Viswamitra Rishi (The astro sage - the Author of Kausika Hora)

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Dear All, Again by VV Raman at : http://www.siddha.com.my/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000053-7.htmlLove and regards,Sreenadh

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VISVAMITRA (Sanskrit) Friend of all; a celebrated rishi (sage), famed for his contests with the sage Vasishtha. By birth a Kshattriya of the lineage of Pururavas of the lunar dynasty, he was employed at the court of Raja Sudas of the Tritsus, as was Vasishtha. Visvamitra was constantly worsted in his struggles for supremacy over the great Brahmin Vasishtha, and determined toelevate himself to the rank of a Brahmin, which he succeeded in doing after many strenuous austerities. Many verses of the Rig-Veda are said to have been written by him, and he is also credited with authorship of a law book. In the Ramayana, Visvamitra is stated to be a counselor of Ramachandra.

YOGA VASISTHA: (Sanskrit) Poetic work of over 29,000 verses attributed to Valmiki. It is a dialog between Prince Rama and his teacher, Sage Vasishtha, in the form of 50 intriguing stories which present advaita and the concepts andideals of yoga in elegant Sanskrit. (Variously dated between 500 and 1000 ce.)

This book is also known as the Maharamayana. It is an unusual scripture in that it purports to record the words of a human (Vasishtha) while he is expounding universal truths to God (Rama). The foreword to the book does not indicate thisscripture's age other than noting that it has been a "favorite book of spiritual seekers in India these several centuries." The viewpoint embraced by Vasishtha's Yoga is very similar to Kashmir Shaivism, which teaches that Consciousnessalone exists and that the universe is nothing but the self-expression of this Consciousness.

Here's what the book has to say about itself: â€Å"In this scripture there is nothing new; but the truth has been presented in a pleasant fashion with a number of stories. It is the truth that is proclaimed in this scripture that is important; not the one who has declared the truth or composed the scripture.â€Â

 

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Vishvamitra Rishi

There is hardly another mantra in Hinduism that is better known or held ingreater reverence than the Gayatri. It occurs in the Rig Veda, reminding usthat the roots of the tradition lie deep in those sacred hymns. This mantrais one of the earliest recognitions of the relevance and importance of thesun, not just for physical life, but also for human intelligence andawareness. The sage-poet who articulated this was surely one of the keenestminds in the history of conscious reflection. The authorship of theGayatri - the jewel of the Brahmins to which every dvija is initiated earlyin life - is attributed to the illustrious sage Vishvamitra. The culturalcomplex we call Hinduism is rich in ironies: One scholar has suggested thatthis rishi was a Shudra. But this is not so according to the lore.

Vishvamitra - whether historical or mythological - was a most extraordinarypersonage. He has been described as the Rishi of Rishis. Indeed, his life,as told in the epics and the puranas, embodies everything we may expect ofan eminent rishi: He was a man of great self-discipline, austere and givento long periods of penance, yet virile and susceptible to feminine charms.

He was demanding, impatient, adamant, and quick to anger. Most of all, hewas a scholar, poet, and deeply versed in sacred history.

Vishvamitra's sacred sacrifices were once interrupted by some demonicbeings: perhaps by some tribal people who found it all to be exotic. He wentto King Dasaratha and asked for Rama's assistance to rid himself of theintruders. The king hesitated, and the Rishi was furious. Vasishtha,Dasaratha's spiritual counselor, advised the king to consent to the request.

Rama and Lakshmana then went on to exterminate the miscreants. During thisexpedition, Vishvamitra taught the two brothers many things of localhistory.

Often Vishvamitra appears as Vasishtha's rival, because the latter was aBrahmin, and Vishvamitra had a Kshatriya lineage. His Kshatriya birthhappened because of an error. Satyavati (see Vasishtha) had mistakenlyexchanged with her mother the magic potion that was to bring forth a Brahminchild. The mother was married to Gadhi who was a Kshatriya. It wasthus that Vishvamitra became a Kshatriya since, in practice, caste ispatrilineal.

Vishvamitra's Non-Brahminhood tormented him for millennia of his incrediblylong life. This tension reflects a profound truth. In any society, those whoare regarded as inferior - by law, convention, color of skin, or whatever -will always harbor deep resentment towards those who have a higher status.The resentment sometimes finds expression in acute ways, often by affirmingone's own strength in whatever manner vis-a-vis the more powerful one.Consider the momentous episode in which, at a time when he was a powerfulking, Vishvamitra paid a visit to Vasishtha. He was received with respectand hospitality. His entire retinue was treated to a sumptuous feast atVasishtha's hermitage. The rich food came from the wondrous cow Sabala(a.k.a. Kamadhenu) which was a cornucopia of limitless nourishment.

Vishvamitra wanted the animal, promising any price for it. But Vasishtharefused. Whereupon Vishvamitra used the might of his army, summoning hishundred sons to cownap Kamadhenu. The magical animal engendered its ownarmy. There was a brutal battle, at the end of which Vishvamitra's men wereburnt to thin ash. The moral of the story: Material might is no match forspiritual power.

In the Markandeya Purana version of the Harischandra episode, Vasishthacursed Vishvamitra to become a crane, and the latter was quick to retortwith a similar curse. The two ornithoid rishis went at each other withearth-shaking fury until Brahma intervened and brought them back to humanforms.

By intense penance, after centuries of silence, prolonged standing on onefoot, months of fasting during which his body became like a strip of rottenwood, the sage finally attained the much-coveted status of Brahma Rishi.

It was in the course of these awesome austerities that he chanced to see oneday the Apsara Menaka wading in the Pushcart Lake. Enchanted by her physicalbeauty, he welcomed her to his hermitage and asked her to stay with him.Menaka agreed and subtly hindered his spiritual efforts. He spent ten years,enthralled by Menaka's company, before realizing what an impediment she hadbeen to his greater glories. The episode is to remind us that all therock-like rigidity acquired by thousand austere years can melt away when theraw fire of lust is lit. In the meanwhile, to Menaka was born Shakuntala,another beautiful heroine of Hindu lore. She was the mother of Bharata whosename is etched in the great epic and in modern India's name. Who can erasethis link!

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Vedas, the Brahmanda Purana, theKalika Purana and more, all refer to this great Rishi, known as much for hiswisdom and enormous learning as for his austerities and quick temper, Herewas a hero of Vedic and Puranic lore, a pillar of the Hindu world, amajestic representative of ancient Vedic culture, a rishi and a name thatwill live for ever in the cultural-spiritual core of the Hindu world.

V. V. RamanSeptember 5, 2005

Question: <'Vashistar vAyAl Brahmarishi' (From Vasishtha'smouth a Brahmarishi) Isn't that proverb related to Sage Vashista and SageVishwamitra? I remember seeing a Tamil Film starring Sivaji Ganeshan asVishwamitra who finally is called as Brahmarishi by Sage Vashista.>

Answer:This is how the transformation is said to have occurred, as narrated bySatAnanda, to the Balakanda (From my book: Balakanda as Literature andCultural History):

"The great muni now left the Himalayan regions and proceeded to the easternquarter, there to do his penances. With his vow of total silence he began amost difficult and unprecedented series of austerities. Even after athousand years he remained calm, unaffected by any anger. His body hadgrown stiff as wood because it had given up everything. At the and of thismillennium he began to eat a little.

"Just at that moment, Indra appeared as a mendicant Brahmin and beggedfor some food. The illustrious ascetic gave the Brahmin all his meal, andspoke not a word to him, still maintaining his vow of silence. He alsobegan to hold his breath once again. So it has been said.

"Vishvamitra did not breathe for another thousand years. While he was inthis breathless state, there emanated from his head a smoke that causedchaos and heating all over the three worlds. Totally confused and surpassedin their glory, the devas, rishis, and gandharvas, not to mention theN?s, serpents and demons, all went to Pitamaha in anguish and pleadedwith him thus: 'Oh Lord, though he has been tempted and provoked into angermany times, Vishv?tra has resisted it all and risen to ever greaterheights of asceticism. There is not the slightest blemish in him. Now if hedoes not receive what he is seeking, there is no doubt but that he willannihilate the three worlds, including their animate and inanimatecomponents, all by the power of his tapas. At this very moment every cornerof the world is plunged into total darkness, nothing can be clearly seen.The seas are in turmoil, the mountains are cleaving, the earth is trembling,and the winds are raging in fury. We know not how to stop all this. Liken?ikas, people are forsaking their religious rites, and there ispuzzlement in all the worlds. Even the sun is eclipsed by the power of thisillustrious rishi. The great rishi, the very embodiment of tejas,incomparable as he is in splendor, must be satisfied before he resolves todestroy everything there is. The three worlds, as once they were consumed bythe universal conflagration, will again suffer the same fate because ofhim. May he therefore be given the boons he is seeking with suchpersistence, even if he wants to have control over the devas!'

"Then the host of suras with Pitamaha in the lead appeared before theillustrious Vishvamitra and spoke sweetly to him thus: 'Sv?tam, oh BrahmaRishi! We are greatly impressed with your penances. Oh Kaushika, you haveachieved Brahminhood by dint of your austerities. Oh holy Brahmin, we grantyou longevity. May you be blessed! You may leave when you wish. May all bewell with you!'

"Delighted with this boon of Brahma, and saluting the heavenlyinhabitants, the illustrious rishi said, 'If I have achieved Brahminhoodand longevity, let Om and Vashat and the Vedas all come looking for me! LetVasishtha, Brahma's son, the greatest in archery and in Brahminic learning,address me as a Brahmin. If these fervent wishes of mine are also granted,oh gods, then may you all leave!'

"Thereupon, the Brahmarishi Vasishtha appeared and said, 'So be it!' Andthe gods said, 'You are without question a Brahmarishi. All your wishes arenow fulfilled.' Then they left.

"Having achieved this supreme status of Brahminhood, Vishvamitra paid hisrespects to Vasishtha, the foremost among Brahmarishis. After achievingthis goal, Vishvamitra went all around the world.

"It was in this way, oh R?, that the noble Vishvamitra became a Brahmin.He is the greatest of all rishis, the very personification of asceticism,the supreme source of spiritual powers."

V. V. RamanSept 5, 2005========================================