How many rishis

Jamadagni had several children with wife Renuka, the youngest of whom was Parashurama, an Avatara of Lord Vishnu.

Execution of Renuka Renuka was such very devoted wife and the power of her chastity was manifest. Such was this power, that she used to fetch water from the river in a pot made of unbaked clay every day. The pot would hold together because of her devotion to her husband. One day, when she was at the river, a handsome Gandharva happened to be passing by in the sky, in his chariot.

Smitten with desire for this handsome youth, for merely an instant, the damage to her powers was done. The unbaked pot that she was carrying, dissolved into the river. She was no longer chaste of mind. Afraid to go back to her husband, she waited at the river bank. Meanwhile Jamadagni, who was waiting for fresh water to begin his morning sacrifices, noticed that his wife had not yet returned from the river. By his yogic powers, he divined all that had taken place.

Exceedingly angry with his wife, he called his eldest son, told him what had happened and asked him to execute his mother. Horror-stricken, his son refused to perform this deed. He then asked all of his sons, in the order of their seniority, to execute their mother. While all the elder sons refused and so Sage Jamadagni turned them to stone , only his youngest son, Parashurama, ever-obedient and righteous, at once beheaded his mother with his axe.

Jamadagni, pleased, offered to grant two boons to Parashurama, who at once asked that his mother be restored to life and his brothers to be unturned from stone and accepted into the family again.

Impressed by his son's devotion and affection for his family, Jamadagni granted this boon and many others. Jamadagni was later killed by a Kshatriya king Kartavirya Arjuna, over a dispute over a divine calf named kamadhenu. Kanva Gothra. Kanva is a renowned rishi, author of several hymns of the Rigveda, called a son of Ghora and one of the Angirasas. The Kanvas are the descendants of Kanva. Kanva is also the name of a founder of a Vedic shakha, of several princes and founders of dynasties and several authors.

The Kanvas are also a class of evil spirits, against whom hymn 2. Sahunthala daughter of Viswamithra and Menaka was brought up by sage Kanva. The child born to Shakunthala is Bharat from whom our country got the name so. 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 undestroyed, and is therefore permanent.

This view may have been the nucleus of the Sphora doctrine enunciated by Bhartu hari in the 5th c. Here his text on the sulvasutras dealt with geometry, and extended the treatment of the Pythagorean theorem as first presented in BC by Baudhayana.

Kasyapa gothra 2. Vamadeva gothra 3. Pulasthia Gothra 4. Pulaha gothra 5. Atreya Gothra Section VI 1. Kutsa gothram 2. Shounaka gothram 3. Parasara gothram Section VII 1. Srivatsa Gothra 2. Vatsa Gothram 3. Kausika Gothram 4. Lohita Gothra, 2. Kapila Gotra, 3. Dathaathreya gothra, 4. Galava gothra, 5. Mathanga Gothra, 6. Surya Datta gothra, 7. Mithrasu Gothra, 8. Kausala gothram, 9.

Charora Gotra, Vishnu Gothra. Section V 1. Angirasa gothra 6. Athreya Gothra 1. Not much known details are detailed while known details are just mentioned. Kashyapa a Vedic sage to whom some hymns of Rigveda are attributed. All authorities agree in assigning to him a large part in the work of creation. Kashyapa was the son of Mareechi. Daksha Prajapati married his thirteen daughters with sage Kashyapa. All these women gave birth to so many children that the whole creation was filled up with their progenies and off springs.

Aditi was the mother of all the Devatas and the twelve Aaditya suns. Diti gave birth to the 'Daitya' demons , Danu was the mother of the 'Danavas' demons , 'Kala' and 'Danayu' also gave birth to the Danavas demons 'Sinhika' gave birth to lions and tigers, 'Krodha' was the mother of the demons who had great anger, 'Vinata' gave birth to 'Garuda', 'Arun' etc. Kadru was the mother of snakes and cobras and 'Manu' was the mother of all human beings.

Hence, it becomes quite clear that all the species which exist in this world originate from the same ancestor and hence all of us are like brothers and sisters.

We are the offspring of Maharshi Kashyapa and so are the trees, the animals, the birds etc. Out of these 13 women, Aditi was the senior most loving wife of the sage Kashyapa. She was the mother of all the deities including 'Indra'. Even Lord Vishnu incarnated as Vamana in this family. According to the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas, he was the son of Marichi, the son of Brahma, and he was father of Vivaswat, the father of Manu, the progenitor of mankind, the above is confirmed.

That which he created he made akarot ; hence the word koorma tortoise. The Mahabharata and later authorities agree in representing that Kasyapa married Aditi and twelve other daughters of Daksha.

He was thus the father of all, and as such is sometimes called Prajapati. He is one of the seven great Rishis, and he appears as the priest of Parasurama and Ramachandra. So marrying the daughters of Daksha sage Kashyapa happen to be the co- brother of Lord Siva who married Sati another daughter of Daksha, and also of moon god who married 27 daughters of Daksha from Aswathi to Revathi.

Suddenly a divine child appeared before him who was of red complexion and who had put on red apparels. He was none other than Lord Vaamdev. Lord Brahma immediately realized the divinity of that child and was convinced that he was the embodiment of Almighty God. Lord Brahma eulogized Vaamdev who was pleased by his devotions. All of them had great resemblance to Lord Vaamdev. Vaamdev preached them on the finer points of religiousness so that mankind could be benefited by this knowledge.

Pulasthia and Pulaha Gothrams Note- I have combined these two sages because many datas received pertains both. King Bharata and Pulaha The life of King Bharata depicted in Purana highlights the truth that attachment can distract even a man of renunciation. Born in the lineage of mighty emperors, Bharata ruled the kingdom he inherited with a sense of duty and devotion. He was not only a just king loved by his subjects but was also spiritually inclined, as his father Rshabhadeva was a manifestation of the Lord Himself.

Bharata performed many sacrifices and his devotion to God grew day by day. He retired to the hermitage of Sage Pulaha on the bank of the Gandaki river Salagramakshetra in Nepal after dividing the kingdom between his sons, to devote his life to worshipping God.

As he sat meditating one day, he was disturbed to see a pregnant deer in distress chased by a lion and it succumbed to the exhaustion of premature delivery. Moved at the sight of the helpless young one without its mother he took it to his hermitage and lavished his care on it to the extent that he became intensely attached to it.

Such a man of detachment who had gained total control of his senses and mind after renouncing a kingdom voluntarily, now doted on a deer whose welfare and pranks occupied his entire attention that he was reborn as a deer in his next birth.

Pulasthia and Mangalya sthavam Mangalya sthavam' is a prayer addressed to several avatharas of Lord Vishnu, occurring in the forty third chapter of the Vishnu Dharmotharam Ithihasam. It is a conversation between Sage Pulasthya and his disciple sage Dhaulabhya. On being asked by Dhaulabhya, about the most suitable prayer to drive away bad dreams and for being able to complete all jobs in a proper fashion, sage Pulasthya tells him that only a prayer to Lord Vishnu would help him achieve that, and he also teaches the prayer to him.

The prayer is for increasing 'mangalyam' Mamasthu mangalya vivrudhaye by seeking Lord Vishnu's blessings,to protect oneself from all evils and sins The result is that any work started with a prayer for Mangalya- vriddhi, as in Mangalya sthavam is completed without any problem. The Phala-sruthi of this sthothra says that on reciting this at the beginning of any action, the sins that hinder that action are removed. The action can be fulfilled without hindrances and one will also be blessed with all types of wealth.

Do achamana and start the Vedic rituals. Preeti, wife of Sage Pulastya had two sons named Dattarnavr and Dahvahu. She also had a daughter named Dwashdwati. Kratu's wife-Sannati had six thousand offspring who became famous as Baalkhilyas.

Angirasa Gothra Sage Angirasa appear in addition pravara of many gothras. He is one of the Projenitors of humankind He is also mentioned in the other three Vedas. Brahmas mind born daughter is Satrupa. Her daughter is Prasuti. Sage Brihaspati was his son. Other accounts say that he married smrithy, the daughter of Daksha. In the Rigveda, Indra drives out cows from where they had been imprisoned by either a demon Vala or multiple demons the Panis and gifts them to the Angirasas RV 3.

Mandala 6 of the Rigveda is attributed to a family of Angirasas. Lord Buddha is said to be a descendant of Sage Angirasa in many Buddhist texts. Many verses in the Vedas are attributed to Sage Angirasa.

Atharva veda and Angirasa He along with sage Atharvan are said to have composed most of the Atharvana Veda. Some descendents of Sage Angirasa are said to be Kshatriya by birth and Brahmins by calling.

This is so because the Sage helped a childless King to beget children. Atharva Veda : Atharva Veda has mantras, those are to be used for various special purposes.

The Atharva Veda Samhitaa has two parts. Because of these two major sections, this Veda is also called Atharva angirasa, and in short Atharva Veda. A householder by the name Saunaka carries his firewood and reaches the forest where Sage Angirasa is. The Para and the Apara Vidya. As the Apara Vidya 'objects', and Para Vidya 'object' requires an entirely different approach Shaunaka inspite of his best efforts could not get the desired fruit of omniscience was that he was unknowingly pursuing Apara Vidya but with the wish to get the fruits of Para Vidya, and thus the frustration.

Sage Angirasa goes on to explain the two different kinds of knowledge on this Earth. The lower knowledge he states are the sciences, hymns, rituals, grammar, poetry astrology etc. The higher knowledge is that which leads a man to that which never dies. The Indestructible. They look alike. The lower bird is tasting the fruits of the tree and some are sweet and others are sour.

The higher bird is just watching the lower bird. One day the lower bird is tired of everything and starts to weep. The lower bird sees the higher bird which is calm, unattached and at peace. The lower bird hops towards the higher one. It suddenly realizes that the upper bird is also just himself, his true Self. Knowing this his grief disappears. He realises that the Ego was not real, the Self was real, the observer of all. Sadamarshna Gothram A few words more about Shatamarshana Gothram.

Shatamarshana gothris are called Sreshtars or Sottai Kulam people in Tamil. Many vaishanvites belong to this gothram. We have already seen the lineage of Angiras. Ankiras - Shatamarshana Penance in the middle of Five fires at Haridhwar and got the boon that the Sata Vayu will not affect him.

Tras is made up of 3 Kinds of fear. Since these three kinds of fear ran away fro him out of fear for his Power derived from penance, He is called Trasa Dhasyu. Athreya Gothram 3. Atreya is a descendent of Sage Atri one of the saptharshies. We have already read about Atri Gothra. The lineage for Atreya Gothram is. He had done many yagnas and was able to go to any place as he liked. One day in course of his wanderings he came to the court of Indra which fascinated him by its beauty and festivities.

He thought that no other place could be more pleasant and he wanted it with all his heart. His modest hut could not please him any more. Does it taste good? If you do not do as I tell I shall reduce you to ashes by curse. Kill Indra! The muni was happily reclining on his bed.

But when he heard the shouts of the demons he became mortally afraid. Within minutes using all kinds of weapons the demons reduced the place to a heap of rubbles. The muni himself did not escape some minor injuries. Why are you so angry with me? I must have lost my head and did these foolish things. I shall never do it again. However, before he left Viswakarma enjoyed a hearty laugh at the predicament of the muni.

Section VI 1. Parasara gothram. Each Rishi has their own speciality, Maharishi Kutsa stands for sweetness. It is said that of the 82 suktas in the Rudram, about 65 are the outpourings of Maharishi Kutsa. It is said that water is a purifier.

The water gets the ability to purify anything that it touches. This power is rested upon water through the Prokshana Mantram. A1 Meaning of Kutsa Kutsa is indeed a very strange name. The word Kutsa means in Sanskrit fault-finding One who engages in scolding or belittling others. How could such a name attach to one who was a great Mantra DrishTaa in his own right besides being in the lineage of the renowned Maharishi Aangirasa? It might mean that perhaps he was very exasperated with the vagaries of the world and was vocally expressing his displeasure to the annoyance of those who were annoyed with him for his stentorian disciplining.

And, therefore, this name got stuck to him. A2 Kutsa and Anpil temple It is, however, seen that even this great Rishi who was so strict in his own observances, once made a mistake in pronouncing a Veda mantram and, therefore, was cursed to become a frog in the well. When he atoned for his lapse, Veda Purusha told him that even while being a frog, he would remember his previous birth and will be relieved of the curse if he did penance in a PushkaraNi Holy waters and prayed to Soundararaja PerumaaL in Vaalmiki kshEtram for 48 days.

This he did and was cured of his curse and regained his former self. The Mantra drishTa of the fourth Vyaahriti Suvah. Is none other than this Kutsa Rishi.

The Veda Vakhya in Taittriya Samhita 2. Kutsa mistaken for Indra by Indrani herself Rig Veda 4. She had to ascertain from the horses mouth of Indra himself! It would appear that at the request of Kutsa who was the son of one Rajarishi called Ruru, Indra helped in decimating Rurus enemies and invited Kutsa to Indraloka to celebrate the victory.

It was then that the above incident happened. There is a Sooktam in Rik Veda 1. Though Kutsa discovered this Sooktam, he took pride in calling it in conjunction with his Achaarya, Aaangirasa as Kutsa: Aangeerasa: A5 Kalidasa and Kutsa Kaalidaasa commences the 5th Sargam of his Raghuvamsa with an invocation to Kutsa. He is claimed as the teacher of Katyayana and especially of Ashvalayana, and is said to have united the Bashkala and Shakala Shakhas of the Rigveda.

Sounaka, who learned all the PuraaNas from the renowned Sootha PouraaNikar and publicized them to the world. Name of Kutsa is found mentioned in the Vedas in about 40 to 50 contexts shows how the greatness of this Rishi is recognized in the Vedas.

Modern scholars believe that there were many individuals who used this name throughout time. Vyasa had Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura through his dead brother's wives. His father, Shakti-muni, was on a journey and came across an angry Rakshasa demon who had once been a king but was turned into a demon feeding on human flesh as a curse from Vishwamitra.

Speaker of Vishnu Purana considered by scholars as one of the earliest Puranas. It is considered a foundational text of astrology. This text was considered to be an ancient botany primer for students of Traditional Indian Medicine.

Mahamuni parasara, Husband of Satyavati and the father of Vyasadeva. Maitreya was Mahamuni Parasara's diciple, so Vyasa and Maitreya were very close friends. He was spiritual master of Maharaja Janaka and a great devotee of Lord Siva. He is the author of many Vedic scriptures and sociological directions. We may be recollecting the verse-Parasaratmaka m vanthaee sukathathum thaponidhim in Vishnu sahasranam. Parasaramasmrithi- some interesting points He also manifested to the people living in the Kali Yuga his blessings in the scripture called Parasar Smriti.

Smriti created by sage Parashar and known by his name as 'Parashar Smriti is the most benevolent for the modern Kali Yuga. But in Kali Yuga, it is Parashar Smriti that by and large shows the way to the ignorant people. Sage Parashar was the father of Vedvyasa. In the first chapter of this great treatise, Maharshi Vedvyasa requests his father to create such an ideologically and morally sufficient discipline that will help the people in Kali Yuga to overcome their woes.

Hence, kindly outline some ordinary religious norms so that all the four classes could run their lives in a religious way. Sage Parashar too was fully aware of the attenuation that religion would suffer in future on the basis of his deep knowledge, that great sage contemplated on the problems which he thought would imminently afflict the religion in Kali Yuga.

Change is the only thing that remains constant in nature. Religion is also no exception to this rule. In twelve chapters, Parashar Smriti preaches its whole moral discourses.

Conduct and expiation are the main subjects of contemplation here. How to treat a Beggar appearing while sraadha is performed If a beggar arrives when a Brahmin household is offering sacrifices for the solace of his deceased ancestors, the Brahmin must divide the cereals in two parts and should reserve one to make offerings and donate the other as alms to the beggar.

But, a crime committed against a beggar at such a moment is never done away with by the offering of sacrifices to the dead ancestors. During this ritual, a Brahmin should make offerings to the sacred fire. Then, he should use the remaining cereals to offer to the dead ancestors and also to the animals and birds. If a Brahmin does not perform this ritual, he is bound to suffer severe torments in hell and take reincarnation as a crow.

Then he should take it as a pious giving of God. While dining, a Brahmin should not cover his head, should not face the south and should not put his hand on the left leg. These are all deeds characteristic of demons. After her monthly periods, a woman must crave for intercourse only in the company of her husband. Sage Parashar asserts that, killing an unborn child is more severe sin than killing a Brahmin.

A sweet relation between the spouses is the key to a successful social life. Hence, they should help each other with dedication at the times of emergency. Husband should also respect his wife and behave accordingly even if she is a disabled person. Sage Parashar, it seems, had known that it would be a characterizing feature of Kali Yuga. Those Brahmins, who have illegal carnal relations with the women of low caste must observe a fast for three days and three nights continuously.

Then, he must get shaven of his head hair including the normal tuft of hair left otherwise. And ultimately, he should observe to Prajapatya Vrata. Taking a proper bath, ill effects of a nightmare are removed. On request for redemption, these six boys were ordered to pray to Lord Subrahmanya. When they got his darsan, they could get redemption.

It was also made known to them that Lord Subrahmanya would come to Tirupparankunram after vanquishing the demon Surapadma. Anxiously they waited for the arrival of Subrahmanya. When the mission of Subrahmanya to vanquish Surapadma was over at Tiruchendur, on his way, he came to this spot followed by all the devas and heavenly beings whom he had released from the untold miseries caused by Surapadma.

On his arrival at Tirupparankunram, the sons of Parasara received Subrahmanya and, at their request, he consented to stay there. He at once ordered Viswakarma to construct a beautiful abode for himself, for the devas and for others. He also suggested to the heavenly architect to build roads and erect a city around them.

He had his leg wounded during the attack of his ashram. Section VII 1. In Dwadasa gothrams the following additional gothras, apart from Dasa gothrams are told. We have already covered from the list of 48 gothras 32 already. The remaining are 16 including the not covered itemsfrom the dasa gothras and dwadasa gothras.

The not covered Gothras from the list of dasa gothras and dwadasa gothras are the following:- a. Sri vatsa and b. Kousika Gothram d..

Naidrupa kasyapa gothram. In this section 7, these gothras are covered. Including me too. In fact I started the write up trying to know about sage Srivatsa. I could get very few references about sage Srivatsa. The Vedas reiterate the supremacy of Lord Narayana who protects the entire creation. The names and adjectives used to refer and describe Him further corroborate His omnipotent nature.

Once when the sages were discussing among themselves as to who was the protector of the entire manifestation, it was Sage Srivatsa who pointed out that it was Lord Narayana who sustained the entire creation and related the instance of His incarnation as Varaha boar to protect Mother Earth.

The lineage for Srivatsa Gothra is from sage Brighu and Valmiki. The pravara has 5 rishies Bhargava, chyavana, aplavana, aurva, Jamadagniya. We have covered Bhargava gothram and Jamadagni gothram too. They are bhArgavas, descendents of bhRiigu, just like gAlava who is also a branch of the bhArgava clan. Incidentally, he is the principal figure and Guru in the ancient Javanese text, Agastyaparva.

Birth and Life The origins of Rishi Agastya are mythical. He has no human parent and his birth is the result of a yagna, which was performed by Varuna, the Rain God, and Mitra. The Apsara Urvashi appeared in the same yagna. When she emanated from the yagnakunda, her extreme beauty and sexuality excited them and made them ejaculate. Their semen fell into the mud pitcher, which became the womb in which the fetus of Agastya developed and grew. He was finally born from this jar, along with his twin sage Vasishtha.

This type of birth gave him the name, "Kumbhayoni". Urvashi Reprint of Ravi Varma Painting. Matsya Purana Book. Brahma Temple Mural Reprint. Lakshmi and Vishnu Brass Statue. Unlike him, they shunned pleasure. So, he sent beautiful damsels and musicians to tempt them, give up their restrained lives, and submit to a world of indulgences. Significantly, the word tapasvi means fire-churner and their arch-enemies, the divine damsels were called asparas or fire-maidens, indicating their rivalry.

Manusmriti refers to two types of sanyasis. The first type are those who, after education, decide to remain focused on the educational path. They do not become householders. The second type are those who become sanyasis after producing and raising children. Thus, in the Bhagavad Puran, there are references to Suka who refuses to look at women and forever remains innocent like a child. We also have a reference to Kardama Rishi, who produces a child called Kapila, and then becomes a sanyasi.

Around the 10th century, a new type of ascetic emerged in India: the Nath Jogi. These are tantric ascetics, also known as siddhas. They withdraw from the world. This withdrawal makes them potent and powerful, giving them magical powers. They can fly through the air and change shape and size.

No damsel can seduce them. In fact, they overpower even the yoginis who gain power from sexual intercourse. They are linked in many ways to Hanuman who also gets his superhuman abilities through celibacy and the practice of asceticism. Nath Jogis are very different from monks, who focused on detachment and equanimity. Their fame came from their magical powers. Nath jogis were imagined riding around on tigers and lions. He performed meditation and austerities Tapasya for tens of thousands of years, and as a result, he was awarded the rank of Brahmarishi from Bramha himself.

Brahmarishis are so powerful that they can defeat every weapon on earth, can forecast the future, and are not influenced by the circle of life and death. Saptarishis are greater even than the devtas in power, and diety are the highest in rank over Devatas and other classifications of Rishis such as Rajarishi and Maharishi.

Their third eye is completely open, and their intuition is used to its fullest capacity. Their attention and focus encompass the entire universe, yet they can still maintain incredibly precise detail in actions and thoughts.

It refers to one who is a king or a prince as well as a sage. A Rajarishi can leave the kingship and become a Rishi such as Vishwamitra. The Saptarshi of the current Manvantara, according to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, are listed below in this article. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is one of the earliest Upanishadic Hindu scriptures. He is one of the greatest sages in Vedic times and also a descendant of sage Angirasa.

His father is Devarsi Brihaspati. Sage Bharadwaja is the Author of Ayurveda. He is the father of Guru Dronacharya, and his ashrama still exists in Allahabad. He was also a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras.

His wife is Suseela, with whom he had a daughter named Devavarnini and son Garga. According to some of the Puranas, Bharadvaja was found on the banks of river Ganga and adopted by king Bharata. He had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of Vedas and, in addition, meditated for Indra, Lord Shiva, and Parvathi for more Vedic Knowledge. Rishi Vishwamitra is one of the most well-known Sapatarishi and the great sages who discovered the Gayatri Mantra , found in the Vedas.

However, Vishvamitra rose to the position of a Brahmarishi through his own merit alone. His epic tussle with Vasistha for the position of the greatest sage of all time makes a very interesting story. He was not a Brahmana by birth but a Kshatriya warrior.