and Brihaspati was the son of Angeeras. How could
Satyavahar teach Angeeras?
The answer is that it is this Angeerasa 2 who instructed Satyavahar and Satyavahar passed it on to
Angeerasa 3. It is from this Angeeras 3 that Sounkaka learned Brahma Vidya.
Be that as it may, it is clear that Brahma Vidya has been the ancestral property handed over from
generation to generation of the Angeerasa lineage.
AGNI HOTRAM
The Mantras cited above mention Atharva as the one who first discovered Agni and also acted as the
pioneer in establishing the rules of observing the ?Soma Yaga? and other sacrifices through agni.
Another Veda vaakhya credits these to Angeeras. Therefore, it appears that both Atharva and
Angeeras refer to the same person.
What are required for performing Agnihotra?
Of course, the foremost is agni. We have seen that Atharva alias Angeeras is the one who discovered
this and brought it to use.
But, for offering in the Agni, milk, yogurt etc. are also needed. They have necessarily to be got from
the cow. The cow would need green grass to eat and survive and yield its products. Rain is needed for
the grass to grow. Again, only the cow that has given birth to its calf would be able to yield an udder
full of milk. You cannot allow the calf to consume all the milk of mother cow. A delicate balance has
to be worked out to determine how much is good enough for the calf and when to wean it away. This
weaning away should not be resorted to during the first 10 days of birth of the calf. Atharva alias
Angeeras was so thoughtful about all these that he enunciated the needed disciplines for all this and
laid down the methodology for the guidance of posterity. Taitriya Braahmanam vouches to this.
Angeerasas performed Satra yaaga. A multicolored cow gave milk for the Yaaga. But, there was no a
blade of grass for the cow to feed on due to prolonged drought. They extracted juice from the plant
called ?Soma? and threw away the wastes. The cow survived on his waste.
They said: ?What is the use of our doing Satra yaagam when we are unable to provide fodder for the
cow??
A genre of ?GaNas? called ?pitrus? mixed poison with the plants that made the cow fall sick
Angeerasas asked:
?Kim vO bhaagadhEyam iti??
?Which portion of the yaaga do you want??
Pitrus replied:
agnihOtra Eva?
?We need apart in the AgnihOtram only?
Having got their share, the pitrus removed the poison and made it possible for the cow to enjoy the
delicious food with relish.
tE vatsamupaavaasrujan/ idam nO havyam pradaapayEti/
?Access granted? from then on till today, this practice is being observed meticulously by SishTas.
It is clear from the above that the various norms for the world?s welfare were devised by Angeeras.
The mantra that praises the glory of all the Vedas also identifies Atharva Veda as Angeerasa Veda.
While allotting the four directions to the four Vedas It specifically says:
rucha praachee mahatee dig uchyatE/
dakshiNaamaahuh yajushaamapaaraam/
atyharvaNaangeerasaam prateechee/ Saamnaam udeechee mahatee dig uchchyatE//
(KaaDakam 3.12.9.10
DAKSHINA DAANAM
Those who help the ?Yajamaana? in Sacrifices are called ?Ritviks?. The Yajamaana is required to
offer them something in return for their services. This is called ?DakshiNa?. Even here, the form and
manner in which it should be given are all regulated by the Do?s and Don?ts in the Vedas. Those who
are receiving the DakshiNa can accept them only by uttering a prescribed mantra. This mantra names
?Angeeras?. The Vedas stipulate that anyone receiving DakshiNa should invariably utter the name of
Angeeras enshrined in this mantra.
YagjnaValkya?s Dharma Saastra makes it clear that even when one is fit to receive another?s
property, one should develop an attitude of renouncing it?
The same Vedas that denounce acceptance of gifts also prescribe that no yagjna will be fruitful
without offering gifts to the Ritviks!
?Oh! DakshiNa! Those who accept you should utter this mantra (Indicated above) at the time of
acceptance?
The point is that any stigma attaching to the acceptance of DakshiNa will not affect the recipient, if he
accepts uttering this mantra.
It is because Angeersa is himself fire (anala) that devours everything. The sin is also consumed by the
fire power of Angeeras.
Is this possible? This is a valid doubt.
They gave it to Brihaspati. The very sight of it instilled fear in the heart of Brihaspati. He was scared
that the fate of Pooshaa will befall on himself. So, he was in no hurry to put it in his mouth. Instead,
he thought deeply. Is it not true that when a person who leads trips and falls, those who follow him
would have to be doubly careful?
The process involved four events in sequence viz., Seeing, Receiving in one?s hand, putting into the
mouth and chewing before swallowing it.
Brihaspati recited four mantras invoking four deities who could neutralize the toxic effects of the
potion. Here are the four mantras:
1. Suryasya tvaa chakshusaa pratipasyaami iti abhraveet
na hi suryasya chakshu: kinchana hinasti?
?Oh! Praachitram! I am viewing through the eyes of Sungod?. Praachitram did no harm. Can anyone
harm the eyes of Surya?
2. dEvasya tvaa savitu: prasavEsvinOR baahubhyaam pooshNO hastaabhyaam pratigruhNaami iti
abhraveet /
?Oh! Praachitram! Impelled by the deity called ?Savita?, I am receiving you through the hands of
Asvini devas and Pooshaa? Praachitram did not harm Brihaspati in the act of receiving it. Savitaa,
Pooshaa and Asvini devas had used their power of mantra and saved him from the evil effects of
receiving ?Praachitram?
3. agnEstvaasyEna paasnaami iti abhraveet nahi agnEraasaya kinchana hinasti/
?Oh! Praachitram! I am eating you through the mouth of Agni? So saying, he put it in his mouth. He
experienced no difficulty now in biting it. Can anyone harm the face of fire?
4. BraahmaNasya udarENE iti abhraveet, na hi braahmanasyO daram kinchana hinasti/
?Oh! Praachitram! Remember that you are going into the tummy of a BraahmaNa?
Praachitram went down into his stomach without any difficulty.
The events narrated in the story may appear routine with nothing exciting or exceptional about it.
It would appear that Brahmins of those days were so disciplined and rigorous in their habits that
whatever entered their tummy got easily digested.
No need for heartburn medication!
Brihaspati was aware of the fact that the eyes, the hands, the mouth and the stomach are governed by
the power of various deities act jointly in a sort of Consumer council and protect the consumer from
the ill effects of what is ingested.
We have heard how the messengers of Death, will mercilessly take away the soul of a dying person to
take it to the hells. But, if he were to utter the name of ?Narayana?, they will let him go and ascend up
to the Kingdom of God. Srimad Bhaagavatam and Naanmugan Tiruvantaadi of Tirumazhiasai
Azhwar confirm this. Similarly, when a person receives DakshiNai uttering the name of Angeeras the
Paapam attaching to the act will not attach to the recipient.
27 &28 to come