ANCIENT SAGES
In ancient Indian astronomy, the asterism of the Big Dipper (part of the constellation of Ursa Major) is called saptarishi, with the seven stars representing seven rishis, namely "Vashistha", "Marichi", "Pulastya", "Pulaha", "Atri", "Angiras" and "Kratu". There is another star slightly visible within it, known as "Arundhati". Arundhati and Vashishtha are married, and together form the Mizar double.[12]
Vasishtha
Vasishtha's birth story is retold in many later Hindu scriptures. The Puranas state that he has three births. In the first, he is a manasaputra (mind-born son) created by the god Brahma. After the destruction of the Daksha Yajna, Vasishtha is killed, but is recreated by Brahma. Vasishtha became the royal guru of Nimi, a king. However, Nimi forgot to invite Vasishtha in a yajna and in rage, Vasishtha cursed Nimi to die soon. Nimi responded by offering him with the same curse. Frightened, Vashishtha ran towards his father, Brahma. Brahma suggested him to emerge in Varuna and Mitra. When Urvashi was seen by Varuna and Mitra, Vasishtha reemerged from them.
Rivalry with Vishvamitra
Vasishtha is known for his feud with Vishvamitra. The king Vishvamitra coveted Vasishtha's divine cow Nandini (Kamadhenu) that could fulfil material desires. Vasishtha destroyed Vishvamitra's army and sons. Vishvamitra acquired weapons from Shiva and incinerated Vasishtha's hermitage and sons, but Vasishtha baffled all of Vishvamitra's weapons. There is also an instance mentioned in the Mandala 7, of the Rigveda about the Battle of the Ten Kings. This battle was fought as King Sudas of Bharata tribe appointed Vashishtha instead of Vishvamitra as his main priest. However later, Vishvamitra betook severe penances for thousands of years and became a Brahmarshi. He eventually reconciled with Vasishtha.
Vasishtha is known as the priest and preceptor, teacher of the Ikshvaku kings clan. He was also the preceptor of Manu, the progenitor of Kshatriyas and Ikshvaku's father. Other characters like Nahusha, Rantideva, lord Rama and Bhishma were his disciples. When the Bharata king Samvarta lost his kingdom to the Panchalas, he became the disciple of Vasishtha. Under Vasishtha's guidance, Samvarta regained his kingdom and became the ruler of the earth.
Bhrigu
Bhṛigu is a rishi of Adi-rishi tradition. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, and one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of creation) created by Brahma. The first compiler of predictive astrology and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita, an astrological (Jyotisha) classic. Bhrigu is considered a manasaputra ("mind-born-son") of Brahma. The adjectival form of the name, Bhargava, is used to refer to the descendants and the school of Bhrigu. According to Manusmriti, Bhrigu was a compatriot of and lived during the time of Manu, the progenitor of humanity. Along with Manu, Bhrigu had made important contributions to the Manusmriti, which was constituted out of a sermon to a congregation of saints in the state of Brahmavarta, after the great floods in this area. As per the Skanda Purana, Bhrigu migrated to Bhrigukaccha, leaving his son Chyavana at Dhosi Hill.
He was married to Khyati, one of the nine daughters of Prajapati Kardama. She was the mother of Lakshmi as Bhargavai. They also had two sons named Dhata and Vidhata. He had one more son with Kavyamata, who is better known as Shukra, learned sage and guru of the asuras. The sage Chyavana is also said to be his son with Puloma, as is the folk hero Mrikanda. One of his descendants was sage Jamadagni, who in turn was the father of sage Parashurama, considered an avatar of Vishnu.
Bhrigu is present during the great Daksha Yajna, (his father-in-law). He supports the continuation of the Daksha Yajna even after being warned that without an offering for Shiva, it was asking for a catastrophe for everyone present there.
The Bhagavata Purana describes a legend in which sages gathered at the bank of the river Sarasvati to participate in a great yajna. The gathered sages could not decide who among the Trimurti(supreme trinity) of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva was pre-eminent and should be the recipient of the yajna. They deputed Bhrigu to determine this answer. Upon being entrusted with the task, Bhrigu decided to test each of the Trimurti. He first visited Brahma at Satyaloka , and to test his patience, he refused to sing in his praise or prostrate before him. Brahma grew angry, but realised that his son was testing him and allowed him to pass. Bhrigu left for Kailasha , the abode of Shiva. Upon seeing the sage, Shiva rose to his feet and moved forward with great joy to embrace the sage. Bhrigu, however, refused the embrace, and tested him by calling the deity a maligner of social conventions and rituals. Shiva was infuriated and prepared to strike the sage with his trident, but was calmed by his consort, Parvati, The sage then travelled to the abode of Vishnu, Vaikuntha Vishnu was resting his head on the lap of Lakshmi when the sage arrived. Bhrigu kicked Vishnu on the chest to wake him up, enraged by the perceived insult. Vishnu woke up, greeted Bhrigu, and starts massaging his feet, regarding his chest to have been sanctified due to its contact with the sage's foot. Overpowered with emotion, Bhrigu went back to the sages and declared Vishnu to be the greatest among the Trimurti. According to some traditions, Vishnu's consort Lakshmi grew angry at him because the chest was considered as Lakshmi's place (vakshasthala) and left Vaikuntha to be born on earth. She was found on a lotus flower, and was raised by Bhrigu and his wife Khyati, which is why another name of Lakshmi is Bhargavi, daughter of Bhrigu. Since she was found on a lotus, she is also called Padmavati. A variation of this is the legend behind Tirupati, in which a furious Lakshmi is born as Padmavati on earth and Vishnu assumes the form of Srinivasa and Venkateswara
Bhrigu is regarded to have had his ashram(hermitage) on the Vadhusar River, a tributary of the Drishadwati River ( River is tributary of Saraswathi River ) near Dhosi Hill in the state of Brahmavarta, presently at Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. His son Chyavana, known for Chyavanprash also had his Ashram at Dhosi Hill. Bhrigu is also worshipped at Bharuch, Swamimalai, Tirumala, Ballia, Nanguneri, Thiruneermalai, and Mannargudi. After Saraswathi River dried, Bhrigu migrated to south and had a ashram at in Maruderi, Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu. Khedbrahma in Gujarat is associated with Brahma and Bhrigu's legend of testing the Trimurti. Lastly, Bhrigu migrated to Bhuinj Satara, Maharashtra where he took Samadhi. His ashram and his daughter's temple also situated there. His son's ashram and samadhi are also situated on Chyavaneshwar hill near Bhuinj.
In Tattiriya Upanishad, first six anuvakas of Bhrigu Valli are called Bhargavi Varuni Vidya, which means "the knowledge Bhrigu got from (his father) Varuni". It is in these anuvakas that sage Varuni advises Bhrigu with one of the oft-cited definition of Brahman, as "that from which beings originate, through which they live, and in which they re-enter after death, explore that because that is Brahman". This thematic, all encompassing, eternal nature of reality and existence develops as the basis for Bhrigu's emphasis on introspection and inwardization, to help peel off the outer husks of knowledge, in order to reach and realize the innermost kernel of spiritual self-knowledge.
Bhrigu decided to write his famous books of astrology, the Bhrigu Samhita. Bhrigu collected birth charts, wrote full-life predictions, and compiled them together as Bhrigu Samhita. Bhrigu Samhita is believed to be one of the first book of its kind in the field of astrology.
Shukra is a Sanskrit word that means "clear" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of a sage who counselled the asuras in Vedic mythology. In medieval mythology and Hindu astrology, the word refers to the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas.
In Hinduism, Shukra is one of the sons of Bhrigu, one of the Saptarshis. He was the guru of the asuras and is also referred to as Shukracharya or Asuracharya in various Hindu texts. In another account found in the Mahabharata, Shukra divided himself into two, one half became the fount of knowledge for the devas (gods) and the other half became the knowledge source of the asuras (demons). Shukra, in the Puranas, is blessed by Shiva with Sanjeevini Vidhya after performing tapas to propitiate Shiva. Sanjeevini Vidhya is the knowledge of raising the dead back to life, which he used from time to time to restore life to the asuras. Later, this knowledge was sought by the devas and was ultimately gained by them.[4]
Vamana, the dwarf avatar of Vishnu, requests the asura king Mahabali for three steps of land. Mahabali acceded to the request and as was the practice, took up the Kamandalam to pour water to symbolically signify the donation to Vamana. When Shukra, the asuras' guru, had realised Vamana's true identity, he tried to prevent the flow of water from the kamandalu by blocking the spout, Vamana pierced the spout with a stick, blinded Shukra.
Shukra's mother was Kavyamata, whilst Shukra's wives were the goddesses Urjasvati,(Jayanti ), and Sataparva. . With her, Shukra produced many children including Queen Devayani. Sataparya was childless.
In the Mahabharata, Shukracharya is mentioned as one of the mentors of Bhishma, having taught him political science in his youth.In classical Vedic astrology or Jyotisha, Shukra is considered to be among the Navagrahas (Nine planets) that influence the pattern of life on earth. Shukra represents women, beauty, wealth, luxury, and sex. According to classical astrological texts, a powerfully placed Shukra, aspected by benefic planets such as Jupiter, and in favourable signs and houses in the birth chart, ensures material well-being. Its beej mantra is "Om Draam Dreem Draum Sah Shukraya Namaha". It is associated with Friday, and the gem diamond. The classical shastras ordain that the best method to attain the blessings of Shukra is to respect the women in one’s life.
It is also popularly propitiated through Devi Aradhana or worshipping the goddess Lakshmi.
Shukra as a planet appears in various Hindu astronomical texts in Sanskrit, such as the 5th century Aryabhatiya by Aryabhatta, the 6th century Romaka by Latadeva and Panca Siddhantika by Varahamihira, the 7th century Khandakhadyaka by Brahmagupta and the 8th century Sisyadhivrddida by Lalla.[9][10] These texts present Shukra as one of the planets and estimate the characteristics of the respective planetary motion.[9] Other texts such as Surya Siddhanta dated to have been complete sometime between the 5th century and 10th century present their chapters on various planets with deity mythologies.[9]
The manuscripts of these texts exist in slightly different versions, present Shukra's motion in the skies, but vary in their data, suggesting that the text were open and revised over their lives.[11][12][13]
The 1st millennium CE Hindu scholars had estimated the time it took for sidereal revolutions of each planet including Shukra, from their astronomical studies, with slightly different results:[14]
| Source | Estimated time per sidereal revolution[14] |
| Surya Siddhanta | 224 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes, 56.2 seconds |
| Siddhanta Shiromani | 224 days, 16 hours, 45 minutes, 1.9 seconds |
| Ptolemy | 224 days, 16 hours, 51 minutes, 56.8 seconds |
| 20th century calculations | 224 days, 16 hours, 49 minutes, 8.0 seconds |
The weekday Shukravara in Hindu calendar, or Friday, has roots in Shukra (Venus). Shukravara is found in most Indian languages, and Shukra Graha is driven by the planet Venus in Hindu astrology. The word "Friday" in the Greco-Roman and other Indo-European calendars is also based on the planet Venus.
Shukra is a part of the Navagraha in the Hindu zodiac system. The Navagraha developed from early works of astrology over time. Deifying planetary bodies and their astrological significance occurred as early as the Vedic period and was recorded in the Vedas. The classical planets, including Venus, were referenced in the Atharvaveda around 1000 BCE. The planet Venus was deified and referred to as Shukra in various Puranas.
Chyavana
Sage Chyavana is son of Bhrigu, and is known for his rejuvenation through a special herbal paste (ayurvedic jam) or tonic known as chyavanaprasha, which was prepared by the Ashvins. He was powerful enough to oppose the celestial thunderbolt (Vajra) of Indra, and was responsible for the Ashvins getting their share of the sacrificial offerings. He created an asura, Mada, to achieve it. He married Sukanya, daughter of Vedic king Sharyati and granddaughter of Vaivasvata Manu. They had two sons: Apnavana and Dadhicha. He is also considered as the father of Harita and Uddalaka Varuni.
Legend[edit]
Birth[edit]
According to an account found in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva, Ch.5-6), when Bhrigu's wife Puloma was pregnant and lived in her hermitage, a rakshasa harassed her. Puloma's child slipped from her womb, called a 'chyuta' child in Sanskrit ("early delivery") and thus received his name Chyavana. The rakshasa released the mother after seeing the child drop,[9] but immediately got converted into ashes.
Chyavana studied the Vedas from his father and later acquired the knowledge of Vedas from Brahma. He subsequently became a Brahmarshi.
Mahabharata[edit]
According to the narrative found in the Vana Parva (Ch.122-5) of the Mahabharata, Chyavana was so absorbed in practising austerities on the side of a lake that termites built up their mound all over his body and only his eyes were left. Once, Sharyati, along with his army and household, came to visit the place. Sukanya, daughter of king Sharyati, seeing only two bright eyes in what seemed to be an anthill, poked them with a stick. Chyavana felt excessive pain and became furious. He obstructed the calls of nature of Sharyati's army. He was pleased only after the king gave him his daughter in marriage.[12] Subsequently, the Ashvins came to the hermitage of Chyavana. They saw Sukanya while she was bathing, and tried to convince Sukanya to reject old and ugly Chyavana and accept one of them as her husband. They also promised to restore the youth of Chyavana first so that she could make an unbiased choice amongst Chyavana and one of them. Sukanya rejected their proposal and informed Chyavana. Later, at the behest of Chyavana, Sukanya requested the Ashvins to do so. All three took bath in the lake and came out with the same youthful divine look. Each of them requested Sukanya to be his bride, but she identified Chyavana and selected him. In gratitude, Chyavana assured the Ashvins that he would ensure that the Ashvins get their share of the sacrificial offerings.[13] Accordingly, Chyavana, while officiating as a priest of Sharyati in a soma sacrifice, offered the share of the sacrifice to the Ashvins. Indra objected to this, stating that as mere servants of the devas, they have no right to receive offering of Soma juice. When the sage ignored his opinion, he tried to hurl his vajra (thunderbolt) towards Chyavana, but his arms were paralysed by Chyavana before he could do so. Chyavana, by virtue of his ascetic energy, created a huge asura, Mada, with four fangs.[14] Mada was on the point of devouring Indra, when he became afraid, and finally accepted the right of the Ashvins to have a share of the offerings.[15]
Chyavana and Kushika[edit]
In a narrative found in the Anushasana Parva (Ch.52-56) of the Mahabharata, Chayvana exacted many menial offices from king Kushika and his queen for 21 days. Later, he was pleased by their devotion and rewarded them by creating a magical palace of gold and predicting the birth of their grandson endued with great energy, Vishvamitra, who would attain the status of a Brahmana.
Hermitage[edit]
According to the Padma Purana (Patala Khanda, Ch.8), his hermitage was on the Satpura Range, near the river Payoshni. According to another tradition, his hermitage was in Dhosi Hill in the Vedic State of Brahmavarta, near Narnaul in Mahendragarh district.[17] Another place claimed to be the location of Chyavana's hermitage (ashram) is Chaunsa in the Buxar district of Bihar.[18]
Jamadagni
Sage Jamadagni is regarded in Hindu tradition to be one of the Saptarishi in the 7th, and the current age of Vaivasa Manvantara. He is a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the creator deity. Jamadagni has five children with his wife, Renuka, the youngest of whom is Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu.
Birth
The sage Richika was asked by King Gadhi to bring a thousand white horses with black ears to marry Satyavati. Richika, with the help of Varuna, brought those horses and the king allowed Richika to marry Satyavati. After their wedding, Satyavati, and her mother, demanded from Richika the blessings for having a son. Accordingly, the sage prepared two portions of milk boiled rice for each, one with the Brahma mantra (for Satyavati) and other with the Ksaatra mantra (for his mother-in-law). Giving the respective portions, he went to perform his ablutions. Meanwhile, Satyavati's mother asked her daughter to swap their portions. Her daughter obeyed. When Richika learned of this exchange, he said that the child born of his mother-in-law would be a great Brahmana, but that his son would become an aggressive warrior, who would bring a bloodbath to this world. Satyavati prayed to amend this outcome, so that her son would be born as the great Brahmana, but that her grandson would become the aggressive warrior. This resulted in Jamadagni being born as a sage (out of Satyavati's womb) and eventually, Parashurama being born as Jamadagni's son, a warrior with a fearful reputation. Thus, Jamadagni was born to Richika and Satyavati. Meanwhile, around the same time as Jamadagni's birth, Gadhi's wife (Satyavati's mother, whose name is not mentioned) gave birth to a son with Kshatriya traits, named Kaushika. He later becomes the renowned Vishvamitra, who was a Kshatriya by birth, but later ascended to the status of a Brahmarishi. Growing up, Jamadagni studied hard and achieved erudition in his studies of the Vedas. He is said to have acquired knowledge regarding the science of weapons without any formal instruction, with the guidance of his father. The Aushanasa Dhanurveda, now lost, is about a conversation between Jamadagni and Ushanas on the exercises of warfare. After achieving the status of a rishi, Jamadagni visited a number of holy sites, and finally reached the palace of King Prasenajit of the Solar dynasty. He fell in love with his daughter, Princess Renuka, upon seeing her, and asked the king for her hand in marriage. Subsequently, the two were married, and had five sons: Ṛumaṇvān, Suhotra, Vasu, Viśvāvasu, and Rama, later known as Parshurama. The couple started to engage in tapasya along the banks of the river Narmada.
Death of Renuka
He receives Sharanga, the celestial bow of Vishnu, from his father, Richika. According to the Brahmanda Purana, Renuka once went to the banks of the river Narmada to fetch some water. There, she observed the king of the Salva kingdom playing with his queen in the water. She stood there, mesmerised by the beauty of the sight. By the time she reached the hermitage of her husband with the water, she was quite late. The weary Jamadagni was furious when he heard the reason for her delay, and called forth each of his sons, one after the other, to kill her. Each of them refused to kill their own mother. Parashurama, however, came forth, and beheaded his mother with a single arrow. The rishi exiled his four older sons to the forests due to their disobedience. Pleased by Parashurama's devotion to him, he granted his son any boon of his choice. Parashurama wished for his mother to be restored to life, and this was granted.
Boons from Surya
According to the Mahabharata, Jamadagni once became annoyed with the sun god, Surya, for causing too much heat. The warrior-sage shot several arrows into the sky, terrifying Surya. Surya then appeared before the rishi as a Brahmin, and gave him two inventions that would help mankind deal with his heat - sandals and an umbrella.
Death
Jamadagni was once visited by the Haihaya king Kartavirya Arjuna and his retinue (who was said to have thousand arms/hands), to whom he served a feast offered by the divine cow, Kamadhenu. The king sent his minister called Chandragupta, who offered a ten million cows, or even half the kingdom, to purchase this cow of plenty, but Jamadagni refused to part with her. Not willing to concede, Chandragupta and his men seized the cow by force and took her away with them. The helpless rishi, who loved the cow, pursued Chandragupta's party as they traversed the forest, unwilling to allow them to steal her. Infuriated by his defiance, the minister struck down Jamadagni, and took Kamadhenu to the king's capital city of Māhiṣmatī.
After a long wait, Renuka started to search for her husband, finding him almost dead, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. Renuka fainted at the sight, and when she returned to consciousness, started wailing. When Parashurama and his disciple, Akṛtavraṇa, found her, she turned to him, and beat her breast twenty-one times. Parashurama resolved that he would travel the world twenty-one times, and annihilate all the Kshatriya kings he could find.[10][11] When Jamadagni was to be cremated, the sage Shukra arrived on the scene, and restored the rishi's life with the Mṛtasañjīvanī mantra.
Parashurama and Akṛtavraṇa travelled to Māhiṣmatī, intending to bring Kamadhenu back home. At the gates of the city, they met Kartavirya Arjuna and his forces in battle, and slew them. They returned the divine cow to Jamadagni. The rishi instructed his son to perform a penance at Mahendragiri in order to cleanse himself of his sins. While Parashurama had left for this penance, Shurasena, a son of Kartavirya Arjuna, and his men, exacted their vengeance by beheading Jamadagni at his hermitage, and taking his head with them so that he could not be resurrected again. Parashurama and Jamadagni's disciples cremated the rishi, and his wife Renuka performed sati. Thence, Parashurama, inheriting his fallen father's Sharanga, started his twenty-one expeditions to obliterate the kings of the Kshatriya race.[7]
Parashurama (Sanskrit: परशुराम, romanized: Paraśurāma, lit. 'Rama with an axe'), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama,[3] is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism.[4] He is believed to be one of the Chiranjivis (Immortals), who will appear at the end of the Kali Yuga to be the guru of Vishnu's tenth and last incarnation, Kalki.
Born to Jamadagni and Renuka, the Brahmin Parashurama was foretold to appear at a time when overwhelming evil prevailed on the earth. The Kshatriya class, with weapons and power, had begun to abuse their power, take what belonged to others by force and tyrannise people. He corrected the cosmic equilibrium by destroying the Kshatriya warriors twenty-one times. He is married to Dharani, an incarnation of Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. He is present in the Ramayana due to the conflict with Rama (the protagonist of the Ramayana). He is mentioned in the Mahabharata as the guru of Bhisma, Drona, Rukmi and Karna. According to Hindu mythology, Parashurama was born to the sage Jamadagni and his Kshatriya wife, Renuka. In local tradition, it is believed they lived in a hut located at Janapav. They had a celestial cow called Surabhi, which gives them all that they desire (Surabhi is the daughter of cow Kamadhenu). A king named Kartavirya Arjuna (not to be confused with Arjuna, the Pandava) learns about this cow of plenty and wants it. He asks Jamadagni to give it to him, but the sage refuses. While Parashurama is away from the hut, the king takes it by force. When Jamadagni pleads his case and seeks for the return of the cow, the king strikes him with his fist, killing him. Parashurama learns about this crime, and is upset. With his axe in his hand, he challenges the king to battle. They fight, and Parashurama defeats and kills the king, according to the Padma Purana. According to Hindu mythology, Parashurama was born to the sage Jamadagni and his Kshatriya wife, Renuka. In local tradition, it is believed they lived in a hut located at Janapav.[8] They had a celestial cow called Surabhi, which gives them all that they desire (Surabhi is the daughter of cow Kamadhenu).[7][9] A king named Kartavirya Arjuna (not to be confused with Arjuna, the Pandava)[10][note 1] learns about this cow of plenty and wants it. He asks Jamadagni to give it to him, but the sage refuses. While Parashurama is away from the hut, the king takes it by force.[7] When Jamadagni pleads his case and seeks for the return of the cow, the king strikes him with his fist, killing him. Parashurama learns about this crime, and is upset. With his axe in his hand, he challenges the king to battle. They fight, and Parashurama defeats and kills the king, according to the Padma Purana.[3][5]
The warrior class challenges him, and he slays every single member of the class, save for those belonging to the lineages of Manu and Ikshvaku. The mighty son of Jamadagni, having rid the world of the Kshatriyas, then performs the ashvamedha sacrifice. He grants the earth with the seven islands to principal rishis belonging to the Brahmin class. Having renounced the earth and his violent deeds, he retires to the hermitage of Nara-Narayana to engage in penance. The legend likely has roots in the ancient conflict between the Brahmin varna, with knowledge duties, and the Kshatriya varna, with warrior and enforcement roles.[6][7][11]
In the Ramayana, following Rama's wedding to Sita at Mithila and during their homeward journey to Ayodhya, his party comes across a number of inauspicious signs. Amid an earthquake and a dust storm, Parashurama appears before the party. After accepting the libation offered to him, Parashurama challenges Rama to combat, on the condition that the prince show his strength to the sage by placing a bow within the string of the latter's bow, Sharanga, and discharging it. Ignoring Dasharatha's plea to spare Rama this task, Parashurama relays the divine origin of the bow and the history of its ownership, appealing to Rama's skills as a warrior. Rama seizes the bow from Parashurama and strings it, an act that causes the latter to become bereft of his divine power. Humbled, Parashurama acknowledges that Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu and requests the prince to allow him to return to the mountain Mahendra so that he could practice yoga and accrue merit. After circumambulating Rama in worship, Parashurama returns to his hermitage.[12]
In the Mahabharata, Parashurama intercedes on the princess Amba's behalf, promising to command his disciple Bhishma to do his duty and marry her after her abduction.[13] When Parashurama arrives with his retinue at Kurukshetra, he sends a message to Bhishma to inform him of his arrival. Bhishma comes to see his guru, offering him the traditional respects. Parashurama commands Bhishma to accept Amba as his wife. Bhishma refuses, restating that he had taken a vow of celibacy. An infuriated Parashurama threatens Bhishma with death. Bhishma tries to calm the sage, but in vain, and he finally agrees to battle his guru to safeguard his Kshatriya duty. Ganga tries stopping the battle by beseeching her son as well as the great sage, but fails.[14] The great battle lasts for 23 days, without any result. On the 24th day, when Bhishma chooses to use a deadly weapon, at the behest of the divine sage Narada and the devas, Parashurama ends the conflict and the battle is declared a draw.[15][16] Parashurama narrates the events to Amba and urges her to seek Bhishma's protection. However, Amba refuses to listen to Parashurama's advice and angrily declares that she would achieve her objective by asceticism.[17]
There are legends dealing with the origins of the western coast geographically and culturally. One such legend is the retrieval of the west coast from the sea, by Parashurama, a warrior sage. It proclaims that Parashurama, an incarnation of Mahavishnu, threw his battle axe into the sea. As a result, the land of the western coast arose, and thus was reclaimed from the waters. The place from which he threw his axe (or shot an arrow) is on Salher fort (the second highest peak and the highest fort in Maharashtra) in the Baglan taluka of Nashik district of Maharashtra. There is a temple on the summit of this fort dedicated to Parshuram and there are footprints in the rock four times the size of normal humans. This fort on a lower plateau has a temple of goddess Renuka, Parshuram's mother and also a Yagya Kunda with pits for poles to erect a shamiyana on the banks of a big water tank.[citation needed]
According to the Sangam classic Purananuru, the Chera king Senkuttuvan conquered the lands between Kanyakumari and the Himalayas.[18] Lacking worthy enemies, he besieged the sea by throwing his spear into it.[18][19] According to the 17th-century Malayalam work Keralolpathi, the lands of Kerala were recovered from the sea by the axe-wielding warrior sage Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu (hence, Kerala is also called Parashurama Kshetram 'The Land of Parashurama'[20]). Parashurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded as far as it reached. According to legend, this new area of land extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari.[21] The land which rose from sea was filled with salt and unsuitable for habitation; so Parashurama invoked the snake king Vasuki, who spat holy poison and converted the soil into fertile lush green land. Out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as protectors and guardians of the land. P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar has theorised that Senguttuvan may have been inspired by the Parashurama legend, which was brought by early Aryan settlers.[22]
In present-day Goa (or Gomantak), which is a part of the Konkan, there is a temple in Canacona in South Goa district dedicated to Parashurama.[23][24][25]
Parashurama is generally presented as the fifth son of Renuka and Rishi Jamadagni.[11] The legends of Parashurama appear in many Hindu texts, in different versions:[26]
- In Chapter 6 of the Devi Bhagavata Purana, he is born from the thigh with intense light surrounding him that blinds all warriors, who then repent their evil ways and promise to lead a moral life if their eyesight is restored. The boy grants them the boon.[11]
- In Chapter 4 of the Vishnu Purana, Rcika prepares a meal for two women, one simple, and another with ingredients that if eaten would cause the woman to conceive a son with martial powers. The latter is accidentally eaten by Renuka, and she then gives birth to Parashurama.[11]
- In Chapter 2 of the Vayu Purana, he is born after his mother Renuka eats a sacrificial offering made to both Rudra (Shiva) and Vishnu, which gives him dual characteristics of Kshatriya and Brahmin.[27]
Parashurama is described in some versions of the Mahabharata as the angry Brahmin who with his axe, killed a huge number of Kshatriya warriors because they were abusing their power.[28] In some versions, he even kills his own mother because his father asks him to in order to test his obeisance.[10][29] After Parashurama obeys his father's order to kill his mother, his father grants him a boon. Parashurama asks for the reward that his mother be brought back to life, and she is restored to life.[29] Parashurama remains filled with sorrow after the violence, repents and expiates his sin.[10] After his Mother comes back to life, he tries to clean the blood-stained axe but he finds a drop of blood which he was unable to clean and tries cleaning the blood drop in different rivers. This is when he moves towards the south of India in search of any holy river where he could clean his axe, finally, he reaches Tirthahalli village in Shimoga, Karnataka and tries to clean the axe and to his surprise, the axe gets cleaned in the holy river of Tunga. With respect towards the holy river, he constructs a Shiva linga and performs pooja and the temple is named as Rameshwara temple. The place where Parashurama cleaned his axe is called Ramakunda.
He plays important roles in the Mahabharata serving as mentor to Bhishma (chapter 5.178), Drona (chapter 1.121) and Karna (chapter 3.286), teaching weapon arts and helping key warriors in both sides of the war.[30][31][note 2]
In the regional literature of Kerala, he is the founder of the land, the one who brought it out of the sea and settled a Hindu community there.[6] He is also known as Rama Jamadagnya and Rama Bhargava in some Hindu texts.[3] Parashurama retired in the Mahendra Mountains, according to chapter 2.3.47 of the Bhagavata Purana.[33] He is the only incarnation of Vishnu who never dies, never returns to abstract Vishnu and lives in meditative retirement.[10] Further, he is the only incarnation of Vishnu that co-exists with other Vishnu incarnations Rama and Krishna in some versions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, respectively.[10][note 3]
According to the Sangraha Parva, after killing 21 generations of Kshatriyas, he filled their blood in five pools collectively known as the Samantha Panchaka (Sanskrit: समंत पञ्चक). He later atoned for his sin by severe penance. The five pools are considered to be holy.
The Anukramanika Parva says that the Samantha Panchaka is located somewhere around Kurukshetra. It also mentions that the Pandavas performed a few religious rites near the Samantha Panchaka before the Kurukshetra War.
There is much interpretation of 'Parashurama Kshetra' (Land of Parashurama) mentioned in the Puranas.
The region on the western coast of India from Gokarna to Kanyakumari was known as Parashurama Kshetra.[34]
The region of Konkan was also considered as Parashurama Kshetra.[35]
The ancient Saptakonkana is a slightly larger region described in the Sahyadrikhanda which refers to it as Parashuramakshetra (Sanskrit for "The Land Of Parashurama"), Vapi to Tapi is an area of South Gujarat, India. This area is called "Parshuram Ni Bhoomi".[36]
The Hindu literature on iconography such as the Vishnudharmottara Purana and Rupamandana describes him as a man with matted locks, with two hands, one carrying an axe. However, the Agni Purana portrays his iconography with four hands, carrying his axe, bow, arrow and sword. The Bhagavata Purana describes his icon as one with four hands, carrying his axe, bow, arrows and a shield like a warrior.[37] Though a warrior, his representation inside Hindu temples with him in war scenes is rare (the Basohli temple is one such exception). Typically, he is shown with two hands, with an axe in his right hand either seated or standing.
The Anantheshwara Temple is a famous temple in Udupi where Parashurama is worshipped in the form of a lingam.
There is a temple for Parashurama in Thiruvallam near Thiruvananthapuram Kerala. The temple called Athyarala in Rajempet, Andhra Pradesh, is dedicated to Parashurama. There is a Parshuram Kund, a Hindu pilgrimage centre in Lohit District of Arunachal Pradesh which is dedicated to Parashurama. Thousands of pilgrims visit the place in winter every year, especially on the Makar Sankranti day for a holy dip in the sacred kund which is believed to wash away one's sins. Mahurgad is one of the Shakti Pitha shrines in Maharashtra's Nanded District, where a famous temple of goddess Renuka exists. This temple at Mahurgad is always full of pilgrims. People also come to visit Parashurama temple on the same Mahurgad. The 108 Shiva Temples in Kerala which are believed to be consecrated by Parashurama.
Other places where temples for Parashurama are found are Chiplun in Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra and at Udupi, Karnataka. In Karnataka, there are a group of seven temples in the stretch of Tulunadu (coastal Karnataka), known as Parashurama Kshetras, namely, Kollur, Koteshwara, Kukke Subrahmanya, Udupi, Gokarna, Anegudde (Kumbhasi) and Shankaranarayana.
On top of the hills of Janapav is a Shiva temple where Parashurama is believed to have worshipped Shiva, the ashram is known as Jamadagni Ashram, named after his father. The place also has a Kund (Pond) that is being developed by the state government.[41]
In Kannada folklore, especially in devotional songs sung by the Devdasis he is often referred to as a son of Yellamma. Parashurama legends are notable for their discussion of violence, the cycles of retaliations, the impulse of krodha (anger), the inappropriateness of krodha, and repentance.
Bhṛguvamsha refers to a Brahmin race or dynasty that is said to have been founded by the legendary Hindu sage Bhrigu.
Legend
The rulers of the Haihaya dynasty are first described to be great patrons of Bhargavas such as Richika, to whom the latter served as the chief priest. When his son, Jamadagni, is murdered by the Haihaya king, Kartavirya Arjuna, his son, Parashurama, the incarnation of Vishnu, slays him. When his resurrected father is killed once more by the king's son, he begins a quest to wipe out all the Kshatriya rulers he could find on earth, and bequeaths the colonised land to the Saptarishi.
Lineage
In later legends, the Bhargavas were associated with the Haihayas, the Anarta of Gujarat, Kanyakubja of Madhyadesa, as well as the rulers of Malabar.
Today, Bhargava also refers to a Brahmin community in India, who claim descent from the sage Bhrigu.
Balai as Weaver
According to Hindu texts all the weaver in Hindu religion are the descendants of Rishi Mrikanda who was born in the clan of Bhrigu Rishi. Mrikanda is known as the father of modern weaving, He is also venerated as the father of Markandeya, the rishi (sage) who is featured extensively in the Markandeya Purana. In this context Balai weaver are also said to be descendants of Rishi Mrikanda.
similar : The Kanjeevaram Silk Weavers are also considered as descendants of Rishi Markanda, who was considered to be the weaver of the clothes that Gods themselves wore. In this way it can be said that all the weaver communities in Hinduism associated with rishi mrikanda too.
Bunker is the sub group from the caste of balai some of the bunker's are still doing the work of weaving and they belong to the vaishya
caste. They are attached with the work of weaving or selling.
Dadhichi (Sanskrit: दधीचि, romanized: Dadhīci), also rendered Dadhyanga[2] and Dadhyancha,[3] is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for his sacrifice in the Puranas, where he gives up his life so that his bones could be used to manufacture the Vajra, the diamond-like celestial thunderbolt of the deity Indra, in order to slay Vritra.[4]
In the Bhagavata Purana, Dadhichi is described as the son of the sage Atharvan and his wife, Chitti. Atharvan is said to be the author of Atharvaveda, which is one of the four Vedas. Chitti was the daughter of the sage Kardama.
The names of Dadhichi's wife and son were Suvarcas and Pippalada, respectively. After the death of Dadhichi, when Suvarcas was about to ascend the funeral pyre, she heard an aśarīriṇī vāṇī (a celestial voice) that informed her that she was pregnant. Suvarcas removed the foetus from her womb with a stone, and placed it near a banyan tree, proceeding to end her life.[5] Her child, Pippalada, became a famous rishi, associated with the Pippalada school of thought in Hinduism, and he is best known for being attributed with the Praśna Upanishad.
Dadhichi is also mentioned in the various hymns (Richas–Suktas) of the Rigveda.[6][7]
Dadhichi is featured in many Hindu legends, and is sometimes portrayed as having a horse's head.[8]
According to the Rigveda, when Dadhichi resided in Devaloka, he observed that the earth was populated by numerous asuras. He urged Indra to destroy them, and towards this endeavour, offered him a head of a horse, which he had located in a lake in the country of Śaraṇya. Using the bones taken from the horse's head, the duo destroyed a number of asuras.[9]
In a variation of this legend featured in the Jaiminya Brahmana, the devas are said to have refused to bestow the Aśvaśira mantra of the Vedas to the Ashvini Twins. They declared that the being who would divulge this secret to the twins would have their head burst into a thousand pieces. The twin doctors of medicine sought out the sage Dadhichi, who offered to divulge this mantra. He only asked that the Ashvins replace his head with one of a horse when he reaped the consequences of the curse. After teaching them the mantra, the sage's head burst, and the twins carried out his request, and hence restored his life.[10]
The Shiva Purana features the sage as a friend of the splendid King Kṣuva, a great devotee of Vishnu. Once, the two were embroiled in a dispute regarding the superiority of knowledge which is sought by the Brahmins over weapons and force sought by the kings. Angered that the king would express an opinion that was contrary to the scriptures, Dadhichi struck the head of Kṣuva with his left fist. In retaliation, the king employed the Vajra to disintegrate the sage. The sage remembered Shukra, his ancestor, and the narrator of this legend, who employed his yogic powers to restore Dadhichi's limbs, and taught him the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra to propitiate Shiva. When appeased, the deity appeared to offer the sage any boon of his choice, and Dadhichi wished for three: indestructible bones, immortality, and freedom from distress. Having received these boons, Dadhichi kicked the king with the root of his foot. Kṣuva appealed to Vishnu to bless him with victory.[11][12]
Vishnu assumed the guise of a Brahmin, and appeared before Dadhichi, requesting the sage to grant him a boon. Dadhichi saw through Vishnu's guise, and wished to know the deity's purpose of visiting him. He was requested to make peace with the king. Dadhichi refused with a laugh, which angered Vishnu. The preserver deity summoned Indra and the devas, who attacked the sage, but their prowess was rendered futile because of Shiva's protection of the sage. The sage employed a few blades of the kusha grass against the divinities, which transformed into a trishula, frightening all but Vishnu from the scene. When the king appeared to offer his surrender, the sage once again affirmed that knowledge is superior to weapons and force. He cursed Indra and all the devas to be destroyed by Shiva, which would be fulfilled when they attended Daksha's yajna.[13][14]
According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Tvastar, the Prajapati, bore a deep-seated hatred for Indra, the king of the devas. He performed a penance to bear a child named Viśvarūpa, whose purpose was to slay Indra. The child grew to become a rishi, and since his mother, Racanā, was a daitya, he freely mingled with the asuras.[15] Indra considered this blasphemous, and promptly destroyed the three heads of Viśvarūpa. Enraged by the loss of his son, Tvastar burnt offerings and offered incantations from the Atharvaveda for eight continuous days, until a son named Vritra appeared before him, and was tasked with slaying Indra.[16]
Indra and his devas waged war on Vrita and the asuras, and were defeated. The devas went to seek the aid of Vishnu. Vishnu revealed to Indra that only weapons made from the thunder-containing bones of the sage Dadhichi could kill Vritra.[17] Indra and the other devas therefore approached the sage, whom Indra had once slain, and asked him for his aid in defeating Vritra. Dadhichi acceded to the devas' request, but said that he wished that he had time to go on a pilgrimage to all the holy rivers before he gave up his life for them.[18] Indra then brought all the water of the holy rivers together at Naimisharanya,[18] thereby allowing the sage to have his wish fulfilled without a further loss of time. Dadhichi then went into a deep meditative state, and released his life force from his body. His bones were used to fashion the Vajra, also known as the Vajrayudha (Vajra, the weapon), which would be employed to slay Vritra.[19]
Another version of this legend exists where Dadhichi was asked to safeguard the weapons of the devas, as they were unable to match the arcane arts being employed by the asuras to obtain them. Dadhichi is said to have kept at the task for a very long time and, finally tiring of the job, is said to have dissolved the weapons in sacred water, which he then drank.[20] The devas returned some time later and asked him to return their weapons so that they might defeat the asuras, headed by Vritra, once and for all. Dadhichi, however, told them of what he had done and informed them that their weapons were now a part of his bones. Realising that his bones were the only way by which the devas could defeat the asuras, he willingly gave his life in a pit of mystical flames, that he summoned with the power of his austerities.[20] Vishvakarma is then said to have fashioned a large number of weapons from Dadhichi's bones, including the Vajrayudha, which was fashioned from his spine. The devas are then said to have defeated the asuras using the weapons thus created.
Dadhichi is said to have been the first to leave Daksha's yagna when he realised that Shiva had not been invited out of spite.[21]
Dadhichi is regarded to have had established his ashram in Misrikh, in Naimisharanya near Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.[18] Naimisharanya is cited in all of the Puranas as the location of his ashram, which is still in existence. The current location of the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad is also believed to be one of the ancient sites of his ashram. A popular legend about Dahod also says that Sage Dadhichi once meditated at the banks of Dudhimati river in Dahod.[22]
The Dadhich Brahmins, a Brahmin clan and the Dahiya Rajputs, a Rajput clan primarily found in Rajasthan, claim to be his descendants.
According to folklore, Dadhimati is the name of the sage's sister, in whose name a fourth century temple exists in Naguar, Rajasthan, called the Dadhimati Mata Temple.
The design of the Param Vir Chakra, an Indian military medal, is regarded to be inspired by the sacrifice of this sage.[23]
The mantra or incantation for the goddess Hinglaj is attributed to Dadhichi. To save some Kshatriya children from being killed by Parashurama, Dadhichi is said to have hidden them inside the temple of Hinglaj, and created the incantation of Hinglaj to protect them from Parashurama's wrath.
Dadhichi is believed to have written the Narayana Kavacham, a Sanskrit hymn.[24]
