Viswamitra
Brahmarishi Viswamitra or
Vishwamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated sages of
Hinduism. He was a
Hindu by birth. He is also credited as the author of most of
Mandala 3 of the
Rigveda, including the
Gayatri Mantra. Hindu scriptures mention that only 24
Rishis since antiquity have understood the whole meaning of, and thus wielded the whole power of the Gayatri Mantra. Sage Vishwamitra is supposed to be the first, and Sage
Yajnavalkya the last. Through the power attained this way, Vishwamitra was able to create a counterpart of the cosmos.
Vishwamitra was a king named
Kaushika, and was a valiant warrior and the great-grandson of a great sage named
Kusha. One of the four sons of Kusha was
Kushanubha, who performed the
Puthrakameshti sacrifice and obtained a son named
Gadhi as the result. Kaushika was the son of king
Gadhi.
Kaushika succeeded his father to the kingdom and ruled it ably. He was well liked by his people. Once he was on a tour of his kingdom, listening to the complaints of his subjects, and issuing orders to remedy them.
On one of his exploits, he and his soldiers took rest in the
ashram of
Rishi Vasishta. There, his whole army was well fed and taken care of. This caused a doubt in the king's mind as to how it was possible for this simple ashram to take care of all the arrangements to feed an entire army. He expressed his surprise to the sage. Vasishta replied,
"O king, this feast that you have partaken with your kinsmen, has been provided by my calf Nandini (sometimes referred as Sabala), who was gifted to me by Indra. You must know that she is the daughter of Indra's cow Kamadhenu. She provides me with everything I need."Kaushika was filled with wonder when he heard this. He began to think that possessing this cow would mean a lot to him; after all, the sage did not have to provide food and sustenance for a large army everyday. He expressed a desire to the sage for obtaining Nandini from him. Vasishta was polite, but steadfast in his refusal. He would not be tempted by the offer of untold wealth that was made by Kaushika, for after all who can set a price on a cow, which can readily yield all the riches in the world.
The king grew exceedingly angry. He insulted the
Brahmarishi with harsh words, and ordered his soldiers to seize the cow, and drive it to his kingdom. By his yogic powers, the great sage Vasishta, called forth an entire army of fierce warriors. They fought the army of Kaushika and defeated it thoroughly. Kaushika was captured and presented before Vasishta. The sage pardoned the king and sent him away with words of advice.
Alternate Version
In other version, Vasishta destroya Kaushika's entire army by the simple use of his great mystic and spiritual powers, breathing the
Aum syllable. Vasishta also thus kills one hundred of Kaushika's sons, while restoring his hermitage's beauty and life.
Kaushika then undertakes a
tapasya for several years to please Lord
Shiva, who bestows upon him the knowledge of celestial weaponry. He proudly goes to Vasishta's ashram again, and uses all kinds of powerful weapons to destroy Vasishta and his hermitage. He succeeds in the latter but not in the former.
An enraged Vasishta brings out his
brahmadanda, a wooden stick imbibed with the power of Lord Creator
Brahma. It consumes Kaushika's most powerful weapons, including the
brahmastra. Vasishta then attempts to attack Kaushika, but his anger is allayed by the
Devas. Kaushika is left humiliated while Vasishta restores his hermitage.
There may be a historical nucleus to the legend, with relation to the
Battle of the Ten Kings, where a large confederacy was defeated by a small force, with Vishvamitra claiming the credit of having gained divine favour for the smaller force by his prayers. Compare the Nandini story to the battle for the miraculous bull in the Irish
Táin Bó Cúailnge, and other Indo-European
cattle raiding myths.
This incident made a deep impression on the King. He realized that the power obtained by penances was far greater than mere physical might. He renounced his kingdom and began his quest to become a greater rishi than Vasishta. He took on the name
Vishwamitra. It is very interesting to see all the challenges that Viswamitra faced in his life to become a Brahmarishi, before eventually giving up the greed to possess the cow. After many trials and undergoing many austerities, Vishwamitra at last obtained the title of
Brahmarishi from Vasishta himself. During this time he had a daughter named
Shakuntala (who appears in the
Mahabharata) with
Menaka, an
apsaras in the court of Indra. Son of Shakuntala bacame a great emperor. He came to known as
Emperor Bharata and it is in his name that the lanad of India got its name
Bharat.
Alternate Version
Kaushika seeks to attain the same spiritual power as Vasishta, to become his equal, a
brahmarishi. He undertakes a fierce penance for one thousand years, after which
Brahma names him a
Rajarishi, or royal sage.
After another long penance of ten thousand years, Brahma names him a
rishi, thus leaving his royal lineage permanently.
At this point,
Indra, the king of
Swarga attempts to test the tapasvin by sending
Menaka, an
apsaras to seduce him. Kaushika falls in love with the beautiful apsara, and makes love with her for many years, losing his self-control and pious credits. After many years he awakes out of his reverie, and angrily confronts Menaka, who tells him everything. Kaushika knows that Menaka genuinely loves him, so with great sorrow he curses her just to be parted from him forever.
Kaushika now goes to the banks of the river
Kaushiki, which is the spirit of his own sister. After many thousands of years of penance,
Brahma names him
maharishi, but also tells him that he hasn't become a
jitendriya yet, lacking control over his passions. This is brought to light to Kaushika when he angrily curses
Rambha, an apsara sent by Indra to seduce Kaushika again, to become a stone for a thousand years.
After cursing Rambha, Kaushika goes to the highest mountain of the
Himalayas to perform an even more severe tapasya for over a thousand years. He ceases to eat, and reduces his breathing to a bare minimum.
He is tested again by Indra, who comes as a poor
brahmin begging for food just as Kaushika is ready to break a fast of many years by eating some rice. Kaushika instantly gives his food away to Indra and resumes his meditation. Kaushika also finally masters his passions, refusing to be provoked by any of Indra's testing and seductive inteferences.
At the penultimate culmination of a multi-thousand year journey, Kaushika's yogic power is at its terrible peak, upsetting the very balance of the universe, and sending the celestial order and natural phenomena into turmoil.
Lord
Brahma, at the head of the
Devas led by Indra, names Kaushika a
brahmarishi, and names him
Vishwamitra, or
Friend of the Universe for his unlimited compassion. He is also embraced by
Vasishta, and their enmity is instantly ended.
One of Vishwamitra's chief faults was his short temper. He was very quick to anger and sometimes uttered curses on helpless victims, thereby depleting his yogic powers obtained by much penance. People feared his temper and prayed that their actions might not get misconstrued by the touchy sage.
Kaushika's love of Menaka is also considered to have been intense and passionate beyond estimation.
Vishwamitra is famous in many legendary stories and in different works of
Hindu mythology.
Trisanku
Another story Vishwamitra is known for is his creation of his own version of
Swarga or heaven, called
Trisanku Swarga. When a proud King Trisanku asked his
guru,
Vasishta, to send him to heaven in his own body, the guru responded that the body cannot ascend to heaven.
King Trisanku then asked Vashista's seven sons to send him to heaven. The sons, outraged that Trisanku should come to them when the father had refused, cursed him to be a chandala, or untouchable. When Trisanku woke up the next day, he found himself entirely deformed. Since none of his subjects could recognize him, he was driven out of the kingdom.
He came across Sage Viswamitra, who agreed to help him. Viswamitra organized a great sacrifice and ritual proptiating the
Devas, pleading that they accept Trisanku in heaven. Not one Deva responded. Angered, Viswamitra used his yogic powers and ordered Trisanku to rise to heaven. Miraculously, Trisanku rose into the sky until he reached heaven, where he was pushed back down by
Indra.
Enraged even more by this, the powerful Viswamitra then commenced the creation of another heaven for Trisanku. He had only completed the heaven when
Brihaspati ordered him to stop. Trisanku, however, did not enjoy Trisanku Swarga, he remained fixed in the sky and was transformed into a
constellation.
In the process of forming a new universe, Vishwamitra used up all the tapas he had gained from his austerities. Therefore after the Trisanku episode, Vishwamitra had to start his prayers again to attain the status of a Brahma Rishi, to equal Vashistha.
Harishchandra's Sacrifice
While undertaking a penance, Kaushika helps a poor
brahmin boy who has been sold by his parents to be sacrificed at
Harishchandra's
yagna to please
Varuna, the God of the Oceans. The king's son
Rohita does not want to be the one sacrificed, as was originally promised to Varuna, so young
Sunashepa is being taken. A devastated and terrified Sunashepa falls at the feet of Kaushika, who is deep in meditation, and begs for his help.
Kaushika teaches secret mantras to Sunashepa. The boy sings these mantras at the ceremony, and is blessed by
Indra and
Varuna, and Harishchandra's ceremony is also completed.
In the Ramayana
In the great epic
Ramayana, Vishwamitra is the preceptor of
Rama, prince of
Ayodhya and the eighth
Avatara of
Vishnu, and his brother
Lakshmana.
Vishwamitra gives them the knowledge of the
Devastras or celestial weaponry, trains them in advanced religion and guides them to kill powerful demons like
Tataka,
Maricha and
Subahu. He also leads them to the
swayamvara ceremony for princess
Sita, who becomes the wife of Rama.
Gotras
There are two
gotras in the name of Viswamitra.
Viswamitra Gotra
Peoples belonging to
Viswamitra Gotra considers
Brahmarishi Viswamitra as their root.
Kaushika Gotra
Peoples belonging to
Kaushika (Kousika/Koushika/Kausika) Gotra takes
Rajarishi Kousika as their root. Kousika was the name of Viswamitra before transforming to brahmin.
*Ramesh Menon,
The Ramayana (2001)
*
Hindu mythology,
Ramayana
