Kātyāyana (कात्यायन) also spelled as Katyayana ( c. 3rd century BCE) was a Sanskrit grammarian , mathematician and Vedic priest who lived in ancient India .
62-544: According to some legends, he was born in the Katya lineage originating from Vishwamitra , thus called Katyayana. The Kathāsaritsāgara mentions Kātyāyana as another name of Vararuci , a re-incarnation of Lord Shiva 's gana or follower Pushpadanta. The story also mentions him learning grammar from Shiva's son Kartikeya which is corroborated in the Garuda Purana where Kartikeya (also called Kumara) teaches Katyayana
124-460: A tapasya for several years to please Shiva , who bestows upon him the knowledge of celestial weaponry. He proudly goes to Vasiștha's ashram again and uses all kinds of powerful weapons to destroy Vasishta and his hermitage. He succeeded in the killings of Vasistha's thousand sons but not Vasistha himself. An enraged Vasistha brings out his brahmadanda , a wooden stick imbued with the power of Brahma . It consumes Vishvamitra's most powerful weapon,
186-584: A Chandala. Trisanku was transformed into a person with body smeared of ash, clothed in black and wearing iron jewelry. Unrecognizable to his subjects, he was driven out of the kingdom. In his exile, Trisanku came across the sage Vishvamitra, who agreed to help him. Vishvamitra organized a great sacrifice and ritual propitiating the Devas , pleading that they accept Trisanku into heaven. Not one Deva responded. Angered, Vishvamitra used his yogic powers and ordered Trisanku to rise to heaven. Miraculously, Trisanku rose into
248-548: A Kshatriya with qualities of Brahmin, and, Satyavati gave birth to Jamadagni , father of Parashurama , a Brahmin with qualities of a warrior. Maharshi Vasistha possessed a divine-cow Kamadhenu that was able to give everything that one wished for. Once king Kaushika (Vishvamitra) saw the cow and wished to possess her. He asked Vasistha to hand her over but Vasistha refused to do so saying she actually belongs to Devas and not him. King Kaushika became angry due to his arrogance and attacked Vasistha with all his forces. However, he
310-405: 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 interferences. At the penultimate culmination of
372-657: A child called Bharata . Kanva describes this tale in the Mahabharata : And the timid and beautiful Menaka then entered the retreat and saw there Visvamitra who had burnt, by his penances, all his sins, and was engaged still in ascetic penances. And saluting the Rishi, she then began to sport before him. And just at that time Marut robbed her of her garments that were white as the Moon. And she thereupon ran, as if in great bashfulness, to catch hold of her attire, and as if she
434-556: A daughter with her, Vishvamitra then travels south to the Godāvarī to resume his austerities, settling down at a spot next where Śiva stood as Kālañjara. Vishvamitra was also tested by the Apsara Rambha . She, however, was also cursed by Vishvamitra. After cursing Rambha, Vishvamitra goes to the highest mountain of Himalayas to perform an even more severe tapasya for over 1000 years. He ceases to eat and reduces his breathing to
496-497: A human head styled in the manner described for Vasishtha was discovered in 1958 in Delhi. This piece has been dated to around 3700 BCE, plus minus 800 years, in three western universities (ETH Zurich, Stanford and UC) using among other methods carbon-14 dating tests, spectrographic analysis, X-ray dispersal analysis and metallography . This piece is called "Vasishtha head", because the features, hairstyle, tilak and other features of
558-429: A multi-thousand-year journey, Kaushika's yogic power is at a peak. At this point, Brahma, as the head of Devas led by Indra, names Kaushika a Brahmarishi and names him Vishvamitra or Friend of All for his unlimited compassion. He then goes to meet Vashishta. It was customary that, if a sage was greeted by an equal or superior person, the sage would also greet the person. If the sage was greeted by an inferior person,
620-538: A realistic approach of mutual "coordination and harmony" between two rival religious ideas by abandoning disputed ideas from each and finding the complementary spiritual core in both. These hymns declare two gods, Indra and Varuna , as equally great. In another hymn, particularly the Rigvedic verse 7.83.9, Vasishtha teaches that the Vedic gods Indra and Varuna are complementary and equally important because one vanquishes
682-474: A son having the qualities of a Brahmin and so he gave Satyavati a sacrificial offering ( charu ) which he had prepared to achieve this objective. He also gave Satyavati's mother another charu to make her conceive a son with the character of a Kshatriya at her request. But Satyavati's mother privately asked Satyavati to exchange her charu with her. This resulted in Satyavati's mother giving birth to Vishvamitra,
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#1732772914782744-592: A story could not have invented without the residents observing an ancient river (in Rajasthan) drying up and its tributaries such as Sutlej reflowing to merge into Indus river. 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
806-627: A tuft to the right, a beard, a handlebar moustache and a tilak on his forehead. In Buddhist Pali canonical texts such as Digha Nikaya , Tevijja Sutta describes a discussion between the Buddha and Vedic scholars of his time. The Buddha names ten rishis , calls them "early sages" and makers of ancient verses that have been collected and chanted in his era, and among those ten rishi is Vasettha (the Pali spelling of Vasishtha in Sanskrit ). Vasishtha
868-637: 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
930-464: Is also spelled as Vasiṣṭha and is Sanskrit for "most excellent", "best" or "richest". According to Monier-Williams, it is sometimes alternatively spelt as Vashishta or Vashisht ( vaśiṣṭha , वशिष्ठ ). Historically, Vasishtha was a Rigvedic poet and the purohita of Sudās Paijavana , chief of the Bharata tribe . In Rigvedic hymn 7.33.9, Vasishtha is described as a scholar who moved across
992-463: Is distant, not what's near at hand. Look at the highest, not at what's less than highest. — Vasishtha Dharmasutra 30.1 Vasishtha is a revered sage in the Hindu traditions, and like other revered sages, numerous treatises composed in ancient and medieval era are reverentially named after him. Some treatises named after him or attributed to him include: According to Mandala 7 of the Rigveda ,
1054-424: Is highly renowned by the name Gaadhi was the son of Kushanabha and Gaadhi's son is this great-saint of great resplendence, Vishvamitra. Vishvamitra ruled the earth and this great-resplendent king ruled the kingdom for many thousands of years. His story also appears in various Puranas; however, with variations from Ramayana . Vishnu Purana and Harivamsha chapter 27 (dynasty of Amaavasu) of Mahabharata narrates
1116-500: Is instantly ended. Another story Vishvamitra is known for is his creation of his own version of Svarga or heaven, called Trisanku Svarga . When a proud King Trisanku asked his Guru Vashista to send him to heaven in his own body, guru responded that the body cannot ascend to heaven. King Trisanku then asked Vashista's hundred sons to send him to heaven. The sons, believing that Trisanku should not come to them after their father had refused, took outrage and cursed Trisanku to be
1178-679: Is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis ). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the Rigveda . Vasishtha 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
1240-461: Is the author of the seventh book of the Rigveda , one of its "family books" and among the oldest layer of hymns in the Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. The hymns composed by Vasishtha are dedicated to Agni , Indra and other gods, but according to RN Dandekar, in a book edited by Anay Kumar Gupta, these hymns are particularly significant for four Indravarunau hymns. These have an embedded message of transcending "all thoughts of bigotry ", suggesting
1302-597: 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. Vasishtha
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#17327729147821364-693: The Aindra School of Grammar . Vishwamitra Vishvamitra ( Sanskrit : विश्वामित्र , IAST : Viśvāmitra ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India . Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi . According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda , including the Gayatri Mantra (3.62.10). The Puranas mention that only 24 rishis since antiquity have understood
1426-520: The Devastras or celestial weaponry [bala and ati bala], trains them in advanced religion and guides them to kill powerful demons like Tadaka , Maricha and Subahu . He also leads them to the Swayamvara ceremony for princess Sita , who becomes wife of Rama. Vishvamitra is said to have written the Gayatri Mantra . It is a verse from a sukta of Rigveda (Mandala 3.62.10). Gāyatrī is the name of
1488-413: The Rigveda are among the most intriguing in many ways and influential. Vasishtha emphasizes means to be as important as ends during one's life encouraging truthfulness, devotion, optimism, family life, sharing one's prosperity with other members of society, among other cultural values. Excellence Practise righteousness ( dharma ), not unrighteousness. Speak the truth, not an untruth. Look at what
1550-519: The Sarasvati river to establish his school. At some point, he replaced Viśvāmitra Gāthina as the purohita of Sudās. In later Hindu texts, Viśvāmitra and Vasishtha have a long-standing feud, and scholars have stated they historically had a feud regarding the position of the Bharata purohita. However, this view has been criticized due to lack of internal evidence and the projection of later views onto
1612-677: The Vedic meter in which the verse is composed. Gayatri mantra is repeated and cited very widely in Vedic literature and praised in several well-known classical Hindu texts such as Manusmriti ("there is nothing greater than the Savitri (Gayatri) Mantra .", Manu II, 83), Harivamsa and Bhagavad Gita . The mantra is an important part of the upanayana ceremony for young males in Hinduism and has long been recited by dvija men as part of their daily rituals. Modern Hindu reform movements spread
1674-426: The brahmastra . Vasistha then attempts to attack Vishvamitra, but his anger is allayed by Devas . Vishvamitra is left humiliated while Vasistha restores his hermitage. Menaka was born during the churning of the ocean by the devas and asuras and was one of the most beautiful apsaras (celestial nymph) in the world with quick intelligence and innate talent. However, Menaka desired a family. Due to his penance and
1736-501: The Bharata purohita. However, this view has been criticized due to lack of internal evidence and the projection of later views onto the Rigveda. In post-Rigvedic literature Viśvāmitra becomes a mythical sage. Most of the stories related to Vishvamitra's life is narrated in the Valmiki Ramayana . Vishvamitra was a king in ancient India, also called Kaushika (descendant of Kusha) and belonged to Amavasu Dynasty . Vishvamitra
1798-527: 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. A copper casting of
1860-583: The Rigveda. Under Sudās and Vasishtha, the Tṛtsu-Bharatas won the Battle of the Ten Kings . Sudās decisively won against a Puru -led alliance by the strategic breaching of a (natural) dyke on the Ravi river thereby drowning most of the opponents; the victory is attributed to the benevolence and strategizing of Indra , the patron-god of the Bharatas, whose blessings were secured by Vasishtha's poetics. He
1922-456: 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 Vipāśa and Śutudrī rivers (modern Beas and Sutlej ). In later Hindu texts, Viśvāmitra and Vasiṣṭha have a long-standing feud, and scholars have stated they historically had a feud regarding the position of
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1984-450: The banks of the river Malini coursing along a valley of the charming mountains of Himavat. And there she gave birth to that daughter. And she left the new-born infant on the bank of that river and went away. However, later, Vishvamitra merely cursed Menaka to be separated from him forever, for he loved her as well and knew that she had lost all devious intentions towards him long ago. After succumbing to Menakā's flirtations, and after having
2046-474: The battle against Shambar. When they found their Prince Vishvarath alive, they feel happy but they could not accept Ugra as their future queen as she is an Asura. To convert Ugra into an Sura, Vishvarath creates Gayatri Mantra, but people still refuse to accept her. Soon she gives birth to a son, but to save the son from the angry people, the greatest female sage Lopamudra sends the child to a hidden place. To Lopamudra and Vishvarath's sadness, people kill Ugra. But
2108-547: The birth of Vishvamitra. According to Vishnu Purana , Kushanabha married a damsel of Purukutsa dynasty (later called as Shatamarshana lineage - descendants of the Ikshvaku king Trasadasyu) and had a son by name Gaadhi, who had a daughter named Satyavati (not to be confused with the Satyavati of Mahabharata ). Satyavati was married to an old man known as Richika who was foremost among the race of Bhrigu . Ruchika desired
2170-552: The casting resembles the description for Vasishtha in Hindu texts. The significance of "Vasishtha head" is unclear because it was not found at an archaeological site, but in open Delhi market where it was scheduled to be remelted. Further, the head had an inscription of "Narayana" suggesting that the item was produced in a much later millennium. The item, states Edwin Bryant, likely was re-cast and produced from an ancient pre-2800 BCE copper item that left significant traces of matter with
2232-415: The evil by the defeat of enemies in battles, while other sustains the good during peace through socio-ethical laws. The seventh mandala of the Rigveda by Vasishtha is a metaphorical treatise. Vasishtha reappears as a character in Hindu texts, through its history, that explore conciliation between conflicting or opposing ideologies. According to Ellison Findly – a professor of Religion, Vasishtha hymns in
2294-611: 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
2356-471: The following conundrum (following Bimal Krishna Matilal ): Clearly, this leads to infinite regress. Kātyāyana's solution to this was to restrict the universal category to that of the word itself — the basis for the use of any word is to be the very same word-universal itself." This view may have been the nucleus of the Sphoṭa doctrine enunciated by Bhartṛhari in the 5th century, in which he elaborates
2418-418: The gods Mitra - Varuna and the apsara Urvashi are mentioned as his parents. In the story, Mitra and Varuna are performing a yajna (fire-sacrifice), when they see Urvasi and become sexually aroused. They ejaculate their semen into a pitcher , from which Vasishtha is born after a few days. Vasishtha's birth story is retold in many later Hindu scriptures. The Puranas state that he has three births. In
2480-407: The gods had gathered together to discuss the atrocities of the demon Mahishasura and their anger manifested itself in the form of energy rays. The rays crystallized in the hermitage of Kātyāyana Rishi , who gave it proper form therefore she is also called Katyayani. He is known for two works: Kātyāyana's views on the sentence-meaning connection tended towards naturalism. Kātyāyana believed, that
2542-452: The king Harishchandra to become a pauper. Vasishta accompanied him by becoming a bird himself to help him. There were several such instances of violent encounter between the sages and at times, Brahma , god of creation, had to intervene. Vasishta destroys Vishvamitra's entire army by the simple use of his great mystic and spiritual powers, breathing the Om syllable. Vishvamitra then undertakes
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2604-411: The king Vishwamitra turning into a Brahmarishi has been the topic of a mytho-fiction book by Dr. Vineet Aggarwal. Amar Chitra Katha series number 599 titled Vishwamitra, published in 1975, also tells the story of Vishwamitra in the form of a graphic novel. . Vasi%E1%B9%A3%E1%B9%ADha Vasishtha ( Sanskrit : वसिष्ठ , lit. 'most excellent', IAST : Vasiṣṭha )
2666-564: The observed C-14 dating. There is an Ashram dedicated to Vasishtha in Guwahati , India . This Ashram is situated close to Assam - Meghalaya border to the south of Guwahati city and is a major tourist attraction of Guwahati. Vasishtha's Temple is situated in Vashisht village, Himachal Pradesh. Vashishtha Cave, a cave on the banks of Ganges at Shivpuri, 18 km from Rishikesh is also locally believed to be his winter abode and houses
2728-399: The one sacrificed, as was originally promised to Varuna, so young Sunashepa is 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, is blessed by Mitra and Varuna and Ambarisha's ceremony is completed. In another version of
2790-612: The power he achieved through it, Vishvamitra frightened the gods and even tried to create another heaven. Indra, frightened by Vishvamitra's powers, sent Menaka from heaven to earth to lure him and break his meditation. Menaka successfully incited Vishvamitra's lust and passion. She succeeded in breaking the meditation of Vishvamitra. However, she fell in genuine love with him and a girl was born to them who later grew in Sage Kanva's ashram and came to be called Shakuntala . Later, Shakuntala falls in love with King Dushyanta and gives birth to
2852-457: The practice of the mantra to include women and all castes and its recitation is now widespread. Vishvamitra had many children from different women. Madhuchhanda was also a composer of many hymns in the Rigveda. According to the Mahabharata , Sushruta , the father of plastic surgery, was one of his sons. Ashtaka, who was born from Madhavi , was successor to his kingdom. Shakuntala
2914-477: The rules of grammar in a way that it could be understood even by children. It may be that his full name was in fact Vararuci Kātyāyana. In texts like Kalika Purana , it is mentioned that he worshipped Mother Goddess to be born as his daughter hence she came to be known as Katyayani or the "daughter of Katyayan" who is worshipped on the sixth day of Navratri festival. According to the Vamana Purana once
2976-433: The sage would simply bless them. Initially, when Vishvamitra greeted Vashishta with the pride of being a new Brahmarishi in heart, Vashishta simply blessed him. Suddenly all pride and desire left Vishvamitra's heart and he became a clean and clear Brahmarishi. When Vishvamitra turned back to leave, Vashishta realised a change of heart and proceeded to greet Vishvamitra. Vishvamitra is also embraced by Vashista and their enmity
3038-464: The sky until he reached heaven, where he was pushed back down by Indra . Enraged even more by this, Vishvamitra commenced the creation of another universe (including another Brahma) for Trisanku. He had only completed the Universe when Brihaspati ordered him to stop. Trisanku, however, did not fully transcend through Trisanku Svarga created for him. He remained fixed and upside-down in the sky and
3100-450: The son is saved, without the knowledge of Vishvarath. This child grows young and he comes to sacrifice himself in the ceremony of Ambarisha (or King Harishchandra). In the Hindu epic Ramayana , Vishvamitra is the preceptor of Rama and his brother Lakshmana . Rama is prince of Ayodhya , and believed to be the seventh Avatar of god Vishnu . Vishvamitra gives them the knowledge of
3162-413: The story, Sunahshepa is lost son of Vishvamitra. When Vishvamitra was Prince of Bharats (Kaushik) - and his name was Vishwarath then, he was abducted by the enemy king Shambar. There, Shambar's daughter, Ugra, falls in love with Vishvarath. Ugra convinces Prince Vishvarath to marry her. Looking at the good character of Vishvarath, Shambar also agrees for the marriage. Soon after the marriage, the Bharatas win
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#17327729147823224-467: 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'. Historically, Viśvāmitra Gāthina was a Rigvedic rishi who was the chief author of Mandala 3 of
3286-405: The word-meaning relationship was not a result of human convention. For Kātyāyana, word-meaning relations were siddha , given to us, eternal. Though the object a word is referring to is non-eternal, the substance of its meaning, like a lump of gold used to make different ornaments, remains undistorted, and is therefore permanent. Realizing that each word represented a categorization, he came up with
3348-551: The word-universal as the superposition of two structures — the meaning-universal or the semantic structure ( artha-jāti ) is superposed on the sound-universal or the phonological structure ( śabda-jāti ). In the tradition of scholars like Pingala , Kātyāyana was also interested in mathematics. Here his text on the sulvasutras dealt with geometry , and extended the treatment of the Pythagorean theorem as first presented in 800 BCE by Baudhayana . Kātyāyana belonged to
3410-466: Was born from the damsel Menaka . She was the mother of Bharata , who became a powerful emperor as well as an ancestor of Kuru kings. Vishvamitra is one of the eight main gotras of Brahmins. All Brahmins belonging to Kaushika or Vishvamitra gotra are believed to have descended from Sage Vishvamitra. The distinction can be found from the respective pravaras, Kaushika is one of the pravara gotras of Vishvamitra gotra among Brahmins . The story of
3472-474: Was defeated by the power of Vasistha's penance and Kamadhenu's created soldiers and was somehow rescued by Vamadeva. He asked Vamadeva how Vasistha could defeat him all alone. Vamadeva told him this happened due to Vasistha's position as "Brahmarishi" due to his tapasya (penance). Kaushika then wanted to gain "Brahmarishi" like Vasistha. Doing penance guided by Vamadeva, King Kaushika eventually became Vishvamitra. Traditional In one encounter, Vishvamitra cursed
3534-433: Was exceedingly annoyed with Marut. And she did all this before the very eyes of Visvamitra who was endued with energy like that of fire. And Visvamitra saw her in that attitude. And beholding her divested of her robes, he saw that she was of faultless feature. And that best of Munis saw that she was exceedingly handsome, with no marks of age on her person. And beholding her beauty and accomplishments that bull amongst Rishis
3596-460: Was married to Arundhati, and therefore he was also called Arundhati Natha , meaning the husband of Arundhati. Later, this region is believed in the Indian tradition to be the abode of sage Vyasa along with Pandavas , the five brothers of Mahabharata . He is typically described in ancient and medieval Hindu texts as a sage with long flowing hairs that are neatly tied into a bun that is coiled with
3658-465: Was originally the King of Kanyakubja (modern day Kannauj ). He was a valiant warrior and the great-grandson of a great king named Kushik . Valmiki Ramayana , prose 51 of Bala Kanda, starts with the story of Vishvamitra: There was a king named Kusha (not to be confused with Kusha , son of Rama ), a mindson (manasputra) of Brahma and Kusha's son was the powerful and verily righteous Kushanabha. One who
3720-455: Was possessed with lust and made a sign that he desired her companionship. And he invited her accordingly, and she also of faultless features expressed her acceptance of the invitation. And they then passed a long time there in each other’s company. And sporting with each other, just as they pleased, for a long time as if it were only a single day, the Rishi begat on Menaka a daughter named Sakuntala. And Menaka (as her conception advanced) went to
3782-458: Was seen by Varuna and Mitra, Vasishtha reemerged from them. According to Agarwal, one story states that Vasishtha wanted to commit suicide by falling into river Sarasvati . But the river prevented this sacrilege by splitting into hundreds of shallow channels. This story, states Agarwal, may have very ancient roots, where "the early man observed the braiding process of the Satluj" and because such
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#17327729147823844-605: Was transformed into a constellation , which is now known as Crux . In the process of forming a new universe, Vishvamitra used up all the tapas he had gained from his austerities. Therefore, after the Trisanku episode, Vishvamitra had to start his prayers again to attain the status of a Brahmarshi and become an equal of Vashista. While undertaking a penance, Kaushika helps a boy named Shunashepa who has been sold by his parents to be sacrificed at Harishchandra 's yagna to please Varuna . The king's son Rohit does not want to be
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