Hindu Philosophy and Dharma -4

Asrama Dharma Under Modern Conditions

At the present moment, the Asramas cannot be exactly lived according to the details of the ancient rules, as the conditions have changed very much; but, they may be revived in their spirit, to the great improvement of modern life. In these stages, no one should do the duty of another. The student or Brahmachari should not do the duties of a householder, a recluse or a Sannyasin. The householder must not perform the duties of a Brahmacharin, Vanaprastha or a Sannyasin. A Sannyasin should not seek again the joys of the householder.

Peace and order will prevail in society, only if and when all people do their respective duties efficiently. The abolition of Varnas and Asramas will cut at the very root of social duties. How can the nation hope to live when Varnasrama Dharma is not rigidly practised?

The students of schools, and colleges should lead a life of purity and simple living. The householder should lead the life of an ideal Grihastha. He should practise self-restraint, mercy, tolerance, non-injury, truthfulness and moderation in everything. Those who find it difficult to lead the life of the third and the fourth Asramas should, remaining in either of the other two Asramas, gradually withdraw themselves from worldly life and practise selfless service, study and meditation.

The Highest State

Varnasrama pertains to body alone, but not to the pure, all-pervading, immortal soul or Atman. Attain Knowledge of the Self and become an Ativarnasrami like Lord Dattatreya. Hear what he says:—

Mahadadi jagat sarvam
Na kinchit pratibhati me
Brahmaiva kevalam sarvam
Katham varnasramasthitih

“The whole world, from Mahat downwards, does not shine in Me. Everything is Brahman only. Where then is Varnasrama?”

May you all have comprehensive understanding of Varnasrama Dharma! May you all develop universal love and brotherhood! May all barriers which are made by man for his own self-aggrandisement and self-assertion and which create discord and disunion, be broken asunder!

Yuga Dharma

In Satya-Yuga or the golden age there was a different set of Dharmas or laws; in Treta, they changed into another form; in Dvapara, the Dharmas were different from the Dharmas of other Yugas; and in Kali-Yuga, they assumed still another form. The Dharma changes according to the changes of the cycles. Man is undergoing change. His nature gets transformed through experiences. Hence, his external form of Dharmas also should change.

That which is achieved through contemplation in Satya Yuga, through sacrifices in Treta Yuga, and through the worship of Lord Hari in Dvapara Yuga, may be attained through Kirtana or loud chanting of Lord Vishnu’s Name in Kali Yuga or Iron age.

In the Satya Yuga, the mind of men was generally pure. They had no distraction of the mind. There were neither cinemas, nor hotels, nor dancing halls and similar other distractions. Hence, meditation was easy and natural for them. That is the reason why contemplation has been prescribed for men of Satya Yuga. In the Treta Yuga, materials for the performance of Yajnas or sacrifices were easily available. The people had active tendencies. Therefore it was easy for them to perform Agnihotra, Jyotistoma, Darsa-Paurnimas and other Yajnas. That is the reason why Yajna has been described as the external form of Sanatana Dharma in that age. In the Dvapara Yuga, there was the manifestation of Avataras and men could easily have direct worship of God. Hence, worship was prescribed as the principal form of Sadhana in that age. In the Kali Yuga, there are many distractions for the mind. People lack in Brahmacharya, strength of will and power of enquiry or rational investigation. It is very difficult to procure materials for the performance of sacrifices. Therefore, Hari Kirtana or loud chanting of the Divine Name and selfless service of humanity have been recommended as the principal forms of Sadhana.

Rishis

Siddha Agastyar

Agastyar, the patron saint of southern Indian's Tamil Nadu, has become a figure of mythology. He is surrounded by various legends of several ages. References to him are  found in the literature of both the Dravidian Tamil land and also in the Rig Vedic culture of northern India. In the Rig Veda, Agastyar is referred to as one of the seven great Rishis of the Vedic period. Several Vedic hymns are ascribed to him.
According to Vedic legends, once upon a time both Mitra, the god of Love and Harmony, and Varuna, the god of the seas, had a contest for the love of a heavenly damsel Urvasi. They could do no more than deposit their fertile seed: Mitra in a pot and Varuna in the sea. In time, Agastyar was born from the pot, and Vasistha, one of the reputed seven great Rishis, started his life from the sea. Agastyar, being from this divine parentage, became known also as "MaitraVaruni" and "Ourvasiya". He is known in Sanskrit as Kalasaja, Kalasisuta, Kumbhayoni, Kumbhasambhava, Kumbamuni and Ghatodbhava denoting his origin from the seed of Mitra. (Pillal, 1979, p. 254)
The correct interpretation of such legends is still being awaited. There are many indications that Agastyar existed as a real historical person. He had a wife, Lopamudrai by name, as well as a sister and a son, Sagaren. His wife demonstrated affection for him. He is renowned for combining domesticity with a life of austerity.

Agastyar ' s ashrams
Tamil tradition holds that at the time of Shiva's marriage to Parvati on Mt. Kailas, the assemblage of gods and goddesses was so great that the equilibrium of the planet was disturbed. To restore a balance, Lord Shiva asked Agastyar to travel from Mt. Kailash to southern India. Geographically, Agastyar's exodus to southern India divides itself into three distinct stages. The earliest finds him lodged in the Agastyasrama, a few miles north of Nasik, the ancient Panchavati, on the northern borders of the Dandakaranya Forest. His marriage to Lopamudrai, the daughter of the Vidarbha King, and Rama's first interview with him take place here. (Piuai, 1979, p. 254-57)
In the epic work entitled Ramayana, Rama tells his brother Lakshaman, as they are on their way to Agastyar's forest ashram, how Agastyar saved the world from a deadly serpent. He also narrated the story of the death of Vatapi in a manner which differs from that of the Mahabharata, though the deviations are of no significance. What is remarkable is the idea that the " Dandakaranya" region was first made fit for human occupation by the success of Agastyar against the asuras (demons). Agastyar's conflict with the asuras and rakshasas (hostile powers of the vital plane) is also hinted at elsewhere in the Ramayana. For instance, the sage Visvamitra explains to Rama the reason for Tataka's attacks on the Aryan settlers. Agastyar had destroyed Tataka's husband Sunda, and was consequently attacked by Tataka and her son Maricha. Agastyar cursed them both, turning Maricha into a rakshasa and his mother into an ugly ogress. From that time, to the moment when Rama did away with her, she kept up a war of revenge. (Pillai, 1979, p. 255)
Agastyar is now one of the most famous of holy men in India. He is considered to be a great sage and ascetic yogi and the oldest teacher of ancient times. Though less than five feet tall. he was a fighter, a famous hunter and an archer, who triumphed over barbarous enemies, and whom like Hercules, of ancient Greece, none could approach in eating and drinking.

The second stage of Agastyar's pilgrimage to the South begins with his residence at Malakuta, three miles east of Badami (the ancient vatapipura) otherwise known as Dakshinakasi, in the Kaladgi District of the Mumbai Presidency. This now residence is about three hundred miles south from his Nasik ashram. During this second stage he ate Vatapi and destroyed llvala (also known as Vilvala) as described above.
During the third stage, there are many stories about him at Pothigai, known also as the Pothigai Hills, one of the southern most promontories of the Western Ghats, in the Pandya country. During his residence in the very center of Tamil Nadu, he is credited with having founded the first Tamil Academy or Sangam, and having presided over it, besides writing an extensive Tamil Grammar and many other works on medicine, pharmacy, alchemy, botany, yoga, moral and natural philosophy, the education of youth, religious rites and ceremonies, exorcism, prayer, mysticism and even magic.
According to tradition, in two more stages of migration, he crosses the seas to the Indonesian Islands. Here he is said to have visited Barhinadvipa (Borneo), Kusa Dvipa, and Varaha Dvipa. Here too he appears to have taken up his abode in the Maha Malaya Hill in Malaya Dvipa (now known as Malaysia). In the fifth stage he crosses over to the mainland and enters Siam (Thailand) and Cambodia. It was here, near the end of his journey eastwards, that he was obliged to marry a local beauty, Yasomati by name, and leave by her a royal progeny among whom King Yasovarma was an outstanding personage. (Pillai, 1979, p. 256-257, 262)
The most famous ashram site, in the Tinnevely district near the Courtrallam waterfalls in the Pothigai mountains of southern Tamil Nadu, is where he is reported to be living to this day. Babaji was initiated into Kriya Kundalini Pranayama here by Agastyar.

In the epic Mahabharata, the story of Agastyar is more fully developed, and Agastyar's connection with southern India comes into prominence. His marriage with Lopamudrai, a princess of Vidarbha, is mentioned. The princess had demanded that to claim the exercise of marital rights, Agastyar would have to provide her with the costly jewelry and luxuries she was used to in her father's house, without in any manner jeopardizing his ascetism. Agastyar could only meet his wife's wish by seeking a large gift of wealth. lie approached three Aryan kings one after another, but in vain. They all went to Ilvala, the "daitya" (demon) king of Manimati. Ilvala was no friend of the Brahmins because one of them had refused to grant him a son equal to Indra. His vengeance took a bizarre form. He would transform his younger brother Vatapi into a male goat and offer his brothers flesh to the Brahmins as food. After doing so he would suddenly recall Vatapi back to life, who would rip open the flanks of the Brahmins as he emerged laughing. In this manner the two brothers killed many Brahmins and, on the occasion of the visit of Agastyar and the three kings, Ilvala tried to play the same game. He prepared the flesh of Vatapi to entertain them. The kings became unhappy. Agastyar ate it all, and when Ilvala called for Vatapi to come back, only air came out of Agastyar's stomach, because Vatapi had been digested. Then Ilvala, becoming unhappy, promised to give wealth to Agastyar if the latter could tell him what he intended to give. Agastyar was able to predict Ilvala's intention. The kings and Agastyar returned with the wealth they needed. Vatapi is the name of the well known fortified city in the western Deccan which was the capital of the early Chalukyas. This city is now called Badami. This story may be understood to mark the beginning of Agastyar's connection with southern India. (Pillai, 1979, pg. 255)
The Mahabharata also records the story of Agastyar drinking up the waters of the ocean to enable the gods (devas) to dispose of their enemies who were hiding under the sea; and of his journey to southern India on some unspecified business when he prevailed upon the Vindhya mountains to stop growing until he returned, which however, he never did. The pact with the Vindya mountains and the drinking of the waters of the ocean have been generally accepted as allegorical representations of the spread of Aryan culture first to India south of the Vindhyas, and then across the seas to the islands of the archipelago and to Indo-China. It is supported by other accounts of the life of Agastyar.


Agastyar and the Tamil language and grammar
Traditionally Agastyar is considered as the father of the Tamil language and grammar, and the royal chaplain (kulaguru) of the divine line of Pandiyan rulers. These rulers were the descendants of Shiva and Parvati who condescended to become the first king and queen of this celebrated line. Kulasekhara Pandiyan founded the Pandiyan dynasty at South Madurai, the capital of the ancient Tamilagam, lying far south of the present southernmost point of India.
His treatise on Tamil grammar is said to have contained no less than 12,000 sutras or aphorisms. Except for some fragments which have been preserved in quotations by Tolkappiyanar in his work on the same subject, Tolkappiyam, it has not survived. (Pillai, 1979, p. 264)
At what period Agastyar established himself in southern India is not known. It will remain so until the real date of the existence of the king Kulasekhara Pandiyan, who patronized Agastyar, is ascertained. All accounts concur in assigning the foundation of the
Pandiyan kingdom at Madurai to Kulasekhara Pandiyan; but they are at considerable variance with regard to the time when that event happened.
When Agastyar left the court of Kulasekhara Pandiyan, he is stated to have assumed the ascetic life, and to have retired to the Pothigai Hills, where he is commonly believed to be still living in anonymity.

There is no clear and specific reference to Agastyar and or his exploits, in any of the early Tamil works now known. Only some indirect ones are made in the anthologies of the Sangam Age. The phrase "sage of Pothigai" (Pothigal being the southernmost section of the western Ghats) is an indication that the legends relating to Agastyar were not unknown in the land at the time. Vasishtha, the author of the poem Manimckalai, a Buddhist epic, know of his miraculous birth. The same author also says that Agastyar was a friend of the Chola king, Kanta. At the request of Kanta he released the Cauvery river from his water pot.
Agastyar's abode was in the Pothigai mountains. Naccinarkkiniyar (1400 A.D.) a commentator of the Middle Ages, narrates (on the authority of a more ancient writer) that when Havana, the king of the asuras in the Ramayana, came to the Pothigai Hills, and was tyrannizing the inhabitants of the extreme southern, he was persuaded by Agastyar to leave that land alone and go to the island of Sri Lanka. (Pillai, 1979, p. 258; Zvolebil, 1973, p. 136) References to Agastyar's work on Tamil grammar appear rather late. The first occurs in the legend of the three Sangams, the ancient Tamil literary academies, narrated in the Iraiyanar-Agapporul Urai, a work of the ninth century A.D. Here Agastyar is mentioned as a leader of the first and second Sangams, which lasted for 4,400 years and 3,700 year respectively. His work Agastyam miss aid to have been the grammar of the first Sangam, while that work, together with the Tolkappiyam and three other works, formed the basis for the second Sangam. According to fraiyanar-Agapporul Urai, the third Sangam lasted for 1,850 Years. (Pillai, 1979, p. 258-259) Whether Agastyar wrote a treatise on Tamil grammar, and if so in what relation that work stood to the Tolkappiyam, the oldest extant work on the subject, has been discussed by all the great historians and commentators of the Tamil country. Perasiriyar (1250-1300 A.D.) says that in his day some scholars contended that Tolkappiyanar, the author of the grammar named after him, composed his work on principles other than those of the the Agastyam, following in this other grammars which have not survived. He refutes this theory by an appeal to tradition and authority, particularly that of lraiyanar Agapporid Urai. He maintains, with support from more ancient writings, that Agastyar was the founder of the Tamil language and grammar, that Tolkappiyam was the most celebrated of the twelve pupils of the great sage, that the Agastyam was the original grammar, that Tolkappiyanar must be hold to have followed its teachings in his new work, and that Agastyar's work must have been composed before the Tamil country was confined, by an inundation of the sea, to the limits indicated by Panambaranar in his preface to the Tolkappiyam, i.e., from Vengadam hill, to Cape Cormorin. (Pillai, 1979, p. 259).

The opposite party that denied Tolkappiyanar's indebtedness to Agastyar did not give up its position. The general belief that Tolkappiyanar was a disciple of Agastyar was too strong for them to deny, so they "postulated hostility between teacher and pupil arising out of Agastyar's jealousy and hot temper". (Sastri, 1966, p. 365393). Naccinarkkiniyar records the story that after his migration to the south, Agastyar sent his pupil Trinadhumagni (Tolkappiyanar) to bring his wife Lopamudrai from the North. Agastyar proscribed that a certain distance should be maintained between the pupil and his wife during their journey, but when the rising of the Vaigai threatened to drown Lopamudrai, Tolkappiyanar approached too close in holding out to her a bamboo pole with the aid of which she reached the shore in safety. Agastyar cursed them for violating his instructions saying that they would never enter heaven. Tolkappiyanar replied with a similar curse on his master. (Pillai, 1979, p. 259; Zvolebil, 1973, p. 137)
As K.A. Sastri says, this legend "represents the last phase of a controversy, longstanding, significant and by no means near its end even in our time" (Sastri, 1966, p. 77). Much more research must be done among the thousands of palm leaf manuscripts and other documents which have been collected in such places as the Oriental Manuscripts Library in Madras, the Saraswati Mahal library in Tanjore, the libraries of the Palani Temple, the Palayamkottai Siddha Medical College, and those in the hands of private collectors and siddha medical practitioners.

The affirmation and denial of Agastyar's father ship of Tamil and of his work being the source of the Tolkappiyam are both symbolic of divergent attitudes towards the incoming northern Sanskritic influences. As a matter of fact, there is no mention of Agastyar either in the Tolkappiyam nor in the Panambaranar's preface to it. The earliest reference to the Agastyam occurs only in the eighth century A.D., as we have seen, and that is also the time when Pandiyan chroniclers begin to proclaim the preceptor ship of Agastyar to the Pandiyas, the patrons of Tamil literature and the Sangam, and the first genuine Tamil power to achieve political expansion and to establish an empire. Many of the stories meant to support Agastyar's connection with Tamil and Tolkappiyanar may have been elaborated in subsequent ages. The attempt to give Agastyar the dominant position in the evolution of Tamil culture evoked a challenge. Things went on smoothly so long as Aryan influence, the influence of the "Northern" speech and culture, was content to penetrate the Tamil land quietly and by imperceptible stages, and silently transform the native elements. This process began very early and was accepted by the Tamils to an extent that has rendered it all but impossible to distinguish the elements that have gone to make up the composite culture. But when a theory was put forward, that is when a legend may have been invented: to show that Tamil as a spoken language and with it the entire culture of the Tamil country was derived from a Vedic seer. This was met, naturally, by a counter-assertion and the elaboration of legends in the opposite sense.

The main legends gathered around Agastyar in the north and in the south are on parallel lines and are filled with miraculous deeds. There are several local and temporal variations. The Himalayan mountain of the northern legend is replaced by the Pothigai of the South. Agastyar's composition of many Rig Vedic hymns and medical works in Sanskrit is answered by his numerous mystic and medical treatises in Tamil; his efforts to bring down the Ganges with the consent of Shiva finds an echo in his getting Tamraparni from Shiva and his bargaining with God Ganesha for Cauvery; his seat in Kasi (Bonares) seems to be replaced by his abode in Badami, known as Daksina Kasi; his marriage with Lopamudrai, the daughter of a Vidarbha King, has a parallel in his wedding of Cauvery, the daughter of King Cauvery; and taking into consideration the curses, which had issued from his spiritual armory in the north, his curse of Tolkappiyanar, his own student, shows unmistakably how the dwarf sage kept true to his reputation and habits, in the far-away south (Pillai, 1979, p. 258-261).

Agastyar ' s contributions to science
There are hundreds of ancient treatises from various areas of science ascribed to Agastyar. These include medicine, chemistry, pharmacy, astronomy and surgery. As a physician, Agastyar occupies the same eminence amongst the Tamils as Hippocrates does amongst the Greeks, and it is remarkable that there are some very curious coincidences between the doctrines of the former and those of the latter, especially as regards the prognosis and diagnosis of diseases, the critical days, and premonitory symptoms of death. The existence of seminal animalcules, which was discovered by Ludwig Hamm in Europe only in 1677 A.D., is mentioned by Agastyar in one of his medical works, entitled Kurunadichutram (PiUai, 1979, p. 265).
Below is a list of manuscripts attributed to Agastyar, as mentioned in a 160 year old bibliography of Siddha medical literature:
1. Vytia Vaghadum Ayrit Anyouroo (Vaidya Vahadam 1500)
A medical work by Reeshe Aghastier: it is written in Tamil poetry, and consists of 1,500 verses.

2. Tunmundrie Vaghadum (Dhanvanthari Vahadam)
A medical work, originally written by Tunmundric in Sanskrit, and translated into Tamool verse by Aghastier. It consists of 2,000 verses. The Hindu practitioners hold it in high veneration, for the particular account it gives of many diseases, and the valuable receipts it contains. (Manuscripts available at Palayamkottai)

3. Canda Pooranwn:
A work on ancient history, originally written in Sanskrit verse, by Resshe Aghastior and afterwards translated into Tamool by Cushiapa Braminy. It consists of 1,000 stanzas.

4. Poosavedy:
This book treats of the religious rites and ceremonies of Hindus. It was written by Aghastier, and consists of 200 verses. (Ms. available at Tanjore and Madras)

5. Deekshavedy (Deeksha Vithi):
A work which treats of magic and enchantment, on the use and virtues of the rosary, and on the education of youth: it consists of 200 verses, and was written by Agastyar (Ms. available in Tanjore and Madras)

6. Pemool (Peru Nul)
A medical work, written by Agastyar, in high Tamool. It consists of 10,000 verses, and treats fully of all diseases, regimen (Ms. available at Palayamkottai)

7. Poorna Nool:
This book consists of 200 verses. It was written by Aghastier, and treats chiefly of exorcism: it also contains many forms of prayer.

8. Poorna Soostru: A work on the intuition of religious disciples, and on their forms of devotion, and which
also treats of the materia medica and regimen. It was written by Agastyar and consists of 216 verses. (Ms.
available at Madras and Palani and also printed)

9. Curma Candum (Karma Kandam)
A medical shaster of Agastyar, written in Tamool verse, and consists of 300 stanzas: supposed to be translated from the Sanskrit of Durmuntrie. It treats of those diseases which are inflicted on mankind for their folhes and vices. (Manuscripts available at Tanjore and Madras and also printed)

10. Agastyar Vytia Ernoot Unjie (Aghastior Vaidyam 205)
A work on medicine and chemistry, written by Agastyar in Tamool verse, and consisting of 205 verses. (Ms. available at Palani)

11. Agastyar Vytia Nootieumbid (Agastyar Vaidyam 150)
A work in Tamool verse, written by Agastyar. It consists of 150 stanzas, and treats of the purification or rendering innocent, of sixty-four different kinds of poison (animal, metallic, and vegetable), so as to make them safe, and fit to be administered as medicine (Ms. available at Palani and printed)

12. Agastyar Vytia Vaghadum Napotetoo (Agastyar Vaidya Vahadum 48):
A medical shaster, written by Agastyar, in Tamool verse;, on the cure of gonorrhea; and consisting of 48 stanzas.

13. Agastyar Vytia Padinarroo (Agasthiyar Naidyam 16):
A medical shaster, written by Agastyar, in Tamool, and consisting of 16 verses. It treats of the diseases of the head, and their remedies.

14. Agastyar Vytia Eranoor (Agastyar Vaidyam 200):
A medical shaster, written by Aghastier in 200 Tamool verses. It treats of chemistry and alchemy (Ms. available at Palayamkottai and printed).

15. Calikianum (Kalai Gnanam):
A work on theology, written in Tamool verse, by Agastyar, and consisting of 200 stanzas (Ms. available at Tanjore)

16. Mooppoo (Muppu):
A medical shaster written by Agastyar, in Tamool verse, and consisting of 50 stanzas. It treats of the eighteen different kinds of leprosy and their cure. (Ms. available at Thirupathi)
17. Agastyar Vytia Ayrit Eranoor (Agastyar Vaidyam 1200): A Medical shaster, written by Agastyar, in
Tamool verse and consisting of 1200 stanzas. It treats of botany and of Materia Medica. (Ms. printed).

18. Agastyar's Vytia Ayrnouroo (Agastyar Vaidyam 500):
A valuable work on medicine, written by Agastyar, in Tamool verse and consisting of 500 stanzas. It treats very fully of many diseases, and contains a great variety of useful formulae.

19. Agastyar Vytia Moon-noor (Agastyar Vaidyam 300):
A work on pharmacy, written by Agastyar, in Tamool verse, and consisting of 300 stanzas. (Ms. available at Palayamkottai and printed)

20. Agastyar Vydeyakh Moonooro (300 verses): This chiefly instructs us in the art of making various
powders.

21. Agastyar Auyerutty Annooroo (1500 verses):
A general work on Materia Medica. (Ms. available at Tanjore, Madras and Palani)

22. Agastyar Aranooroo (600 verses): (Ms. available at Tanjore and Palani)

23. Agastyar Moopoo Anbadoo (50 verses) (Agastyar Muppu 50)

24. Agastyar Goonnoovagadam Moonoor (300 verses) (Agastyar Guna Vahadam 300): Ms. available at Tanjore, Thirupathi, Palani and Palayamkottai also printed.

25. Agastyar Dundakum Nooroo (100 verses). (Agastyar Thandaham 100):
These are various Works of Agastyar on chemistry and physic. They also treat of theology, and of the best means of strengthening the human frame. (Ms. available at Tanjore and Madras.) (Pillai, p. 268-70).

Agastyar is said to have had twelve disciples to whom he taught the different arts and sciences, and who were afterwards employed by him in instructing the people.

The names of these disciples are

1. Tolkappiyanar

2. Adankotasiriyanar

3. Turalinganar

4. Semputcheyanar

5. Vaiyabiganar

6. Vippiyanar

7. Panambaranar

8. Kazharambanar

9. Avinayanar

10. Kakkypadiniyar

11. Nattattanar

12. Vamanar

 but few particulars are known about them. Other prominent disciples included Thiruvalluvar, the author of the perennial classic of Tamil literature, Thirukural, and Babaji Nagaraj, the fountainhead of Kriya Yoga Siddhantham in the modern age. Their influence on the world today is immeasurable, and will be discussed in subsequent chapters.
Agastyar is a sage of cultural integration, leading a fusion of the culture of the northern Aryans with that of the southern Dravidians. His ashram was the practical approach to harmony and integration, enabling every visitor to worship the Absolute in his or her own way.

There were separate shrines to different deities and an illuminating shrine to Righteousness. Kamban says Agastyar welcomed Rama in the sweet, pleasant tamil language, while his disciples chanted Vedic hymns. This may be seen in the story that Agastyar was specially sent down to the south by Lord Shiva himself, at the time of His wedding with Parvati on the Himalyas. The north sank low under the weight of the crowding celestials while the south rose up, free of such burden, and the diminutive sage was sent south to right the tilt. Was it because at that time the south had forgotten its gods or that the north had become too full of gods, masking the image of the single Absolute? Anyway it was Agastyar who propagated an integral, harmonious culture. The immortal message and spiritual technology of Kriya yoga, which he taught to Babaji, may be the master key to the cultural integration which is now needed in the modern world, where telecommunications and computer technology have created an interdependent "global village". May the name of this great sage inspire us to righteous and harmonious action in these troubled times! May integral institutions flourish!

Agnivesha

 Agnivesha was an ancient Indian rishi (sage), and myths of his birth associate his parentage to Agni. He was one of the earliest writers on ayurveda, the ancient Indian  science of health and medicine

Angirasas

Angiras (अंगिरस्, pronounced as "əngirəs"; nominative singular Angirā - अंगिरा, pronounced as "əngirα:") is a Vedic rishi (or sage) who, along with sage Atharvan, is credited to  have formulated ("heard") most of the fourth Veda called Atharvaveda. He is also mentioned in the other three Vedas. Sometimes he is reckoned as one of the Seven Great Sages, or saptarishis of the first Manvantara, with others being, Marichi, Atri, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vashishtha Bharadwaja maharshis was his descendant. .

His wife is Surūpa and his sons are Utatya, Samvartana and Brihaspati. He is a Manasaputra (wish-born-son) of Lord Brahma. Other accounts say that he married smrithy, the daughter of Daksha.[citation needed]

The name Angirasas is applied generically to several Puranic individuals and things; a class of Pitris, the ancestors of man according to Hindu Vedic writings, and probably descended from the sage Angiras. In the Rigveda, Agni is sometimes referred to as Angiras or as a descendant of Angiras (RV 1.1). 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 3.31, 10.108 and a reference in 8.14). 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. Scholars like Dr. Eitel connects it to the Rishi Gautama. There too were Kshatiryas of other clans to whom members descend from Angirasa, to fulfill a childless king's wish. m

Aruni

Aruni or Uddalaka or Uddalaka Aruni is a great Upanishadic sage. Aruni was one among the disciples of sage Ayodha Dhaumya, along with Upamanyu and another named  'Veda' (Mbh 1.3). Aruni hailed from the country of Panchala and was known as Aruni of Panchala.

As per Mahabharata (MBh 1.3), on one rainy night Aruni's preceptor Dhaumya Muni asked him to supervise water flowing through a certain field. Aruni went there and found that water has breached the field and was moving away from its designated path. Aruni tried to stop water by all means but was unsuccessful. left with no other way, Aruni lied down on the breach and prevented the water flow using his body. Due to this Aruni did not return to the hermitage in the night. Later in the morning, Dhaumya Muni came to the spot in search of Aruni with other disciples. Upon seeing the dedication and sincerity of Aruni, Dhaumya was very pleased upon Aruni and gave him the title Uddalaka. Later Aruni became very famous under the name Uddalaka Aruni.


References to Aruni in Other Scriptures
Several other scriptures have references to the sage Uddalaka Aruni.
In the Katha Upanishad, Uddalaka Aruni has been portrayed as a very learned sage who had performed numerous yajnas and sacrifices. Uddalaka Aruni was also called Vajashravas because he organised innumerable community feeding programmes. Vajashravas had one negative quality as he had no control over his anger and flew into uncontrollable rage at trifles. His wife was Vishwavaradevi. The son of Vajashravas was the great young seeker Nachiketa. In a feat of rage Vajashravas had given Nachiketa to Yama, the death.

As per the the Chāndogya Upanishad, Uddalaka was the son of Aruni and was therefore known as Uddalaka Aruni. Uddalaka was the father and teacher of young scholar Shvetaketu.

Philosophical Contributions of Aruni
Uddalaka Aruni is said to have systematised the Vedic and Upanishadic thoughts. Many Mahavakyas are ascribed to sage Uddalaka Aruni. Among those, "Tat Tvam Asi" illumines the Chāndogya Upanishad, which is a part of the Sama Veda. This great utterance is repeated nine times in this Upanishad as the ultimate Truth, which reveals itself as the conclusion of each inner experiment. The teacher is Uddalaka and the student Svetaketu, his son, engaged in a profound soul-education. ind

 o Ashtavakra

Ashtavakra was a sage in ancient India. Ashtavakra, also spelt as Ashtaavakra in Sanskrit:अष्‍टवक्र means "eight bends". Ashta means eight. Vakra means bend or deformity.

In ancient India, the sage Ashtavakra was known to be a very intelligent and spiritually well advanced rishi who realized self or Atman. More information about his birth and life comes from the Indian epic Ramayana. Sage Uddalaka ran a school (Ashram) teaching Vedic knowledge. Kahoda was one of his best disciples. Uddalaka was so pleased with him that he had his daughter Sujata married to him. Sujata, eventually got pregnant and in the natural desire of wanting her child to imbibe spirituality and intelligence, began to sit in the classes taught by Uddalaka and Kahoda, listening to their chanting of mantras.

n India, there is a belief that when expectant mothers expose themselves to spiritual teachings, the child in the womb hears it and gathers that knowledge and become a genius in that spiritual area after its birth. It was one day, as Kahoda recited the Vedas, and within hearing distance of the child growing in the womb, that it heard the recitation but, since it was already aware of the correct pronunciation of every syllable since its mother used to attend classes with rapt attention, whenever Kahoda pronounced a syllable wrong, the child in the womb squirmed in distress. Sujata informed Kahoda that he had pronounced the syllable wrongly as indicated by the child in the womb. This happened on eight occasions. Kahoda perceived this as arrogance on the part of something, yet to manifest itself in the world, and he cursed the foetus with eight deformities. So, when the baby was born, it had eight bends, was crooked in eight places. Naturally, he was named Ashtavakra (Eight Bends).

Around the time Ashtavakra was born, his father was invited to argue with the great philosopher, Bandi. In those days, philosophical arguments were commonplace and the best were invited to argue in the presence of the monarch Janaka. Bandi was supposedly the son of Varuna - the Lord of all water bodies - and was sent incognito to land to get rishes, or sages, to conduct a ritual that his father wanted to perform. Bandi was well known as a philosopher and easily defeated Kahoda. As per the rules of the contest, Bandi's victims had to 'drown' themselves in the river nearby (Ganges?). Nobody knew of Bandi's real identity or his intention in demanding that his victims should submerge in the river. Kahoda, too, lost the argument and had to submerge himself in the river. Ashtavakra was therefore raised by Uddalaka and his disciples and within a short time mastered everything that was expected of a 'Brahmin'. Uddalaka and his disciples took pains to see that Ashtavakra was always kept in the dark about the fate of his father. However, Ashtavakra came to know the truth when his young uncle, Shwetaketu advertently, blurted out that the person who Ashtavakra thought was his father, was, in fact, not his father. Ashtavakra then demanded the truth from his mother and decided to confront Bandi and defeat him in an argument.

Ashtavakra then made his way to the King's palace and presented himself as a challenger. The kind-hearted King could not bear the thought of someone so young losing to Bandi and meeting the same fate as countless other Brahmins and tried to dissuade the young boy. Ashtavakra, was, however adamant, and after an initial test, Janaka decided to let him face Bandi. Ashtavakra won the argument and demanded that Bandi restore to life all the sages and Brahmins he had forced to be drowned. One of the conditions of the contest was that if Bandi loses he would grant any wish of his vanquisher. By this time, Varuna's ritual was also complete and he had rewarded all the sages and Brahmins and so when Bandi was defeated, he revealed his true identity and the reason behind the 'drowning' of his victims. At Bandi's request, Varuna bade the sages and Brahmins farewell and brought them to surface. Kahoda was extremely pleased with his son's intelligence and knowledge.

Later Ashtavakra grew into a spiritually advanced rishi and realised Atman. He went to Mithila and instructed King Janaka about the concept of Atman. These teachings form the content of the Ashtavakra Gita or Ashtavakra Samhita as it is sometimes called.

Astika

 .r Astika was an ancient Hindu rishi (sage), and he was a son of Jaratkaru by the serpent goddess Manasa - a sister of the great serpent king Vasuki. According to the Mahabharata, he saved the life of a serpent named Takshaka when king Janamejaya made his great sacrifices of serpents. Ultimately, he induced and prevailed upon the king to end his persecution of the serpent race.

Atharvan

Atharvan (अथर्वन्, atharvan-; an n-stem with nominative singular अथर्वा atharvā) was a legendary Vedic sage (rishi) of Hinduism who along with Angiras is supposed to have  authored ("heard") the Atharvaveda. He is also said to have first instituted the fire-sacrifice or yagna. Sometimes he is also reckoned among the seven seers or Saptarishi. His clan is known as the Atharvanas. Atharvan married with chitti , daughter of kardam rishi. And had a great sage Dadhichi as a son. Atharvan means fire priest , and still a common name in India & Iran. He was referred to of bhrigu clan many times.

According to mundaka upnisad and other texts, he was eldest son & (Manas putra) born from mind of the brahma. Vedic atharvan is cognate with Avestan athravan, "priest", but the etymology of the term is not yet conclusively established. "Attempts have been made to connect the term with Avestan atar- "fire" (not attested in Vedic); but these have been prompted by what is probably a mistaken assumption of the importance of fire in the ancient Indo-Iranian religion." (Boyce, 1982:16).

Atreya

An Atreya (आत्रेय) is a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages (rishis) whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas.

The descendents of Atri Rishi use Atreya as their surname just like many other Gotras, or clan names used by the Brahmin community of Hindus in India and Nepal. In Northern India, most Atreya Bhramins also prefer to use the Tyagi surname. Many of the Kshatriyas of South India also belong to this gotra.

Original Atreya gotri bramhin have migrated to East Indian state of Orissa which was in the ancient time known as Kalinga, Utkala/Utkal, South Kosal, Kongada, Odra Desha etc. All Oriya-Utkal Brahmins with surname Rath belong to the Atreya gotra.

Atri

In Hinduism, Attri (Sanskrit: अत्रि) or Atri is a legendary bard and scholar, and a son of Brahma, said to be ancistor of some Brahmin & Vaishya community (who adopt Atri as  their gotra) and in addition, many others use surnames linked with the place of their origin, for example Jhunjhunwala, Vishnoi, Kedia, Gindodiya, Kalothia, Dokania, Lohia, etc. Atri is the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi) in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara

 
 

Aupamanyava

In the Vamsa Brahmana of Vedic literature, Aupamanyava is listed as a Vedic teacher and sage of the Sama Veda.

The patronymic Aupamanyava establishes him as a descendant of Upamanyu, while the name Kamboja suggests an association with the Kamboja kingdom of the (late Vedic) Mahajanapada period.

Vamsa Brahmana informs us that sage Anandaja had received the Vedic learning from sage Samba, the son of Sarkaraksa, as well as from Kamboja, the son or descendant of Upamanyu.


Lineage
Vamsa Brahamana of the Sama Veda refers to one Rsi Madragara Shaungayani as the teacher of Aupamanyava Kamboja. As the name itself suggests, risi Madragara Shaungayani belonged to Madra tribe, i.e. the Uttaramadras.

Dr Jain also observes: "Kamboja Aupamanyava, pupil of Madragara, is mentioned in the Vamsa Brahmana. This points to a possible relationship of the Madras or more probably of the Uttaramasdras with the Kambojas, who probably had Indian as well as Iranian affinities"


As a grammarian.
Aupamanyava is repeatedly quoted as a grammarian by Yaska in his Nirukta, and also mentioned in respect of the Nisadas and the Panca-janah.. Aupamanyava is also stated to have authored one Nighantu—a collection of Vedic words Pt Bhagva Datta points out that, Dr G. Opart has referred to one nirukta (etymology) whose authorship he attributes to a certain Upamanyu.


Vamsa Brahmana
Commenting on the Vamsa Brahmana list of Vedic teachers, Albrecht Weber writes: "One fact deserves to be especially noticed here, namely, that several of the teachers mentioned in the Vamsa Brahmana, by their very names, points us directly to the north-west of India, e.g. Kamboja Aupamanyava, Madaragara Saungayani, Sati Aushtrakshi, Salamkayana and Kauhala" [15]. And commenting on the same list, R Morton Smith also writes: “The names Kamboja Aupamanyava, Sati Austraksi and Madragara Saungayani suggest a North-west connection for the main branch of Vamsa Brahmana .


It is interesting to note that among the entire lists of ancient Vedic teachers of the Satapatha Brahmana as well as the Vamsa Brahmana [17], Kamboja Aupamanyava appears as the first "Aupamanyava"' (i.e. son or descendant of Upamanyu). This Kamboja Aupamanyava was the guru of Anadaja Chandhanayana who in turn was the guru of Bhanumant Aupamanyava [18]. Bhanumant Aupamanyava had instructed Urjayant Aupamanyava [19]. Vedic teachers Bhanumanta Aupamanyava and Urjayant Aupamanyava of the Vamsa Brahmana list were likely the son and grandson of Kamboja Aupamanyava.



Aupamanyava/Upamanyu Gotra
Upamanyu also is one of the gotras of Hindu brahmins. The people with Upamanyu gotra live in far western part of Nepal and eastern Parts of Jammu & Kashmir. They are basically present just below the Mount Kailash as they pray to Lord Shiva only. However, according to Dr D. C. Sircar, Upamanyu gotra is not found in early Sanskrit literature and it is difficult to determine at this time whether it is a mistake for Aupamanyava gotra.

Prof B. N. Datta comments: "...In the list of Brahmana gotras mentioned in the Matsya-Purana , the name of (Kamboja) Aupamanyava is to be found. It is said to be an offshoot of the Vrigu (Parasara) gotras. This means that a Rishi hailing from the Kamboja tribe was also founder of a Brahmanical class.......Weber says that the appearance of the name of Kamboja (an Indian sounding name in Vedic text) as a Sama theologian is analogous of the discovery of the name of Gautama in Zoroastrian Mithra-Yesht. Upamanyu was of Kamboja descent, and Ushtaxri (Sati Austrakshi) was probably of Bactrian origin. Further, the name of prominent Rishi like Atharva sounds like Atharavan or Atharvan, the Persian fire-cult priest. The names of Atharva and Angirasa are connected with the introduction of fire-cult amongst the Vedic people. In this case, we find another infiltration of the foreign element (Kambojas etc) in the ethnic composition of the Vedic Aryas"

Aurava

Aurava is a fierce sage descending in order from Vishnu, Brahma, Bhrigu, Chyavana, Apnuvana. He was born during a bloody feud between the Kshatriyas and the descendents of Bhrigu. He was the grandson of Vatsa, after whom the Srivatsa gotra is named. His son was Ruchika and Ruchika’s son was Jamadagni.

Bharadvaja

Bharadwaja (Devanagari: भरद्वाज / भारद्वाज) is one of the greatest Hindu sages (Maharshis), descendant of rishi Angirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the  Puranas. He is one of the Saptarshis (Seven Great Sages Rishi) in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa.

Bharadwaja rishi was father of Dronacharya and grand father of Ashwatthama. Bharadwaja Maharshi, a sage of the Vedic period, is renowned for his thirst for knowledge. He attained extraordinary scholarship and the power of meditation.


History
Bharadwaj as Gotra means people who are the descendants of Rishi Bharadwaj. Rishi Bharadwaj was the son of sage Brihaspati. Sage Brihaspati was the son of Rishi Angiras. These 3 rishis are called the traya rishi of the Bharadwaj Gotra.in earlier days Sages were only Brahmins excepting Sage Vishwamitra. Also all the warrior brahmins became Kshatriyas later. Later all the business minded Kshatriyas became vaishyas. Hence there are people of all the three communities having a common Gotra especially Bhardwaj Gotra. Guru Dronacharya was the son of sage Bharadwaj. All the descendants of Bharadwaj Gotra display warrior skills because sage Bharadwaj married a Kshatriya woman called Suseela. According to Anuloma marriage, the offsprings who are born to a brahmin father and a kshatriya woman take the characteristics of Kshatriya though technically being a Brahmin. Hence the brahmin descandants of Bharadwaj Gotra are referred to as Brahma-Kshatriyas (Warrior Brahmins). They are considered to have intelligence in Vedas and war

The ashram of Bhardwaj rishi still stands on the banks of river Ganges in Allahbad, India.

Bharadwaja in Ramayana
In Ramayana, Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana went on exile for the words of his father. Rama along with them went through many forest regions starting from crossing yamuna river with help of Guha ,head clanman and a friend of Rama's father Dasaratha. As he travelled he visited many rishi's ashrams. Met many rishis and sages including Agasthiyar, Gauthama and Bharadwaja. Rama and others rested in Bharadwaj's ashram and accepted his offerings.

Gotra
In India, Bharadwaja is an ancestor of Brahmin People belonging to the Bharadwaja gotra. Bharadwaja who is the great grand son of Lord Brahma is the root for his clan, Bharadwaja gotra.

Inhabitance
* Odisha: The saraswata Bramhins in Odisha are of Bharadwaja Gotra
* Kashmir: among Saraswat Brahmins who migrated to Himalayas.
* Himachal Pradesh: around 60% of Brahmins have Bharadwaja as their gotra.
* Punjab: around 45% of Brahmins have Bharadwaja as their gotra.
* Haryana: around 40%-45% of Brahmins have Bharadwaja as their gotra.
* Rajasthan: around 35% of Rajasthani Brahmins have Bharadwaja as their gotra, Rigveda as vedanta and kuldevta as Shri Lakshmi Narsimha or Shri Narasimha.
* Maharashtra
* Among Iyers and Iyengars In TamilNadu and nambudiri In Kerala.
* Aruvela Niyogi brahmans in Andhra Pradesh
* Vaidiki velanadi brahmans in Andhra Pradesh
* Madhwa and Smartha brahmins in Karnataka.
* Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh: Bhumihar Brahmins have Bharadwaja as their Gotra.
* Mauritius (Country)- Speaking language- Hindi, Bhojpuri, Magadhi.

Siddha Boganathar

An Oceanic Life Story

Boganathar or Bogar, the Jnana Guru of Babaji, in the poem "Bogar inana Sagarama" (Bogar's Oceanic Life Story, consisting of 557 verses, Verse number 2, lines  number 3 and 4), identifies himself as a Tamilian,
(Ramaiah, 1979; 1982, p. 17)[1]. In the same verse he states that the great Siddha Kalangi Nathar initiated him in Jnana Yoga (supreme self-knowledge).
Kalangi Nathar was born in Kasi (Benares), India. He attained the immortal state of soruba samadhi at the aged of 315, and then made China the center of his teaching activities. He belonged to the ancient tradition of Nava (nine) Nath sadhus (holy ascetics), tracing their tradition to Lord Shiva. There are nine important shrines associated with this tradition, five of which are in the Himalayan mountains: Amarnath (where Shiva first taught Kriya Yoga to his Shakti partner, Parvati Devi), Kodarnath, Badrinath (India), Kailasanath, (Tibet) and Pasupathinath (Nepal).
Meanwhile, Boganathar practiced Kundaflni Yogam in four stages. The first three stages are described in a later chapter on "The Psychophysiology of Kriya Kundalini Pranayama". Boganathar chose the Palani malai (mountain) in what is now southwestern Tamil Nadu as the site for intensive yogic practice (tapas) for the final stage. He attained soruba samadhi at Palani, through the grace of Lord Muruga, or the eternal youth, "Kumaraswamy". The Kumaraswamy temple at Palani became the epicenter of his activities. He visited many countries astrally, and physically and through transmigration. In one of his songs Boganathar claims to have flown to China at one point in a sort of airplane which he built; he held discussions with Chinese Siddhas before returning to India (Kailasapathy, 1969, p. 197-211). His visit to South America has been confirmed by accounts left by the Muycas of Chile: "Bocha, who gave laws to Muycas, was a white, bearded man, wearing long robes, who regulated the calendar, established festivals, and vanished in time like others (other remarkable teachers who had come across the Pacific according to numerous legends of Incas, Aztecs and Mayans). " (Lal, 1965, p. 20)[2]. He convened a meeting of many siddhas just before the beginning of the present Kali Yuga, in 3102 B.C., to determine the best way for humanity to progress along the spiritual path during the con-ling period of darkness. The Yoga of love and devotion, Bhakti Yoga, was chosen as being the best means. Boganathar was entrusted by the siddhas with the task of defining the rituals for the worship of their favorite deity "Palaniandavar", the Lord (Muruga) of Palani.
Many rituals which center around the bathing (Abishekam) of an idol of Palaniandavar with many substances, including panchaamirtham consisting of five fruits and honey, were developed by him and continue to be followed to this day. The idol had to be created from a substance which would last throughout Kali Yuga. The most resilient of known substances, granite, was known to wear and crack after thousands of such rituals. So Boganathar fashioned it out of nine secret herbal and chemical ingredients, nava pashanam, which made it harder than granite. Eight of the ingredients were combined in a mold of the idol. The ninth, was added as a catalyst, to solidify it.
In recent times the scientists who attempted to determine the composition of a small sample of the material of the idol, were startled to find that it immediately subtle mated when heated. Thus its composition remains a mystery to date. The traces of the substance are contained in the ritual offerings in which it is bathed. When these are returned and consumed by the devotee, their spiritual progress is enhanced.

A Mission to China and Transmigration
Kalangi Nathar decided to enter into samadhi in seclusion for 3,000 years. He summoned Boganathar telepathically from Tamil Nadu to China to take over his mission. Boganathar travelled by sea, following the trade route. In China, he was instructed by Kalangi Nathar in all aspects of the Siddha sciences. These included the preparation and use of the kaya kalpa herbal formulae to promote longevity. After Kalangi Nathar entered into trance, Boganathar assumed his teaching mission to the Chinese. To facilitate this, he transmigrated his vital body into the physical body of a deceased Chinese man, and thereafter went by the name "Bo-Yang". "Bo" is a derivation of the word "Bhogam" which means Bliss, material and spiritual. This Bliss, for which he was named "Bo-Yang" is experienced when the Kundalini shakti, the feminine primordial yin energy awakens, passes up to the crown of the head, the seat of Shiva, the masculine yang pole, in the Sahasrara chakra at the summit of the head and unites with it. The result of this integration of feminine and masculine parts of the being, or union ("Yoga") of Shakti and Shiva, Yin and Yang, is Satchitananda: Absolute Existence-Consciousness Bass.
Transformation or His Physical Body Boganathar decided to overcome the limitations of the Chinese body, with its degenerative tendencies, and prolong its life through the use of the kaya kalpa herbs long enough for the effect of Kriya Kundalini Pranayama and related yogic techniques to bring soruba samadhi. In his poem Bogar Jnana Sutra - 8, verse number 4, he describes vividly what happened after carefully preparing a tablet using thirty five different herbs:
With great care and patience I made the(kaya kalpa) tablet and then swallowed it, Not waiting for fools and skeptics who would not appreciate its hidden meaning and importance. Steadily I lived in the land of the Parangis (foreigners) For twelve thousand years, my fellow! I lived for a long time and fed on the vital ojas (sublimated spiritual energy) With the ojas vindhu I received the name, Bogar; The body developed the golden color of the pill,-Now I am living in a world of gold (based upon translation by Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, 1979, P. 40-42).
He chose three of his best disciples and his faithful dog, and took them to the top of a mountain. After first offering a tablet to the dog, the dog immediately fell over dead. He next offered it to his leading disciple, Yu, who also immediately fell over dead. After offering it to the two remaining disciples, who by this time wore extremely nervous, and who promptly hid their tablets rather than swallow them, Boganathar swallowed the remaining tablets and also fell over unconscious. Crying with grief, the two remaining disciples went down the mountain to get material to bury the bodies. When the disciples returned to the spot where the bodies had been left lying, all that was found was a note, in Boganathar's handwriting, which said:
The kaya kalpa tablets are working. After awakening from their trance I restored faithful Yu and the dog. You have missed your chance for immortality. (Ibid.)
This kaya kalpa enabled Boganathar to transform the Chinese body over a period of 12,000 years, during which time it developed a lustrous golden color. (The physiological transformation to the state of soruba samadhi was, however, completed only later, at Palani in the final phases of Kriya Kundalini Yoga and related practices. These phases will be described in chapter 11. Boganathar's own graphic description is recorded in the poem at the end of this chapter Initiation into Samadhi.)
In this poem Sutras of Wisdom - 8, he sings prophetically of the taking up of the practice of pranayama in modern times by millions of persons who would otherwise have succumbed to drug abuse:Will chant the unifying verse of the Vedanta, Glory to the holy feet of Uma (the Divine Mother of the Universe, Shakti), Will instruct you in the knowledge of the sciences, ranging from hypnotism to alchemy (kaya kalpa), Without the need for pills or tablets, the great scientific art of pranayama breathing, will be taught and recognized By millions of common people and chaste young women. Verse no. 1 (based upon translation by Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, 1982, p. 40).

Becomes known as Lao-Tzu, founder of Taoism
After this incident with the Chinese disciples, Bo-Yang became also known as Lao-Tzu, and was accessible for nearly 200 years, and trained hundreds of Chinese disciples in Tantric Yoga practices, wherein semen and sexual energies are conserved and sublimated into spiritual energies. The advanced techniques which he taught involve raising the energies from the muladhara chakra corresponding to the perineum up to the sahasrara chakra during sexual inter course with a spiritually minded partner, resulting in sublimated energy, tejas, manifesting throughout all the cells of the body. On the fifth century B.C., Confucius met Lao-Tzu Bo-Yang and afterwards said of him:
I know a bird can fly, a fish can swim, and an animal can run. For that which runs, a net can be fashioned for that which swims, a line can be strung. But the ascent of a Dragon on the wind into heaven is something which is beyond my knowledge. Today I have met Lao-Tzu, who is perhaps like a Dragon. Among the Chinese, particularly, the Taoists, the Dragon is the symbol of Kundalini Shakti, the primordial force.
At the end of his mission to China, about 400 B.C., Boganathar, with his disciple Yu (whom he also gave the Indian name Pulipani) and other close disciples, left China by the land route. As recorded in the Taoist literature, at the request of the gatekeeper at the Han Ku mountain pass Lao-Tzu crystallized his teachings. He did so, in two books, the Tao Ching[3], with 37 verses, and the Te Ching with 42 verses (MacKintosh,1971).
In book two he says Do good to him who has done you injury, which was also said by the contemporary Tamil Siddha, Thiruvalluvar in his Thirukkural (Thiruvalluvar, 1968). Taoist yoga traditions continue to seek physical immortality using techniques remarkably singular to those taught in Tamil Shiva Yoga Siddhantha.

Return to India
Along their way, they visited several shrines in the Himalayas and Kumarupa, the famous Tantric Shakti shrine in Assam[4]. He composed his greatest work of 700,000 verses near Mt. Kailas with the blessings of Lord Shiva. It was later abridged to 7,000 verses, and is known as Bogar Saptha Kandam. He later visited Gaya, India and Arabia. Upon his return to Tamil Nadu he introduced the Chinese salts and chemistry, which he called Seena-charam and porcelain making. He submitted his 7,000 verse manuscript for evaluation to his guru, Agastyar at Courtrallam and to an academy of siddhas there. It was endorsed by all of them as a great work.
Following this, many siddhas, including Konkanavar, Karuvoorar, Nandoeswar, Kamala Muni, Satta Muni, Macchamuni, and Sundarandar became his disciples to study the sciences of kaya kalpa and yoga. He eventually turned over his teaching mission to Pulipani.

Establishes shrine at Katirgama and attains soruba samadhi
After performing tapas at Sathura Giri, and Shiva Giri, he went to Katirgama in Sri Lanka to perform tapas and win the grace of Lord Muruga. Under inspiration from the Lord he established the famous Yantra shrine, representing the 1,008 petalled lotus chakra, which blossomed in Bogar there. Next he went to Palani where he attained soruba samadhi. He retired to Katirgama, where Babaji Nagaraj met him around 211 A.D.

Second Mission to China
Later, after the period of the six Dynasties (220 to 590 A.D.), Boganathar returned with some Tamil disciples to China. He left his mission in Tamil Nadu with Pulipani, the Chinese Siddha. During the construction of the Brihiteeswarar Shiva Temple in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, around 900 A. D. Boganathar advised its builders as to how to raise the eighty ton capstone to the top of the temple, more than 200 feet high. This was done through his disciple Karuvoorar and another Tamil disciple who acted as intermediaries and through messages tied to the logs of courier birds, like today's homing pigeons. At Bogar's suggestion a gradient ramp five miles long was built, up which the stone was pulled to the top of the temple. This was one of the most remarkable engineering feats of all times. About this time he also advised the King of Tanjore to build a small shrine dedicated to one of his greatest disciples, Karuvoorar, behind the Bhrihiteeswarar Shiva Temple.

Current Activities
While Boganathar is reported to have left the physical plane at Palani, he continues to work on the astral plane, inspiring his disciples and devotees, and even in rare instances he transmigrates into another's physical body for specific purposes. Several revered persons, including Yogi S.A.A. Hamaiah, Swami Satchidananda of Yogaville, Virginia and Coimbatore, India and Sri Dharmananda Madhava of Palani in India have related accounts to this author of how they have initiated by him in visionary experiences. Swami seen him and been Satchidananda told the author in 1988 that once, when he was climbing the steps up the mountain to the Palani temple, he stopped to rest. While meditating he suddenly had a vision of Siddha
Boganathar, who initiated him into an advanced technique of yoga. Yogi Ramaiah, in delivering lectures upon the verses of Siddha Boganathar, seems to be so infused with the spirit and genius of the e Siddha, and interprets them with so much inspiration, that there is room for little doubt that it is Boganathar himself using the speaker like a human microphone.
Yogi Ramaiah reports that Boganathar inspired many modem scientists in their discoveries, in particular Neils Bohr and Albert Einstein. This he does by guiding them telepathically but anonymously in their research work, providing them with mental suggestions which enable them to make key discoveries. Einstein himself wrote an essay describing how his discovery of his famous law of relativity, E=MC2, came to him in a flash of inspiration. Bogar also intervened using his psycho-kinetic and clairvoyant powers during a critical period when equipment in the first space vehicle going to the moon in 1968 malfunctioned. Bogar has also worked through his disciples and devotees to assemble and publish his writings in many fields of science, medicine and yoga. Eventually, these will be researched and applied forthe benefit of humanity.

A memorial samadhi shrine dedicated to him is situated in the Palani temple complex.

Selections from the writings of Siddha Boganathar
The following selections from the collected writings of Siddha Boganathar, the great Jnana (wisdom) and Dhyana (meditation) guru of Babaji, may best be understood, when used along with the original Tamil in a particular meditation technique taught to initiated students of Kriya Yoga (Ramaiah, 1979, 1982). Using such a meditation technique, one can go back to the source of these verses, and there obtain a more complete view of what they point to. As each verse was the summary of one year of meditation by their author, one can at best only glimpse his experience, when used in this way. One realizes the limitations of the intellect in such a process: like a teacup trying to measure out the ocean.

Initiation into samadhi by Boganathar
Carefully draw flower petals in a circle; Ah sound is modified, concentrate Air (while breathing to that spot). All of the four will secrete, as a result, and will manifest. Be there. Remaining in the Mula (root center) you should blow. Verse no. 1
Breathing the air thus, the particular black color is perceived. See it in the navel center; The black color is replaced by the red color, Followed by the experience of samadhi. Verse no. 2
If you breathe blowing with great force the realm of Thou. The ascending fire manifests as the guru; That guru manifests as the essence of Truth; It ends the dark night. Verse no. 3
In the elemental still spaces of vital energy, The Divine flames end the darkness. In these spaces are found the Pot of Siddhi (divine powers), the epicenter of metamorphosis. The Samadhi of Light remains. Verse no.4
Although the box is closed, you will get it open; Open the firmly closed lid and churn the pit; Pour half the contents into a sixjaan' (outstretched hand width) vessel. The result is a'paspam' (oxide) which may produce marvelous effects. Verse no. 5
Meticulously and naturally raise to a height of three jaan, The Static Shakti, after looking at her and making her blossom. Worship him in the depths of your being; The Samadhi will enlighten the eight domains. Verse no. 6
During the period of luminous metamorphosis, the herbal oil soaks in and beautifies; The beautiful Nandi (Shiva) described with great authority how to kick away Death, so that Samadhi will make the (physical) body last. Verse no. 7
If the inner Vayu (Prana, energy) circulates, the short-lived physical body will manifest the power often million suns. The mortal body will endure for three epochs; Awaken! Give up the enchantment of desire! Verse no. 8
Concentrate on the neck, and in so doing out of the six chakras, Concentrate on the letter whose vitality is so subtle;
The jiva (individual soul) is the kingdom; concentrate on the vital capital city. Intensely you draw in and hold the life energy with great effort. Verse no. 9
Concentrate daily, the ten vital energies will be locked inside; The glorious light of Nandi (Shiva) will be awakened. Immediately you will be a witness to the future trends; You will witness how many epochs the physical body will live.' Verse no. 10 (based upon translation by Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah, 1982, p. 44-45).
In the above verses Boganathar speaks of the use of Kriya Kundalini pranayama techniques and the use of kaya kalpa herbal formulae for the attainment of Self realization and ultimately self transformation extending to the physical body.


[1] The material in this chapter is based upon the life story of the Siddha Boganathar narrated by Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah in his introduction to the third volume of the collected works of Boganathar, Bogar Kandam Yogam: Babaji's Yoga of Boganathar. and notes in lectures.
[2] Authoritities quoted by Bancroft in the Pacific States, Vol. V., 23-24.
[3] See "The Wandering Taoist", by Deng Ming-Dao, 1983 for a contemporary account of Taoist immortals and their practices in China, and "The Tao and Chinese Culture" by Da Liu, 1979 for a description of the highest goal of Taoist practices, "golden" immortality.
[4] It is here that Macchamuni (Macchendranatha), one of his disciples, later composed the first great treatise on the scientific art of Kriya Tantra Yoga, from which arose the Kalpia and Kapalika tantric traditions.

Siddha Brigu

Maharishi Bhrigu was one of the seven great sages, one of the Saptarshis in ancient India, one of many Prajapatis (the facilitators of Creation) created by Brahma (The God of Creation) , the first compiler of predictive astrology, and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita, the astrological (Jyotish) classic written during the Vedic period, Treta yuga, most probably around 3000 BC 

Bhrigu is a ManasaPutra (wish-born-son) of Lord Brahma, who simply wished him into existence, to assist in the process of creation, for this reason he is also considered one of the Prajapatis.

He is married to Khyati, the daughter of Daksha. He has two sons by her, named Dhata and Vidhata His daughter Shri, was married Lord Vishnu (Narayana). Thus in some traditions, Laxmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu is said to be his daughter.

He had one more son, who is better known than Bhrigu himself - Shukra. The sage Chyavana is also said to be his son. [Maha:1.5]

In scriptures
Sage Bhrigu finds mention in the Vayu Purana, where he shown present during the great Yagna of Daksha Prajapati (his father-in-law)

Bhrigu clan
The Bhrigus, also known as Bhargavas, are a clan of sages descending from the ancient fire-priest Bhrigu. They instituted the ritual of offering the juice of the Soma plant to the old deities. Some of them were also warriors in addition to being priests. The Bhrigus are intimately linked with the composition of the Atharva-Veda.

The prominent personalities (pravara) mentioned in the puranas of this clan include: Bhargava, Chyavana, Aaplavaana, Aurava, Jamadagnya (Son of Jamadagni, Parusharama).

The illustrious Bhrigu was born from Brahman. The learned Sukra is Bhrigu’s son. The planet Sukra (Planet Venus) is named after him. He became the spiritual guide of both the Daityas (enemies of Gods) and the Devas (Gods). Bhrigu begot another excellent son. This was Chyavana. Arushi, the daughter of Manu, became the wife of Chyavana. And, on her was begotten Aurva of great reputation. Aurva begot Richika. And Richika begot Jamadagni.


Bhrigu Samhita
Bhrigu is credited as the father of Hindu astrology and the first astrological treatise Bhrigu Samhita is attributed to his authorship. This treatise is said to contain over 5 million horoscopes, in which he wrote down the fate of every being in the universe. According to popular tradition, only about a hundredth of these horoscopes have survived to this age.The Bhrigu Samhita is an astrological (jyotish) classic attributed to Maharishi Bhrigu during the Vedic period, although the available evidence suggests that it was compiled over a period of time by the various sishyas (students in the lineage) of Maharishi Bhrigu.

Maharishi Bhrigu was the first compiler of predictive astrology. He compiled about 500,000 horoscopes and recorded the life details and events of various persons. This formed a database for further research and study. This study culminated in the birth of the science (shastra) of determining the quality of time (Hora) and is the Brihat Parasara Hora Shastra. These Horoscopes were based upon the planetary positions of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu (North Node of the Moon) and Ketu (South Node of the Moon). After that, Maharishi Bhrigu gave his predictions on different types of horoscopes compiled by him with the help of Lord Ganesha in a brief and concise manner. The total permutations/ possible horoscope charts that can be drawn with this is about 45 million.

During foreign invasions of India by Muslim warriors from the north west in the 12th and 13th centuries, the brahmin community became dispersed all over India. The invaders captured these prime assets of the brahmins. Some parts of the 'Bhrigu Samhita' were taken away by them. The most unfortunate and destructive event was the destruction of the Nalanda university library where several thousands of the horoscopes compiled by Maharashi Bhrigu had been stored. Only a small percentage of the original horoscopes of Bhrigu Samhita remained with the brahmin community which are now scattered throughout various parts of India

Test of the divine Trinity
In a popular legend involving sage Bhrigu, once he participated in a debate concerning who among the Trimurti (Divine trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) is greater and worthy of receiving fruits of a yagna. On the suggestion of celestial sage, Narada, Bhrigu, the sage who had an extra eye in the sole of his foot, first visited Brahma and Shiva, both of whom, when they learned of his quest, sought to impress him with their power.

However when he reached Vaikunta, the abode of Vishnu, he saw that the god was fast asleep. Brighu called to him many times, but could not wake him up. Angered, he kicked the God on his chest. This woke Vishnu up, and immediately he started pressing the sage's feet, asking him if he had hurt his feet in kicking his hard chest. In the process, Vishnu also destroyed the third eye that Bhrigu had on his foot, which signifies his false ego [7]. Upon seeing the humility of the God, Bhrigu learned the answer that he had been seeking for so long.

Bhringi

According to Hindu mythology, Parangi (the wanderer) was an ancient sage (rishi), and a great devotee of Shiva,the Hindu God of destruction and rejuvenation. The legend  states that he had Two legs. According to mythology, all the rishis once paid homage to both Shiva and Parvati, the second consort of Shiva, but Parangi would not worship Parvati and dedicated himself solely to Shiva. Enraged, Parvati reduced Parangi to a skeleton. In this form he was not able to stand and so Shiva provided him with a third leg. Bhringi remained undaunted, and continued to worship only Shiva. To force him to worship Parvati as well, Shiva transformed himself into his androgynous form of Ardhanarishvara, in which state he was combined with his consort Parvati. Parangi remained undeterred. Transformed himself in a bee, he bored his way through the male part of androgynous Shiva and continued his worship. He generally appears beside Shiva during his cosmic dance of tandava.

Chyavana

In Hindu mythology, Chyavana (चित्रांगद) was a great sage, who had done penances for several years. He was powerful enough to oppose the Vajra of Indra and was responsible for the Ashwini Kumaras getting their share of the sacrificial offerings. The story of his creation is the Mada.

He was married to Sukanya, a princess. Chyavana Rishi Ashram situated at chanani Ghazipur.

Dadhichi

  Dadhichi, also known as Dadhyancha, is an important character in Hindu Mythology. He is revered amongst the greatest of sages and is portrayed as an example that no sacrifice is too great when the result is the good of the world.Dadhichi is corrupt form of dadhyanch/dadhyang, and it is derived from "dhadhya" means curd in Sanskrit as pointed out by great Sanskrit scholar Panini himself.Dhadya+ang means body takes strength from curd. He was among one of the greatest among clan of bhrigus. He is credited with giving up his life in order to allow the Devas to use his bones to make weapons to defeat the Asura Vritra.

 
Biography
Dadhichi was the son of Atharvan a rishi and his wife Chitti(Bhaagvat Puraan, 4/1), who was the son of Brahma .Chitti was sage kardam daughter. His wife's name was Swarcha (or other) mentioned at few places and his son was Pippalada, a great sage himself, who is supposed to be associated with the Pippalada school of thought and associated with the origin of the Praśna Upanishad.He had established his ashram in Misrikh, in Namishyaranya near Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India[1].Namishyaranya has been cited in all of the puranas as the place of his ashram, where it is still in existence. His name is seen to occur in the 1st mandala of Rigveda, Bhagavata Purana, Srimad Devi Bhagavatam and in the Puranas). He is said to be the forefather of many other great rishis and various clans, such as the Dadhich in India claim to be his descendants.

Dadhichi has believed to authoured famous composition of "Narayanm Kawacham" , which is quite popular in southern India and hymmed for power & peace.His bones are marked as symbol on the India's highest gallant award "parm veer chakra" as "vajra".He was a passer-by of Madhuvidhya to ashvin kumars which he learned himself from others.

Legends
Dadhichi is associated with many Hindu legends and is sometimes portrayed as having a horse's head.[citation needed]

Ashvashira - The One With The Horse's Head
Dadhichi was said to be a master of a vedic art known as Brahmavidya (Madhuvidya) that would enable mortals to attain immortality[2]. Indra the King of the Devas felt his position was insecure with such power in the hands of a mortal man, especially one with as much power as Dadhichi possessed by virtue of being a rishi. Indra was also against the Ashwini twins learning Brahmavidya and swore that he would behead the one who taught them the art. However the Ashwini twins, wished to learn this art and devised a plan to protect Dadhichi from Indra's power. They learnt the art from Dadhichi after cutting off his head, preserving it and replacing it with one from a horse. Indra in his wrath beheaded the horse-headed sage and left. The Ashwini twins then put Dadhichi's head back and revived him with the Madhuvidya that he had taught them. This was how the sage came to be called Ashvashira - The One with the Horse's head.

 Indra and Vritra - The Tale of the Vajrayudha
Indra the King of the devas was once driven out of devaloka by an asura named Vritra. The asura was the recipient of a boon whereby he could not be killed by any weapon that was known till the date of his receiving the boon and additionally that no weapon made of wood or metal could harm him.[3])Indra, who had lost all hope of recovering his kingdom was said to have approached Shiva who could not help him. Indra along with Shiva and Brahma went to seek the aid of Vishnu. Vishnu revealed to Indra that only the weapon made from the bones of the sage Dadhichi would defeat Vritra. Indra and the other devas therefore approached the sage, whom Indra had once beheaded, and asked him for his aid in defeating Vritra. Dadhichi acceded to the devas' request but said that he wished that he had time to go on a pilgrimage to all the holy rivers before he gave up his life for them. Indra then brought together all the waters of the holy rivers to Naimisharanya, thereby allowing the sage to have his wish fulfilled without a further loss of time. Dadhichi is then said to have given up his life by the art of Yoga after which the Devas fashioned the Vajrayudha from his spine. This weapon was then used to defeat the asura, allowing Indra to reclaim his place as the King of devaloka

Another version of the story exists where Dadhichi was asked to safeguard the weapons of the devas as they were unable to match the arcane arts being employed by the asuras to obtain them. Dadhichi is said to have kept at the task for a vary long time and finally tiring of the job, he is said to have dissolved the weapons in sacred water which he drank.) The devas returned a long time later and asked him to return their weapons so that they might defeat the asuras, headed by Vritra, once in for all. Dadhichi however told them of what he had done and informed them that their weapons were now a part of his bones. However, Dadhichi, realising that his bones were the only way by which the devas could defeat the asuras willingly gave his life in a pit of mystical flames he summoned with the power of his austerities. Brahma is then said to have fashioned a large number of weapons from Dadhichi's bones, including the Vajrayudha, which was fashioned from his spine. The devas are then said to have defeated the asuras using the weapons thus created.

Dattatreya

Dattatreya (Sanskrit: दत्तात्रेय, Dattātreya) or Datta is considered by Hindus to be god who is an incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The word Datta means "Given", Datta is called so because the divine trinity have "given" themselves in the form of a son to the sage couple Atri and Anasuya. He is the son of Atri, hence the name "Atreya."

In the Nath tradition, Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of the Lord Shiva and as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Nathas. Although Dattatreya was at first a "Lord of Yoga" exhibiting distinctly Tantric traits,[citation needed] he was adapted and assimilated into the more 'devotional' (Sanskrit: bhakti) Vaishnavite cults; while still worshiped by millions of Hindus, he is approached more as a benevolent god than as a teacher of the highest essence of Indian thought. Dattreya is the author of Tripura Rahasya given to Parsurama, best treatise on Advaita Vedanta.
 

Life
Though the Dattatreya of the Natha tradition coexisted and intermingled with the Puranic, Brahmanical tradition of the Datta sampradaya, here focus is almost exclusively on the earlier Tantric manifestation of Datta.[citation needed]
 

Birth
Sage Narada praised Anusuya's "pativratyam" (Devotion to her husband) a lot before the wives of Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva making them jealous of her. They requested their husbands to reduce her pativratyam. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva went to Anusuya as guests when Atri was not there at home and asked her to serve them food. When she agreed to do so, they said that they will accept her alms on the condition that she serves them without wearing clothes. Anasuya falls into a dilemma. If she comes without clothes in front of other men her pativratyam will be reduced. If she refuses then that is dishonour to the guests and they can take away all the power of Atri. Anasuya felt that the three guests who asked such a strange favour are not normal people since they are trying to place her in a tricky situation. Anasuya prayed to her husband in her mind and said that she doesn't have any fear serving them without clothes as she is not affected by lust. Since the guests asked for alms saying "Bhavati Bhikshan Dehi" (Oh Mother! Give us some food) and indirectly called her a mother. She decided that she will consider them as her children and serve them as requested. Because of her greatness and as per her thinking by the time she came to serve food the three gods became small children and her breasts started producing milk. She then breastfed them and put them to sleep in a cradle. Atri came back afterwards and hearing the story from Anasusuya praised the three gods sleeping in the cradle. They woke up in their original form and praised Anasuya's pativratyam and gave her a boon. Anasuya requested that these three should be born as her children—the incarnation of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma as sage Durvasa, Dattareya and the moon-god Chandra.[citation needed] In Mahabharata,[1] Dattatreya is referred to as from the family tree of sage Atri rather than as son of sage Atri. The epic Shishupal Vadha (execution of Shishupala) of poet Magha also refers (14.79) to Dattatreya to be from Atri's family tree and not as his son.
 

Travels
Dattatreya left home at an early age to wander naked in search of the Absolute. He seems to have spent most of his life wandering in the area between and including North Karnataka, through Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, and into Gujarat as far as the Narmada River. He attained realization at a place not far from the town now known as Gangapura in North Karnataka. The original footprints of Datta are believed to be located on the lonely peak at Girnar. The Tripura-rahasya refers to the disciple Parasurama finding Datta meditating on Gandhamadana mountain.
 

Gurus
According to Brahma Purana, after an order from his father, sage Atri, Dattatreya sat on the banks of river Gautami and prayed to Shiva and finally earned the Brahmagyaan (Eternal Knowledge). This is possibly the reason why Dattatreya is considered as Adisiddha in Nath Sampradaya.

In the Uddhava Gita a song embedded in the Bhagavata Purana, there is a story of Dattatreya sung by Krishna which enumerates a list of his twenty-four gurus: earth, air, sky or ether, water, fire, sun, moon, python, pigeons, sea, moth, bee, bull elephant, bear, deer, fish, osprey, a child, a maiden, a courtesan, a blacksmith, serpent, spider, and wasp. The 24 Gurus of Dattateya come from the 24 gurus of Avadhut described in the Purana.
 

His disciples
The disciples of Dattatreya are: Kartavirya Arjuna, Parasuram, Yadu, Alarka, Ayu and Prahlad. These are known from Puranas. There is one more by name Sankruti described in Avadhutopanishad and Jaabaaldarshanopanishad.
 

As an avatar
In The Pathless Path to Immortality, Mahendranath writes:

"Shri Dattatreya was a dropout of an earlier age than the period when Veda and Tantra merged to become one simple cult. It was men like Dattatreya who helped to make this possible. Three of his close disciples were kings, one an Asura and the other two both belonging to the warrior caste. Dattatreya himself was regarded as an avatar of Maheshwara (Shiva) but later was claimed by Vaishnavites as the avatar of Vishnu. Not such a sectarian claim as it appears; Hindus regard Shiva and Vishnu as the same or as manifestations of the Absolute taking form."[unreliable source?]

Indeed, the Dattatreya Upanisad, which opens proclaiming Dattatreya's identity with Vishnu, ends with the mantra Om Namah Shivaya, identifying Datta with Shiva. In the last portion of the third chapter, Mahesvara (Shiva) alone is said to pervade reality and shine in every heart of man. He alone is in front, behind, to the left, to the right, below, above, everywhere the center. Finally, Mahesvara is identified with Dattatreya, depicting the latter as an Avatara of Shiva.

The nectar of the honey-bee
Rigopoulos (1998: p.xii) conveys the motif of the '"honey bee" Yogin' (as an aside, the literary point of origin of this motif may be the Nad-Bindu Upanishad of the Rig Veda) common to nondual Dharmic Traditions and champions Dattatreya as the archetypal model of inclusionism and syncretism by implication:

"Furthermore, the unfolding of the Dattātreya icon illustrates the development of Yoga as a synthetic and inclusive body of ideologies and practices. Although fundamentally a jñāna-mūrti, Dattātreya is a "honey bee" Yogin: one whose character and teachings are developed by gathering varieties of Yoga's flowers. For all religious groups whose propensity it is to include ideas, practices, and teaching from the ocean of traditions, Dattātreya is truly a paradigm."
 

Iconography
Dattatreya is usually depicted with three heads, symbolising Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; past, present and future; creation, preservation and destruction; and the three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep. He is portrayed sitting in meditation with his shakti beneath the 'wish tree' (Sanskrit: Kalpavriksha) with the 'wish cow' (Sanskrit: Kamadhenu) attendant. In front of him is a 'fire pit' (Sanskrit: Agnihotra) or 'pit' (Sanskrit: homa) the receiver of the oblation of 'sacrifice' (Sanskrit: yajna), and around him are four dogs.
 

Dogs
Werness (2004: p.138) ventures the semiology of the four dogs each of a different colour oft-depicted in Dattatreya iconography as holding the valence of the four Vedas:

"Pre-Vedic Indian dogs were regarded as auspicious symbols, and later deities assumed dog forms, became associated with dogs, and were linked with the glory and fidelity of warriors. Four different-coloured dogs accompanied the Dattatreya, who represented the four Vedas...".[3]

Dogs also held the cultural significance of 'dog eaters' (Sanskrit: candala) those who existed beyond the confines of Varnashrama Dharma. Dogs are also both wild, tame and symbols of fidelity and 'devotion' (Sanskrit: Bhakti).
 

Origins
Dattatreya is one of the oldest of the deities. The first reference of this deity is found in epics like Mahabharata[4] and Ramayana.

In the Dattatreya Upanishad which is a part of the Atharva Veda, he is described as being able to appear in the form of a child, madman, or demon in order to help his devotees achieve moksha, liberation from the bonds of worldly existence.[5]

The single head for Dattatreya can be explained if one sees the Tantric traditions which prevailed in India about 1000 years back. It was Gorakshanath who changed removed the aghori traditions and made the Nath sampradaya in the acceptable civil form of today. Dattatreya must have been a very powerful sage existing before this time and over the centuries sometime he was deified to the form of Dattatreya. The three heads have come definitely later in the last 900 years or so.[6]
 

Avatars
Dattatreya incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Siva and his avatars- Shripad Shri Vallabha, Sri Nrusimha Saraswati and Swami Samarth Maharaj.

Dattatreya is supposed to have taken 16 avatars. The names and their birthdate (as per the Lunar calendar) are given in brackets.

1. Yogiraaj (Kaartik Shu.15)
2. Atrivarad (Kaartik Kru.1)
3. Dattatreya (Kaartik Kru.2)
4. Kaalaagnishaman (Maargashirsha Shu.14)
5. Yogijanvallabh (Maargashirsha Shu.15)
6. Lilaavishambhar (Paush Shu.15)
7. Siddharaaj (Maagh Shu.15)
8. Dnyaasaagar (Faalgun Shu.10)
9. Vishambhar (Chaitra Shu.15)
10. Maayaamukta (Vaishaakh Shu.15)
11. Maayaamukta (Jyeshtha Shu.13)
12. Aadiguru (Aashaadh Shu.15)
13. Shivarup (Shraavan Shu.8)
14. Devdev (Bhaadrapad Shu.14)
15. Digambar (Aashwin Shu.15)
16. Krishnashyaamkamalnayan (Kaartik Shu.12)

There is a book written by Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati on these 16 avatars. In Dasopanta tradition, all 16 are worshiped and Dasopanta is considered as the 17th avatara.

In Datta Sampradaya the first avatar is Shripad Shri Vallabh and the second is Narasimha Saraswati. Also Akkalkot Swami Samarth, Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati (Tembe Swami, Sawantwadi)) Manik Prabhu, Krishna Saraswati , Shirdi Sai Baba (Shirdi, Maharashtra), Ganapathi Sachchidananda (Mysore, Karnataka) are considered as avatars of Dattatreya.

The Upanishads Avadhutopanishad and Jaabaaldarshanopanishad mention that the philosophy is given by Dattatreya.
 

Tripura Rahasya
The Tripura-rahasya (The Secret of [the goddess] Tripura) is believed to be an abbreviated version of the original Datta Samhita or Dakshinamurti Samhita traditionally ascribed to Dattatreya. This more lengthy work was summarized by Dattatreya's disciple Paramasura, whose disciple, Sumedha Haritayana, scribed the text. Thus, this text is sometimes referred to as the Haritayana Samhita.

The Tripura-rahasya is divided into three parts. The first part, the Mahatmya Khanda or section on the goddess is concerned with the origin, mantra and yantra of the goddess Tripura, also known as Lalita or Lalita Tripurasundari. The Jnana Khanda or section on knowledge elaborates on the themes of consciousness, manifestation, and liberation. Unfortunately, the last part, Charya Khanda or section on conduct, has been lost and some believe destroyed.

In the Tantric tradition, the Tripuropastipaddhati is supposed to have been written by Shri Dattareya. This is mentioned in Tripurarahasya. The summary of tantra in the Parashuramkalpasutram is also supposed to have been written by Shri Dattatreya.
 

Avadhuta Gita
According to the International Nath Order of the Nath Sampradaya, the Avadhuta Gita is a distillation of the sublime realization sung by Dattatreya and transcribed by two of his disciples, Swami and Kartika.[8] Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) held it in high esteem. Originally a work of seven chapters, a spurious and misogynistic eighth chapter may be a later attempt to append sexual morality to the Natha tradition by a conservative ascetic. Some of the ideas in this Gita are however common to both Shaivite, and Buddhist Tantras and Vaishnava Agamas.
 

Dattatreya traditions
Following are the various traditions of Dattatreya described in brief. Mainly the traditions are from Gujarath, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Considering the languagewise literature, they are from Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada and Telugu languages.[9]
 

Puranic tradition
The ancients disciples of Dattatreya are already described in the above sections. Among these, Karatavirya Sahasrajun was the most favourite of Dattatreya. The other ones are, Alarka (alias Madalasa-garbharatna), King Aayu from Somavansha, King Yadu (son of Yayaati and Devayaani) of Yadavs (Krishna's dynasty) and Shri Parashurama alias Bhargava. There is one more by name Saankruti, who is mentioned in Avadhutopanishad and Jabalopanishad.
 

Shri Gurucharitra tradition
This tradition follows from Shripad Shrivallabha and Shri Narasimha Saraswati. Several very famous Datta-avatars are from this tradition. Some names are, Shri Janardanswami, Eknath, Dasopant, Niranjan Raghunath, Narayan Maharaj Jalwankar, Manik Prabhu, Swami Samarth, Sai Baba of Shirdi, Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati et al. The disciples of Shri Narasimha Saraswati were, Trivikrambharati from Kumasi, Sayamdev, Nagnath, Devrao Gangadhar and Saraswati Gangadhar from Kadaganchi. There are two major traditions started by Shri Swami Samarth of Akkalkot and Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati alias Tembe Swami and are described in their respective articles.
 

Niranjan Ragunath tradition
His original name was Avadhut, but his guru Shri Raghunathswami renamed him as Niranjan. He had several disciples in Maharashtra in Nashik, Junnar, Kalamb, Kolhapur, Meeraj etc, to name a few are Ramchandra Tatya Gokhale, Govindarao Nana Patwardhan-shastri etc. His heritage seems to have gone beyond Surat, Baroda, Girnar and north of Jhansi. The most famous disciple of Niranjan Raghunath is Narayan Maharaj Jalwankar. Narayan Maharaj mainly worked in Malva region. Sapta Sagar is one of his well known literature. Heritage continued with Shri Lakshman Maharaj. He was from Indore. Balbhim Maharaj Sadekar was his disciple. Balbhim Maharaj was an engineer living in Sadegaon. He called himself Gurupadicha veda i.e. Mad for Guru.

Shri Satguru Bhagirathinath Maharaj also hailed from Indore. She was born at Nashik in Kolhatkar family. She had attraction for god from early age. After Balbhim Maharaj, she faced strong opposition as people were not ready for a Woman Guru. She worked mainly for upliftment of ladies and poor needy people. She was master in Kirtanas. She wrote a drama Brahmatmabodh, a book Anandpadaver Chauda Chaukadyanche Rajya and many psams(Bhajans). Her disciples have migrated to England, America and Africa.She was constructed a big temple in Pune. The name of temple is Balbhim bhuvan.Bhalbhim is her loving and Kind Guru name.

Dattatreya Mahadev Cholkar was one of the blessed discliples of Bhagirathinath Maharaj. Although he was blind physically, he was very clever in his teaching methods. He wrote original Brahmatmabodh in poetic form. Bhagirathinath appreciated it, modified and rewritten it in simple text form. He written more than 4000 psams(unpublished). He was very good in kirtanas just like Bhagirathinath Maharaj.

Sri Dattatreya Mahadev Cholkar had constructed a huge temple in Yavatmal (Maharashatra). The name of Temple is Shri Bhagirathi Guru Mandir.Daily discourse and advait Kirtans and Programs conducted by Management of the Temple.'

Shri Satguru Samartha Madhurinath is also loving and studies disciple of Sri Dattatreya Mahadev Cholkar. She started preaching as Satguru in 1994. Being a professor by profession, she persuades uneducated as well as highly qualified people with equal ease. She demonstrates her disciples how to meditate with the divine and how to devote and serve the almighty in our daily routine life. Datta Bhagirathi Ogh, Biddhibodh, Bodhasaramrut, Mayavivaran and Shri Abhedbodh are her books written in marathi. Good Behaviour, a way to Universal Integrity is her admired book in English. Many knowledge seekers are benefitted from her even today. She lives in Gorai, Borivali which is in Mumbai and continues work of spreading awareness of almighty.

The philosophy of this tradition is mainly Bhagawat Dharma (religion), Sampradaya (sect) is attatreya and Marga (path) is Vihangam (Bird like).

Sakalmat Sampradaya tradition
The meaning of sakalmat is, all faiths are accepted (Sakala means All and mata means opinion, but here we have to take the meaning as faith). This is a form of Datta-sampradaya which is called Rajyogi or Royal type. Shri Chaitanya Dev is the main worshipped god here and this sampradaya one views gold, pearls, diamonds, expensive clothes and music, art etc as part of tradition. Here poor and rich are considered as the same. Thus all the materialistic items are viewed at par with nothing. The philosophy of this tradition is that there is no resistance to any kind of religious faiths in the world. All faiths are believed to give the ultimate godliness to its followers. This tradition was started by Shri Manik Prabhu of Humanabad. Hindus, Muslims and people of all castes are allowed here. Some disciples of this tradition are, Bapacharya, Narayan Dikshit, Chimnya Bramhachari, Gopalbua.[13]
[edit] Avadhut Panth tradition

The Avadhut panth or sect was started by Shri Pantmaharaj Balekundrikar of Balekundri near Belgaum. More information of the Avadhut philosophy and tradition is described in the article on avadhut. The main disciples of this tradition are, Govindaraoji, Gopalraoji, Shankarraoji, Vamanrao and Narasimharao. These are all called "Panta-bandhu"s i.e. Panta-brothers. This sampradaya is spread across Balekundri, Daddi, Belgaum, Akol, Kochari, Nerali, Dharwad, Gokak, Hubali.

In Gujarat
Girnar is a famous place in the Datta-sampradaya and is situated in Saurashtra, Gujarat. Shri Vamanbua Vaidya from Baroda is from the tradition of Shri Kalavit Swami. His philosophical tradition is furthered by Saswadkar, and Pattankar. The temple of Narasimha Saraswati in Baroda continues this tradition of Dattatreya devotion. The main Dattatreya devotees who spread the Datta-panth in Gujarat were Pandurang Maharaj of Naareshwar and Shrirang Avadhut. Gujarati books like Dattabavani and Gurulilamrut are quite famous. Dr. H. S. Joshi has written the book Origin and Development of Dattatreya Worship in India.

In Karnataka
The town of Ganagapur, where Dattatreya is said to have attained realization lies on the banks of River Bhima in Gulbarga district of North Karnataka.The following information is taken from the letters and articles written by late Shri Vishwanath Keshav Kulkarni-Hattarwatkar from Belgaum and one of the experts of Datta-tradition in Karnataka. Dattatreya tradition is quite rich in the adjacent states of Maharashtra. In fact the Gurucharitrakar Shri Saraswati Gangadhar was himself a Kannadiga. Other than him there have been numerous disciples and Dattatreya devotees from the northern part of Karnataka. Some famous names are Shridharswami, Narayanmaharaj from Kedgaon, SiddheshwaraMaharaj from Sadhoghat, Siddharudh Swami from Hubali et al.

Shripantamaharaj Balekundrikar has also written several Kannada poems on Dattatreya worship. Several places such as Borgaon, Chikodi, Kunnur, Sadalaga, Balekundri, Shahapur, Nipani, Hubali, Hangal, Dharwad etc have Dattatreya temples or some places have Narasimha temples who is also considered to be an incarnation of Dattatreya. In fact it appears that Shri Narasimha Saraswati and some of his disciples used to worship this form of Dattatreya.The Last Maharaja of Mysore, His Highness Sri.Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur has written a book,Dattatreya: The Way and the Goal in English. The book is written mainly to comment on Jeevanmuktageeta and Avadhutgeeta. The last chapter is A Critical Estimate of the Philosophy of Dattatreya where all the Dattatreya philosophy and work has been described in detail.

In Andhra Pradesh
The first avatara of Dattatreya, Shri Shripad Shrivallabha was from Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh. As per the article by Prof. N. Venkatarao,[15] he describes several connections of Dattatreya tradition with those in Maharashtra. Maatapur or Mahur which is now located in Maharashtra was part of Telangana region in old days. The head of Mahur temple is called Dattatreya Yogi.

Around 1550 CE, Dattatreya Yogi taught the Dattatreya philosophy to his disciple Das Gosavi in Marathi. Das Gosavi then taught this philosophy to his two Telugu disciples Gopalbhatt and Sarvaved who studied and translated Das Gosavi's book of Vedantavyavaharsangraha into Telugu language. According Prof. R. C. Dhere, DattatreyaYogi and Das Gosavi are the original gurus in the Telugu Dattatreya tradition. Prof. Rao states that Dattatreya Shatakamu was written by Paramanandateertha who is equally important in his contributions to the Telugu tradition of Dattatreya. He was a proponent of Advaita philosophy and dedicated his two epics, Anubhavadarpanamu and Shivadnyanamanjari to Shri Dattatreya. His famous Vivekachintamani book was translated into Kannada by Nijashivagunayogi and Lingayat saint Shanatalingaswami translated this into Marathi. :

The Telugu Nath parampara is Dattatreya-> Janardan -> Eko Janardan -> Naraharimahesh -> Nagojiram -> Koneruguru -> Mahadevguru -> Parashurampantul Lingamurthy and Gurumurthy. Dattatreyayogi tradition is, Dattatreyayogi -> Paramanandateertha

Sadanandayogi
 Challasuraya
 Ishwar Panibhatt
 Dhenukonda Timayya
 Mallan
 Chintalingaguru
 Yogananda
 Timmaguru
 Rambrahmendra
 Kumbhampati Narappa

Devala

In Hinduism, Devala was one of the great rishis or sages. He is acknowledged to be a great authority like Narada and Vyasa and is mentioned by Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita.

Dirghatamas

Dīrghatamas (Devanagari:दीर्घतमस) was an ancient sage well-known for his philosophical verses in the RgVeda. He was author of Suktas (hymns) 140 to 164 in the first Mandala (section) of the RgVeda.

Background

Dirghatamas was one of the Angirasa Rishis, the oldest of the Rishi families, and regarded as brother to the Rishi Bharadvaja, who is the seer of the sixth Mandala of the Rig Veda. Dirghatamas is also the chief predecessor of the Gotama family of Rishis that includes Kakshivan, Gotama, Nodhas and Vamadeva (seer of the fourth Mandala of the Rig Veda), who along with Dirghatamas account for almost 150 of the 1000 hymns of the Rig Veda. His own verses occur frequently in many Vedic texts, a few even in the Upanishads.

He was the reputed purohit or chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), one of the earliest kings of the land, after whom India was named as Bharata (the traditional name of the country).

Birth
Bhishma tells the narrative of the birth of Dirghatamas in the Mahabharata (book1, Adi Parva, CIV): "There was in olden days a wise Rishi of the name of Utathya. He had a wife of the name Mamata whom he dearly loved. One day Utathya's younger brother Brihaspati, the priest of the celestials, endued with great energy, approached Mamata. The latter, however, told her husband's younger brother—that foremost of eloquent men—that she had conceived from her connection with his elder brother and that, therefore, he should not then seek for the consummation of his wishes. She continued, 'O illustrious Brihaspati, the child that I have conceived hath studied in his mother's womb the Vedas with the six Angas, Semen tuum frustra perdi non potest. How can then this womb of mine afford room for two children at a time? Therefore, it behoveth thee not to seek for the consummation of thy desire at such a time. Thus addressed by her, Brihaspati, though possessed of great wisdom, succeeded not in suppressing his desire. Quum auten jam cum illa coiturus esset, the child in the womb then addressed him and said, 'O father, cease from thy attempt. There is no space here for two. O illustrious one, the room is small. I have occupied it first. Semen tuum perdi non potest. It behoveth thee not to afflict me.' But Brihaspati without listening to what that child in the womb said, sought the embraces of Mamata possessing the most beautiful pair of eyes. Ille tamen Muni qui in venture erat punctum temporis quo humor vitalis jam emissum iret providens, viam per quam semen intrare posset pedibus obstruxit. Semen ita exhisum, excidit et in terram projectumest. And the illustrious Brihaspati, beholding this, became indignant, and reproached Utathya's child and cursed him, saying, 'Because thou hast spoken to me in the way thou hast at a time of pleasure that is sought after by all creatures,perpetual darkness shall overtake thee.' And from this curse of the illustrious Brishaspati Utathya's child who was equal unto Brihaspati in energy, was born blind and came to be called Dirghatamas (enveloped in perpetual darkness). And the wise Dirghatamas, possessed of a knowledge of the Vedas, though born blind, succeeded yet by virtue of his learning, in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahmana maiden of the name of Pradweshi. And having married her, the illustrious Dirghatamas, for the expansion of Utathya's race, begat upon her several children with Gautama as their eldest.

Asya Vamasya Hymn
Dirghatamas is famous for his paradoxical apothegms[1]. His mantras are enigmas: “He who knows the father below by what is above, and he who knows the father who is above by what is below is called the poet.”

The Asya Vamasya (RgVeda 1.164) is one of the sages most famous poems. Early scholars (such as Deussen in his Philosophy of the Upanisads) tried to say that the poems of Dirghatamas were of a later nature because of there content, but this has no linguistic support which has been argued by modern Sanskrit scholars (such as Dr. C. Kunhan Raja in his translation of the Asya Vamasya Hymn). The reason earlier western scholars believed it was of a later origin is because of the monist views found there. They believed that early Vedic religion was pantheistic and a monist view of god evolved later in the Upanisads- but the poems of Dirghtamas (1.164.46) which say "there is One Being (Ekam Sat) which is called by many names" proves this idea incorrect.

Earliest Mention of the Zodiac

Some scholars have claimed that the Babylonians invented the zodiac of 360 degrees around 700 BCE, perhaps even earlier. Many claim that India received the knowledge of the zodiac from Babylonia or even later from Greece. However, as old as the Rig Veda, the oldest Vedic text, there are clear references to a chakra or wheel of 360 spokes placed in the sky. The number 360 and its related numbers like 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 108, 432 and 720 occur commonly in Vedic symbolism. It is in the hymns of the Rishi Dirghatamas (RV I.140 - 164) that we have the clearest such references.
[edit] Famous Sayings

A number of famous sayings originate from the verses of Dirghatamas.

Another one bites the dust The first time the phrase “bites the dust” appears is in the Rgveda (1.158.4-5) where the poet Dirgatama has a prayer to the divine doctors and says ‘may the turning of the days not tire me, may the fires not burn me, may I not bite the earth, may the waters not swallow me’. There are disputes on what “bites the dirt” means in sayana’s commentary in the 14th century- which means the phrase had gone out of style in India at this time as most people began to be cremated instead of buried. But we can see Dirgatama is using it as a prayer from death- such as don’t let me die and be burned, or die and be buried, or die and be thrown in the river. [Dust and dirt are often used interchangeably in old translations]

That said, the meaning of bites the dust would be – to die and be buried in the earth. It can also be used figuratively as something that has failed (or is in a state where it is as if it was dead and buried). Another one bites the dust is another one dead and buried- or another one finished

Divodasa

Divodāsa ("heaven's servant") is a name of a tribal king in the Rigveda (celebrated for his liberality and protected by Indra and the Ashvins in the Rigveda, RV 1.112.14; 1.116.18), the son of Vadhryashva RV 6.61.5. He is the father of the famous Sudas (RV 7.18.28) (of the Battle of the Ten Kings).

It is also the name of a king of Kashi surnamed Dhanvantari, founder of the Indian school of medicine.

Druvasa

In Hindu mythology, Durvasa (दुर्वास in Devanagari or durvāsa in IAST, pronounced [d̪urʋɑːsɐ] in classical Sanskrit), or Durvasas, was an ancient sage, the son of Atri and  Anasuya. He is supposed to be an incarnation of Shiva  He is known for his short temper. Maledictions or curses he gave in his rage ruined many lives. Hence, wherever he went, he was received with great reverence (out of fear) from humans and Devas alike. He is commonly portrayed as desiring to enjoy others' hospitality, and becoming exceedingly angry when hosts display any sort of impropriety or fail to please him as a guest. Conversely, hosts who serve him well are often blessed by him.

Durvasa is also known as one who wore torn/tattered clothes and purposely belittled himself to bring out the greatness of the devotees of the Lord. That is why he is also known as Bhagavan Durvasa.

Birth
According to Chapter 44 of the Brahmananda Purana, Brahma and Shiva once got into a heated quarrel. So violent was Shiva's rage as a result of this quarrel, that the Devas fled from his presence in fear. His consort, Parvati, complained that Shiva was now impossible to live with. Realising the disharmony his anger had caused, he decided to deposit this anger into Anasuya, the wife of sage Atri. From this portion of Shiva deposited into Anasuya, a child was born, who was named Durvasa (literally, one who is difficult to live with). Because he was born of Shiva's anger, he had an irascible nature.

The Bhagavata Purana gives a somewhat different account of Durvasa's birth. In this version, Atri performed severe penance to propitiate the Supreme Being in order to obtain a son by Anasuya who would be just like Him. Pleased with him, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (being but different manifestations of the Supreme) blessed the sage that portions of themselves would be born as his sons. In due course, Anasuya bore Soma (Brahma's incarnation), Dattatreya (Vishnu's), and Durvasa (Shiva's).


Role in the Churning of the Ocean
In the Vishnu, Vayu, and Padma Puranas, a curse that Durvasa laid upon Indra is described as the indirect reason for the famous churning of the ocean. The Bhagavata and Agni Puranas also mention Durvasa's involvement in the episode in passing, without going into the details. Other sources for this story, such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Harivamsa, and Matsya Purana, do not mention Durvasa's involvement at all, and ascribe the incident to other causes, such as the Devas' and Asuras' desire for immortality.

The story in the Vishnu Purana goes that Durvasa, while wandering the earth in a state of ecstasy due to a vow of insanity he was observing, came by a Vidyadhari (a nymph of the air) and demanded of her a heavenly wreath of flowers she was wearing. The nymph respectfully gave the garland to the sage, whereupon he wore it on his brow. Resuming his wanderings, the sage came across Indra riding his elephant, Airavata, attended by the gods. Durvasa, still in his state of frenzy, threw the garland at Indra, who caught it and placed it on Airavata's head. The elephant was irritated by the fragrance of the nectar in the flowers, so it threw the garland to the ground with its trunk. Durvasa was enraged to see his gift treated so callously and cursed Indra that he would be cast down from his position of dominion over the three worlds, just as the garland was cast down. Indra immediately begged Durvasa's forgiveness, but the sage refused to retract or even soften his curse, and went on his way. Because of the curse, Indra and the Devas were diminished in strength and shorn of their lustre. Seizing this opportunity, the Asuras led by Bali waged war against the gods. The gods were routed and turned to Brahma for help. Brahma directed them to seek refuge with Vishnu. Vishnu in turn, advised them to call a truce with the Asuras and work together with them to churn the Milky Ocean and obtain the Nectar of Immortality, on the pretext of sharing it with them. Vishnu promised that he would ensure only the Devas drank the Nectar and obtained immortality so they could once again defeat the Asuras. The Devas took Vishnu's advice and called their truce with the Asuras, and thus did the gods and demons begin planning their great enterprise.


Meeting with Ambarisha
Sage Durvasa's confrontation with Ambarisha is a famous story from the Bhagavata Purana. Ambarisha was a great devotee of Vishnu and adhered firmly to the truth. He performed a Yagnya with such great devotional fervour that Narayana was pleased to bless him with his Sudarshana Chakra ("Sudarshana" meaning "good-looking" or "beautiful"), as a shield of protection over him. Once, Ambarisha performed a religious rite known as the Ekadashi and Dvadashi Vrata, for 1 year (i.e. the king would fast on the 11th day of every lunar month, and break his fast the next day). After observing this practice for a year, he took up a final fast of 3 days and nights to conclude the rite. As the moment for breaking this fast drew near, sage Durvasa arrived where Ambarisha was and the king received him with due respect. Durvasa agreed to the king's request to be his honoured guest, and asked the king to wait until he had finished his bath in the river Yamuna. The auspicious moment soon arrived when the king had to break his fast to fulfill his vow, but Durvasa had not yet returned from his bath. Ambarisha was in a dilemma, as, on the one hand, it was impolite to take food before serving a guest, but on the other, the time had come for the fast to be broken. After consulting his priests, the king broke his fast by taking a sip of water, and awaited Durvasa's arrival to offer him food.

Durvasa felt that Ambarisha had violated the respect due to a guest by breaking his fast before the guest had taken his meal, and in his rage created a demon to kill Ambarisha, out of a strand of his hair. Narayana’s Sudarshana Chakra intervened, destroyed the demon and started chasing Durvasa himself. Durvasa went to Brahma and Shiva for protection. Both pleaded their inability to save him. Durvasa next went to Narayana himself, who said that he could do nothing as he was bound by the blemishless devotion of Ambarisha and suggested that the sage seek the king's pardon. Durvasa took this adivce and returned to Ambarisha, who prayed to Vishnu to recall the Sudarshana and save the sage, whereby the discuss ceased to afflict him.

However, a different story is given in the Shiva Purana.[citation needed] Ambarisha ended his vrata before serving Durvasa his meal and thus insulted sage, who was angered and decided to kill him. To protect Ambarisha, the Sudarshana came, but on seeing that Durvasa was Shiva himself (portrayed in the Shiva Purana as the Supreme Being), it stopped. Then Nandi told Ambarisha that he should beg Durvasa for forgiveness as he was none other than Shiva, there to test the king. Recognising this, Ambarisha took Nandi's advice and prayed to Durvasa, who, being gratified, blessed the king.


Durvasa and Shakuntala
In the Abhijñānashākuntala, written by Kalidasa, when the maiden Shakuntala ignored Durvasa's demands to be welcomed as a guest because she was daydreaming about her lover, Dushyanta, he cursed her that her lover would forget her. Horrified, Shakuntala's companions managed to mollify Durvasa, who softened the curse, saying that Dushyanta would remember Shakuntala when he saw the ring that he gave her as a token of their love. The sage's curse came true of course, and was eventually lifted, just as he said it would be. By the end of the play, the two lovers are reconciled, and are happy to be together again, along with their son, Bharata.


Durvasa, Rama, and Lakshmana
In the Uttara Kanda of Valmiki's Ramayana, Durvasa appears at Rama's doorstep, and seeing Lakshmana guarding the door, demands an audience with Rama. At the time, Rama was having a private conversation with Death disguised as an ascetic. Before the conversation began, Death gave Rama strict instructions that their dialogue was to remain confidential, and anyone who entered the room and saw or heard them was to be executed. Rama agreed and entrusted Lakshmana with the duty of guarding his door and fulfilling his promise to Death. Thus, when Durvasa made his demand, Lakshmana politely asked the sage to wait until Rama had finished his meeting. The sage grew angry and threatened to curse all of Ayodhya if Lakshmana did not immediately inform Rama of his arrival. Lakshmana, in a dilemma, decided it would be better that he alone die to save all of Ayodhya from falling under Durvasa's curse, and so interrupted Rama's meeting to inform him of the sage's arrival. Rama quickly concluded his meeting with Death and received the sage with due courtesy. Durvasa told Rama of his desire to be fed, and Rama fulfilled his guest's request, whereupon the satisfied sage went on his way. Rama was overcome with sorrow, for he did not want to kill his beloved brother, Lakshmana. Still, he had given his word to Death and could not go back on it. He called his advisers to help him resolve this quandary. On Vasishta's advice, he ordered Lakshmana to leave him for good, since such abandonment was equivalent to death as far as the pious were concerned. Lakshmana then went to the banks of the Sarayu, resolved on giving up the ghost via Yoga. Unseen by anyone, Indra took him to heaven.


Durvasa and Kunti
In the Mahābhārata, Durvasa is known for granting boons to those who had pleased him, particularly when he had been served well as an honoured guest. An example of such behaviour is the episode between him and Kunti (the future wife of Pandu and mother of the Pandavas). When Kunti was a young girl, she lived in the house of her adopted father, Kuntibhoja. Durvasa visited Kuntibhoja one day, and sought his hospitality. The king entrusted the sage to his daughter's care and tasked Kunti with the responsibility of entertaining the sage and meeting all his needs during his stay with them. Kunti patiently put up with Durvasa's temper and his unreasonable requests (such as demanding food at odd ours of the night) and served the sage with great dedication. Eventually, the sage was gratified. Before departing, he rewarded Kunti by teaching her Atharva Veda Mantras which enabled her to invoke any god of her choice to beget children by them. It was by the use of this mantra that she was able to call the following gods:

* Surya - He blessed her with a son named Karna, the unknown eldest Pandava
* Dharma or Yama - He blessed her with a son named Yudhisthira, most righteous of the Pandavas.
* Vayu - He blessed her with a son named Bhima, of great strength
* Indra - He blessed her with a son named Arjuna, the great archer
* The twin Ashvins - They blessed Madri (Pandu's second wife) with beautiful twins named Nakula and Sahadeva.


Protecting Draupadi's Modesty
Contrary to the more famous Mahābhārata version of Dushasana's attempted disrobing of Draupadi, the Shiva Purana (III.19.63-66) attributes her miraculous rescue to a boon granted by Durvasa. The story goes that the sage's loincloth was once carried away by the Ganga's currents. Draupadi quickly tore a piece of her garment to cover him. The sage was pleased with her. He granted Draupadi a boon which caused an unending stream of cloth to cover her when Dushasana was trying to strip her in Hastinapura's royal dice-hall.

Durvasa and Duryodhana
Another example of Durvasa's benevolent side is the incident when he granted Duryodhana a boon. During the Pandavas' exile, Durvasa and several disciples arrived at Hastinapura, and were gratified by Duryodhana's devoted hospitality. Durvasa was pleased enough to grant him a boon. Duryodhana, secretly wanting Durvasa to curse the Pandavas in anger, asked the sage to visit his cousins in the forest after Draupadi had eaten her meal, knowing that the Pandavas would then have nothing to feed him.


Visiting the Pandavas
So Durvasa and his disciples visited the Pandavas in their hermitage in the forest, as per Duryodhana's request. During this period of exile, the Pandavas would obtain their food by means of the Akshaya Patra, which would become exhausted each day once Draupadi finished her meal. Because Draupadi had already eaten by the time Durvasa arrived that day, there was no food left to serve him, and the Pandavas were very anxious as to their fate should they fail to feed such a venerable sage. While Durvasa and his disciples were away bathing at the river, Draupadi prayed to Krishna for help. Krishna immediately appeared before Draupadi saying he was extremely hungry, and asked her for food. Draupadi grew exasperated and said she had prayed to Krishna precisely because she had no food left to give. Krishna then told her to bring the Akshaya Patra to him. When she did, he partook of the lone grain of rice and piece of vegetable that he found stuck to the vessel and announced that he was satisfied by the "meal". This satiated the hunger of Durvasa and his disciples, as the satisfaction of Krishna (portrayed here as the Supreme Being who pervades the entire Universe) meant the satiation of the hunger of all living things. The sage Durvasa and his disciples then quietly left after their bath, without returning to the Pandavas' hermitage, for they were afraid of facing what they thought would be the Pandavas' wrathful reaction at their impolite behaviour of refusing the food that would be served to them.

Durvasa and Swaminarayan
According to the followers of Swaminarayan Hinduism, Narayana took birth as the saint Swaminarayan due to a curse by Durvasa. The story goes that shortly after Krishna's passing, Uddhava proceeded to Badarikashram, the abode of Nara-Narayana. He joined the many divine sages and saints who were there listening to Narayana's discourses. As Narayana was speaking, Durvasa arrived at the assembly from Mount Kailash, but no one noticed him because they were all so engrossed in the discourse. He waited one Ghadi for someone to welcome him with the respect he felt he was entitled to, but still no one realised he was there. Seeing no one rise to receive him, he took this as an insult and cursed the entire assembly, saying that they would all be born as humans and suffer insults and agony from the wicked. Nara-Narayana's parents, the god Dharma and goddess Bhakti, pacified Durvasa, who then softened his curse saying that Narayana Himself (again, represented here as the Supreme Being) would be born as Dharma and Bhakti's son, and His birth would relieve them all from the clutches of evil. So saying, Durvasa made his way back to Kailash.

Dharma and Bhakti were eventually born as Hariprasad Pande (a.k.a Dharmadev) and Premvati Pande (a.k.a. Bhaktidevi). Sure enough, Narayana was born as their son, named Ghanshyam, who is now known as Swaminarayan.

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

(Continued...) 

(My humble Thankfulness to  H H Sri Chandrasekharendra Mahaswami ji,  Hinduism online dot com Swamijis, and Philosophers com  for the collection)

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