Vishvamitra

RISHAYAH
THE SEERS OF ANCIENT INDIA

It is said that Bharata is what she is because of the Rishis. Therefore, the culture of India is often referred to as the culture of the Rishis. The Rishi tradition in India seems to be a stream perennially flowing to enrich the mind and imagination of her common people. Sri Aurobindo says that a Rishi “sees or discovers an inner truth and puts it into self-effective language - the Mantra.”
This year we have twelve articles in this section devoted to the tradition of these seers with a special emphasis on some individual Rishis.

Vishvamitra

Vishvamitra is one of the most venerated Rishis of ancient India. All that he contributed has pervaded the collective consciousness of the people of India. He was a veritable ocean of knowledge, power and tapas or austerity. One can find in him the highest point of spiritual realization. As a seer, he has given to the world many sacred mantras. He was the seer of all the hymns of the third book of the Rig Veda, which includes the famous Gayatri Mantra. He had such a powerful personality that he became a prominent figure in hundreds of stories recounted in different ancient Indian scriptures.

Vishvamitra was the son of King Gadhi. It is said that once King Vishvamitra and his soldiers took rest in the ashram of Sage Vasishtha, who in turn took good care of them. Vishvamitra was intrigued by his generosity, given that he was a mere sage with few material possessions. By and by he discovered the answer which lay in a cow called Nandini, who took care of all that was needed. Greed and jealousy overtook him and Vishvamitra began to devise ways of possessing the miraculous cow. He expressed a desire to the sage for obtaining Nandini; Vashishtha was polite, but emphatic in his refusal. Not surprisingly, Vishvamitra became exceedingly angry, insulting Vashishtha with harsh words, and even ordering his soldiers to seize the cow, and drive it to his kingdom. By his yogic powers, the great Sage Vashishtha, summoned an entire army of fierce warriors who fought Vishvamitra and his army. The King, although a brave and skilled warrior, was eventually defeated and captured; however, Vashishtha sent him back to his kingdom with a word of advice.

There are two other important episodes associated with the life of Vishvamitra: the story of Shunashepa and the story of creating a new heaven for Trishanku.

King Harishchandra had promised Varuna, the Lord of the Ocean, to sacrifice his son Rohita in the yajna or the oblation performed for him. But when the actual time came, he went back on his word for he did not want to give up his son. Instead, a boy named Shunashepa was sold by his parents to be sacrificed in the yajna. A devastated and terrified Shunashepa fell at the feet of Sage Vishvamitra and begged for his help. Vishawmitra taught him a few secret mantras. At the ceremony, the boy uttered the mantras and was not only unharmed but also blessed by Varuna.

In another story, a proud King Trishanku asked his guru, Vashishta, to send him to heaven in his own body. But the guru refused saying that one cannot attain heaven with this physical body. King Trishanku then approached Vashishta's seven sons for the same. They cursed him to be a chandala, or untouchable, and he was driven out of the kingdom. It was then that he came across the Sage Vishvamitra, who agreed to help him. Vishvamitra organized a great sacrifice and ritual propitiating the gods, pleading that they accept Trishanku in heaven. Not one Deva responded. Angered, Vishvamitra used his yogic powers and ordered Trishanku to rise to heaven. Miraculously, Trishanku rose into the sky until he reached heaven, but was pushed down by Lord Indra. The powerful and enraged Vishvamitra then commenced the creation of another heaven for Trishanku. He had only just completed the heaven when Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods, ordered him to stop. Alas, Trishanku remained fixed in the sky and was transformed into a constellation. In the process of forming a new universe, Vishvamitra used up all the spiritual force he had gained from his austerities.

All these episodes prove Vishvamitra to be an arrogant, egoistic and childish personage. But he had a strong aspiration to realize the Brahman. He realised that the power obtained by tapasya is far greater than mere physical might and arrogant will-power. He went on to begin his quest to become one with the Supreme. And because of his intense tapasya, he rose to such a state that later he came to be known as a Brahamarshi, the one with full realization of the Supreme Brahman. He received thousands of mantras while in a state of deep meditation. A proper analysis of these Mantras reveals the true vision and creativity of Vishvamitra.

Thus we see in Vishvamitra, a rare personality having a very strong will-power and intense aspiration for rising high above the mortal existence. Vishvamitra is not only immortal but eternal, and as “a Friend of All”, he has been a great inspiration to the spiritual world for ages.