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Vasistha (Sanskrit:
वसिष्ठ), in Hindu
mythology is one of
the Saptarishis
(Seven Great Sages
Rishi) in the
seventh, i.e the
present Manvantara,[1]
and the Rajpurohit /
Rajguru of the
Suryavansha or Solar
Dynasty. He was the
mānasaputra ("mind
son") of Brahma. He
had in his
possession the
divine cow Kamadhenu,
and Nandini her
child, who could
grant anything to
their owners.Arundhati (Sanskrit: अरुंधति) is the name of the wife of Vasistha. The star Mizar of the stellar constellation Ursa Major is thought of as Vasistha and the small one beside it, Alcor, as Arundhati. Vasistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the Rigveda. Vasistha and his family are glorified in RV 7.33, extolling their role in the Battle of the Ten Kings, making him the only mortal besides Bhavayavya to have a Rigvedic hymn dedicated to him. Another treatise attributed by him is "Vasistha Samhita" - a book on Vedic system of electional astrology. * 1 Tales featuring Vasistha o 1.1 The tale of Vasistha o 1.2 The tale of King Dileepa * 2 Yoga Vasistha o 2.1 Context * 3 Vashisht Ashram * 4 Vasistha head * 5 See also * 6 References * 7 Literature Tales featuring Vasistha Vasistha is featured in many tales and folklore, a few of which are briefly described below. The tale of Vasistha Sage Vasistha was Ram's guru and the Rajpurohit of "Ikshawaku" dynasty. He was a peace loving, selfless, intelligent and great Rishi. He had established Gurukula (residential college) on the banks of river "Saraswati", where he and his wife "Arundhati" were taking care of thousands of students stayed there and studied there and Vasistha Rishi was the chief principal. Vasistha was the Sadguru of his time, possessing 20 "kala's" (divine arts) and had complete knowledge of the whole cosmos and the god. Many of his Shlokas are found in Vedas as well. This tale tells of how Vasistha possessed a cow named Kamadhenu who could produce enough food for a whole army of troops instantly. The king Kaushika(later called as Vishwamitra), who visited Vasistha's hermitage, was very impressed with the cow and tried to take it away from Vasistha by force, but Kamadhenu/Nandini's spiritual power was too great for him. After being unable to conquer Kamadhenu/Nandini, Vishwamitra decided to acquire power himself through penance like Vasistha. He gained much power and many divine weapons from Lord Shiva. And once again he attempted to conquer Kamadhenu/Nandini. But even the divine weapons he acquired could not defeat the power of Kamadhenu/Nandini. Vishwamitra finally decided to become a Brahmarishi himself, and he renounced all his possessions and luxury and led the life of a simple forest ascetic. The tale of King Dileepa King Dileepa was a king of the Raghuvamsha dynasty. He had a wife named Sudakshina, but they had no children. For this reason, Dileepa visited the sage Vasistha in his ashram, and asked him for his advice. Vasistha replied that they should serve the cow Nandini, child of Kamadhenu, and perhaps if Nandini was happy with their service, she would grant them with a child. So, according to Vasistha, Dileepa served Nandini every day, and attended to her every need for twenty-one days. On the twenty-first day, a lion attacks Nandini. Dileepa immediately draws his bow and tries to shoot the lion. But he finds that his arm is paralysed and cannot move. He reasons that the lion must have some sort of divine power. As if to confirm this, the lion started to speak to him. It said that Dileepa had no chance of saving the cow because the cow was the lion's chosen meal. The lion tells Dileepa to return to Vashisht's ashram. Dileepa replies by asking if the lion would let Nandini go if he offered himself in Nandini's place. The lion agreed and Dileepa sacrificed his life for the cow. But then the lion mysteriously disappeared. Nandini explained that the lion was just an illusion to test Dileepa. Because Dileepa was truly selfless, Nandini granted him with a son. Yoga Vasistha Yoga Vasistha is a religious text that was narrated by sage Vasistha, one of the teachers of Rama, and written by Valmiki. Context Prince Rama returns from touring the country and becomes utterly disillusioned after experiencing the apparent reality of the world. This worries his father, King Dasaratha. The King expresses his concern to Sage Vasistha, upon his arrival. Sage Vasistha consoles the king by telling him that Rama's dispassion (vairagya) is a sign that the prince is now ready for spiritual enlightenment. He says that Rama has begun understanding profound spiritual truths, which is the cause of his confusion and he just needs confirmation. Sage Vasistha asks king Dasaratha to summon Rama. Then, in the court of king Dasaratha, the sage begins the discourse to Rama which lasts for several days. The answer to Rama's questions forms the entire scripture that is Yoga Vasistha. Vashisht Ashram Brahmrishi Vashisht had an Ashram in Ayodhya that was spread over 40 acres of land. Today all that remains of it is a small ashram in about one fourth of an acre of land. The ashram has within it a well that is believed to be the source of the river Saryu. Brahmrishi Vashisht was the Guru of the Solar Dynasty. The King at that time was King Ishvaku who was the king of Ayodhya. He was a noble king and thought of the well being of his subjects. He approached Sage Vashisht telling him that the land had no water and requested him to do something to let the Kingdom have adequate water. Sage Vashisht performed a special prayer and the river Saryu is said to have started flowing from this well. Saryu is also known as Ishvaki and Vashishti. It is said that the well is connected underground with the river. Many spiritual people who visit this ashram find an enormous spiritual energy around this well. Some believe that this is one of the better spiritual tirth's in Bharat (India). There is also another ashram past Rishikesh on the way to Kaudiyal on the Devprayag route that is known as Vashisht Guha Ashram. The ashram itself is located on the banks of the River Ganges and it is a very beautiful place. It has a cave with a Shiv Ling in it. The head of the ashram there is a monk of south Indian origin by the name of Swami Chetananda. There is also another small cave to the side facing the river.
Vasistha
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