rishya sringa

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer and srimaan N.K.Ravi swamin

 

 

 

Yes. Kamban always places the sage's son'sname as kalaik kOttu minivan.

 

 

 

The word kalai has meanings such as

 

1. art or saasthram – like naattiyak kalai – nruthya saasthram or art

of dancing,

2. kalai [maan] – a herd of deer – because the deer always sees in

sides.

3. a branch or a class or a sect

4. a side

5. vasthram – the dress or 'angi' or clothing

6. amsam – nature – [chandhra kalai – vaLardhalum, thEidhalum –

growing and decaying is moon's nature]

 

 

 

Similarly the word kOdu from which this kOttu has come means

 

1. line

2. ellai – limit or boundary

3. kombu or horn like bull's horn

4. karai – bank – like river bank

5. dhandham – like elephant's horn

6. vaLaivu – a curve

 

 

 

So 'kalaik kOttu minivan' is a sage with a deer's horn in his head.

 

 

 

In raamaayaNam we have small amount of description only on this sage – in

particular to the extent of his coming and helping king dhasaratha doing the

puthra kaama ishti.

 

 

 

See slokam 1-9-3 [one is baala kaandam, 9 is sargam number, 4 is slokam

number] and note as in valmikiramayan web site.

 

 

 

kaa*s*yapasya cha = for Sage Ka*s*yapa;

 

puthra: asthi = son, was there;

 

vibhaaNDaka ithi *s*rutha: = Vibhaandaka, thus, known as;

 

thasya puthra: = his son [Vibhandaka's son,] will be;

 

Rishyasringa ithi khyaatha = Rishyasringa, thus, renowned;

 

bhavishyati = will be there;

 

sa: muni: vanE nithya samvrudhDha: = he, that saint [Rishyasringa,] always,

in forest, grown up;

 

vana chara sadhaa= [that sage] Rishyasringa, forest, dwelling, always.

 

Meaning: sumanthra the minister of dhasaratha, said that "Sage Ka*s*yapa has

a son known as Vibhaandaka, and his son will be the renowned Sage

Rishyasringa, and that Sage Rishyasringa will grow up in forests, and will

always be dwelling in forest. [1-9-3b, 4]

 

Note: Here the word used by Sumanthra is thava puthra aagamam, it renders as

'the arrival of your sons', meaning that sons of King Dha*s*aratha arrive

from Heavens, but not through an ordinary parturition. Even earlier in time

to that of Dha*s*aratha, Sage Sanathkumara predicted the 'arrival' of Vishnu

as Raama. The birth-event associated with Rishyasringa's name is that he is

born with a horn on the crown of his head. Thus he is named as Rishyasringa,

i.e.,

 

Rishi = the Sage;

sringa = horn;

 

a Sage with a horn on his forehead at his birth time. This being the

mythological import, he is an acme among sages, as *s*runga also means a

peak.

 

In mahaa bhaaratham we have a much-detailed account. In vana parvam when the

5 brothers were living, lot of sages came and met them, and they told lot of

stories. In that one such is on sage rishya sringa. Sage maarkandeya also

came and told raamaayaNam story. Part of that rishya sringa story is

reproduced here --

 

"Lomasa said, 'Hear how Rishyasringa, of dreaded name, was born as a son to

Vibhandaka, who was a saint of the Brahmana caste, who had cultured his soul

by means of religious austerities, whose seed never failed in causing

generation, and who was learned and bright like the Lord of beings. The

father was highly honoured, and the son was possessed of a mighty spirit,

and, though a boy, was respected by aged man. That son of Kasyapa,

Vibhandaka, having proceeded to a big lake, devoted himself to the practice

of penances. That same saint, comparable to a god, laboured for a long

period.

 

Once while he was washing his mouth in the waters, he beheld the celestial

nymph Urvasi - whereupon came out his seminal fluid. O king! [MGV adds - the

story is being addressed to yudhishtira hence o king] a hind [means a kind

of deer] at that time lapped it up along with the water that she was

drinking, being thirst; and from this cause she became pregnant with child.

That same hind had really been a daughter of the gods, and had been told of

yore by the holy Brahma, the creator of the worlds, 'Thou shall be a hind;

and when in that form, thou shall give birth to a saint; thou shalt then be

freed.'

 

As Destiny would have it, and as the word of the creator would not be

untrue, in that same hind was born his (Vibhandaka's) son, a mighty saint.

And Rishyasringa, devoted to penances, always passed his days in the forest..

O king! there was a horn on the head of that magnanimous saint and for this

reason did he come to be known at the time by the name of Rishyasringa. And

barring his father, not a man had ever before been seen by him; therefore

his mind, O protector of men! was entirely devoted to the duties of a

continent life.

 

Also there are 3 naamaas in Sree vishNu sahasra naamam on this 'sringi' horn

-

1. srungiNE nama: - naamaa no. 803 occurring in slokam 85

Meaning: one who has a horn

 

2. na Eka srungiNE nama: - naamaa no. 769 occurring in slokam 81

Meaning: one who has not only one horn [but many]

 

3. mahaa srngAya nama: - naamaa no. 540 occurring in slokam 57

 

Meaning: the big tusked varaahaa - the great horned.

 

 

Hope it is clear.

Dhasan

--

Vasudevan MG