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Vishvamitra
Vishvamitra ( sa, विश्वामित्र, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatri Mantra. The Puranas mention that only 24 rishis since antiquity have understood the whole meaning of —and thus wielded the whole power of — the Gayatri Mantra. Vishvamitra is supposed to have been the first, and Yajnavalkya the last. Before renouncing his kingdom and royal status, Brahmarishi Vishvamitra was a king, and thus he retained the title of Rajarshi, or 'royal sage'. Textual background Historically, Viśvāmitra Gāthina was a Rigvedic rishi who was the chief author of Mandala 3 of the Rigveda. Viśvāmitra was taught by Jamadagni Bhārgava. He was the purohita of the Bharata tribal king Sudās, until he was replaced by Vasiṣṭha. He aided the Bharatas in crossing the Vipāś and Śutudrī rivers (modern Beas and Sutlej ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shunahshepa
Shunahshepa () is a legendary sage mentioned in Hindu mythology. A number of passages in ''Rigveda'' are attributed to him. He was adopted by the sage Vishvamitra, and given the new name Devarata. His name is also transliterated as Cunahcepa, Cunahçepa, Sunahsephas, Sunahshepa, and Shunashepa. He was first mentioned in Mandala 1, Hymn 24 of the Rigveda as a devotee of the god Varuna. According to a legend, Shunahshepa was chosen to be sacrificed in a ritual, but was saved after praying to the Rigvedic deities. The earliest extant text to mention this legend is ''Aitareya Brahmana'' (7.13-18) of ''Rigveda''. The story is repeated in the ''Balakanda'' (1.61) of Valmiki's ''Ramayana'' with some variations. Several other texts borrow the story: these include ''Sankhyana Srauta Sutra'', ''Baudhayana Shrauta Sutra'', the Puranas, and the works of Chandrakirti among others. Legend Aitareya Brahmana King Harishchandra of the Ikshvaku dynasty had 100 wives, but no son. On advice ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shakuntala
Shakuntala (Sanskrit: ''Śakuntalā'') is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the '' Adi Parva'' of the ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata'' and dramatized by many writers, the most famous adaption being Kalidasa's play ''Abhijñānaśākuntala'' (''The Sign of Shakuntala''). Legends Birth Once, Vishvamitra started to meditate to earn the status of a Brahmarshi. The intensity of his penance frightened Indra. He feared that Vishvamitra might want his throne. To end his penance, Indra sent Menaka, an apsara, to lure him and bring him out of his penance. Menaka reached Vishwamitra's meditating spot and started to seduce him. Vishvamitra could not control his lust and desire and his penance was broken. Vishvamitra and Menaka lived together for a few years and a daughter was born to them. Later, Vishvamitra realized that all those things were Indra's tricks. He realized that he needed to control his emotions. Vishvamitra left Menaka and Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vasiṣṭha
Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigvedic verse 10.167.4, other Rigvedic mandalas and in many Vedic texts. His ideas have been influential and he was called the first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankara. The '' Yoga Vasishtha'', ''Vasishtha Samhita'', as well as some versions of the ''Agni Purana'' and ''Vishnu Purana'' are attributed to him. He is the subject of many stories, such as him being in possession of the divine cow Kamadhenu and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners. He is famous in Hindu stories for his legendary conflicts with sage Vishvamitra. In the Ramayana, he was the family priest of the Raghu dynasty and teacher of Rama and his brothers. Etymology Vasishtha is also spelled a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saptarshi
The Saptarishi () are the seven rishis of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. Hinduism An early prototype of the "Saptarishi" concept may stem from the six families associated with the six "Family Books" in the Rigveda Samhita (Mandalas 2–7 in ascending order: Gṛtsamāda, Viśvāmitra, Vāmadeva, Atri, Bhardwaja, Vasiṣṭha). While not a "Family Book", Mandala 8 is mostly attributed to Kaṇva, who could be considered the 7th prototypical Saptarishi. The earliest formal list of the seven rishis is given by Jaiminiya Brahmana 2.218–221: Agastya, Atri, Bhardwaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Vashistha, and Vishvamitra followed by Brihadaranyaka Upanisad 2.2.6 with a slightly different list: Atri, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa, Vashistha, and Vishvamitra. The late Gopatha Brahmana 1.2.8 has Vashisth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sushruta
Sushruta, or ''Suśruta'' (Sanskrit: सुश्रुत, IAST: , ) was an ancient Indian physician. The ''Sushruta Samhita'' (''Sushruta's Compendium''), a treatise ascribed to him, is one of the most important surviving ancient treatises on medicine and is considered a foundational text of Ayurveda. The treatise addresses all aspects of general medicine, but the impressive chapters on surgery have led to the false impression that this is its main topic. The translator G. D. Singhal dubbed Suśruta "the father of surgery" on account of these detailed accounts of surgery. The ''Compendium of Suśruta'' locates its author in Varanasi, India. Date The early scholar Rudolf Hoernle proposed that some concepts from the ''Suśruta-saṃhitā'' could be found in the '' Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa'', which he dates to the 600 BCE, and this dating is still often repeated. However, during the last century, scholarship on the history of Indian medical literature has advanced substantially ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madhuchhanda
Madhuchhandha (also known as Madhushchandhas Vaishvamitra) is a sage mentioned in the Indian epics and mythology. A number of hymns in ''Rigveda'' are composed by him. He is the son of sage Brahmarshi Vishvamitra. Madhuchanda had a mastery over Vedic literature and was also a great singer. Madhuchanda and the Rigveda Madhuchhanda was the maker of the hymn to god Agni, with which the Rigveda begins. He composed 1-10 hymns in the Mandala 1 of Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh .... References {{reflist Characters in Hindu mythology Sages in the Ramayana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamadagni
Jamadagni ( sa, जमदग्नि, lit=great fire) is a character in Hindu literature. He is regarded in Hindu tradition to be one of the Saptarishi (Seven Vedic sages) in the seventh, and the current age of Manvantara.Avalon, Arthur (Sir John Woodroffe) (1913, reprint 1972) (tr.) ''Tantra of the Great Liberation (Mahāanirvāna Tantra)'', New York: Dover Publications, , p. xli: The Rishi are seers who know, and by their knowledge are the makers of shastra and "see" all mantras. The word comes from the root rish ''Ri''sh''ati-prāpnoti sarvvang mantrang jnānena pashyati sangsārapārangvā'', etc. The seven great Rishi or saptarshi of the first manvantara are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vashishtha. In other manvantara there are other ''sapta-rshi''. In the present manvantara the seven are Kashyapa, ''Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamdagnini, Bharadvaja''. To the Rishi the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rajarshi
Rajarishi () is a title in Hinduism and Hindu mythology, referring to a sage who hails from a royal background. Description A rajarishi may be described to be a king (raja) who adopted a path of devotion, thereby becoming a royal sage (rishi). A rajarishi does not have to leave the kingship to become rishi'','' as in the example of Vishvamitra (who later becomes a ''Brahmarishi''), but could attain the status of a sage through self-realisation during his reign. A rajarishi still performs the duties of their kshatriya class, and remain similar to most rishis, maharishis, and brahmarishis descendants in their level of spiritual knowledge. Another example of Rajarshi is King Janaka, who is said to have attained self-Knowledge from the ascetic sage Astavakra. They belong to the four types of rishis mentioned in Hinduism and Vedas. # Rajarshi # Maharishi # Brahmarshi # Devarishi Literature In Vedas and Holy scriptures of Hindusim, the name and Rajarshi has its own meaning and it's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Shakha of the many survive today, namely the Śakalya Shakha. Much of the contents contained in the remaining Shakhas are now lost or are not available in the public forum. The ''Rigveda'' is the oldest known Vedic Sanskrit text. Its early layers are among the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language. The sounds and texts of the ''Rigveda'' have been orally transmitted since the 2nd millennium BCE. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the bulk of the ''Rigveda'' Samhita was composed in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent (see) Rigvedic rivers), most likely between 1500 and 1000 BCE, although a wider approximation of 19001200 BCE has also been given. The text is layered, consisting of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purohita
Purohita ( sa, पुरोहित), in the Hindu context, means ''chaplain'' or ''family priest'' within the Vedic priesthood. In Thailand and Cambodia, it refers to the royal chaplains. Etymology The word ''purohita'' derives from the Sanskrit, ''puras'' meaning "front", and ''hita'', "placed". The word is also used synonymously with the word ''pandit'', which also means "priest". '' Tirtha purohita'' means the ''purohita'' who sit at the fords of the holy rivers or holy tanks and who have maintained the records of the forefathers of the Hindu family for thousands of years. ''Purohita'' can refer to a house priest. Education In India, literate men from the Brahmin varna who desire to become ''purohitas'' receive special training both in theory and practice in Vedic schools linked to agraharams, inherited from royal grants to train and sustain chaplains historically maintained by dynasties such as the Cholas and Pallavas. In fact, special training is required to perfor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mandala 3
The third Mandala of the Rigveda has 62 hymns, mainly to Agni and Indra. It is one of the "family books" (mandalas 2-7), the oldest core of the Rigveda, which were composed in early Vedic period (1500 - 1000 BCE). Most hymns in this book are attributed to '' '' The verse 3.62.10 gained great importance in Hinduism as the Gayatri Mantra. List of incipits The dedication as given by Griffith is in square brackets 3.1 (235) [ Agni.] 3.2 (236) gni. 3.3 (237) gni. 3.4 (238) [ Apris.] 3.5 (239) gni. 3.6 (240) gni. 3.7 (241) gni. 3.8 (242) acrificial Post. 3.9 (243) gni. 3.10 (244) gni. 3.11 (245) gni. 3.12 (246) [ Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...-Agni.] 3.13 (247) gni. 3.14 (248) gni. 3.15 (249) gni. 3.16 (250) gni. 3.17 (251) gni. 3.18 (252) gni. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bharatas (tribe)
The Bharatas were an early Vedic tribe that existed in the latter half of the second millennium B.C.E. The earliest mentioned location of the Bharatas was on the first Sarasvati River in southern Afghanistan. Under the tribal king Divodāsa, the Bharatas moved through the Hindu Kush mountains and defeated Śambara. Divodāsa's descendant, Sudās, won the Battle of the Ten Kings against a Puru-led coalition, which set the scene for the initial compilation of hymns of the Rigveda. After the battle, the Bharatas and other Puru clans would eventually form the Kuru Kingdom, which was the first attested state in Indian history. Etymology The name ''Bharata'' is of Indo-Aryan and Indo-Iranian origin, meaning "the ones who carry". History Two Bharatas, Devaśravas Bhārata and Devavāta Bhārata, are mentioned as living near the Āpayā, Sarasvatī and Dṛṣadvatī rivers. Devavāta's son, Sṛñjaya Daivavāta, defeated the Turvaśas, and is mentioned alongside Abhyāvar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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