Amazing Stories of Agastya Muni- Part I

 Agastya, the star is said to be the 'cleanser of waters', and its rising coincides with the calming of the waters of the Indian Ocean. 

It is thus considered the son of Pulastya, son of Brahma. 

Canopus is described by Pliny the Elder and Gaius Julius Solinus as the largest, brightest and only source of starlight for navigators near Tamraparni island (ancient Sri Lanka) during many nights.

Agastya appears in numerous itihasas and Puranas including the major Ramayana and Mahabharata. 

He is one of the seven most revered rishis (the Saptarishi) in the Vedic texts. 

He is also revered in the Puranic literature of Shaktism and Vaishnavism.

He is one of the Indian sages found in ancient sculpture and reliefs in Hindu temples of South Asia, and Southeast Asia such as in the early medieval era Shaiva temples on Java Indonesia.

Sage Agastya in seated posture. 

This sculpture is from Angkor period, Cambodia, c. 975 CE.

He is the principal figure and Guru in the ancient Javanese language text Agastyaparva, whose 11th century version survives.

In Tamil traditions, Agastya is considered as the father of the Tamil language and the compiler of the first Tamil grammar, called Agattiyam or Akattiyam.

Agastya has been a culture hero in Tamil traditions and appears in numerous Tamil texts. 

Agastya learnt the Tamil language from god Murugan when he arrived in the southern Tamil country from north India.

Agastya is traditionally attributed to be the author of many Sanskrit texts such as the Agastya Gita found in Varaha Purana, Agastya Samhita found embedded in Skanda Purana, and the Dvaidha-Nirnaya Tantra text. 

He is also referred to as Mana, Kalasaja, Kumbhaja, Kumbhayoni and Maitravaruni after his mythical origins as his birth was in a mud pot. 

The mighty sage to whom the mountain bowed, and who drank the sea empty.

He humbled the arrogant and punished the demons. He is the symbol of man’s heroism and confident strength.

Emptying  the  sea

In the south Agasthya could not stay in one place.

 The south was full of forests. 

Everywhere there was trouble from the rakshasas. 

All the sages and sanyasis living in the forests were suffering at the hands of the rakshasas. 

The rakshasas used to kill  all whom they met.

Even the gods had to suffer just like the sages of the south. 

Knowing that gods could not fight at night, the group of rakshasas by name ‘Kalakeyas’ used to wield their powers at night. 

During the day, they hid in the ocean.

So the destruction of these rakshasas became a puzzling problem to the gods. 

Gods went to Vishnu for the solution. He pointed to Agasthya. 

Agasthya went to the ocean and drank all the water of the ocean at one gulp. 

The gods could easily see the rakshasas who were hiding. 

Like dry leaves caught up in a fierce storm, the rakshasas were tossed about and wiped out.

Everybody praised Agasthya for saving the world from the rakshasas. 

Agasthya filled the ocean again with water, using the power he had acquired by his tapas!

Gajendra  moksha 

Long ago, King Indrayani ruled over the Pandya kingdom.

He was a great devotee of God Vishnu. 

He used to begin the day’s work only after worshipping the god.

One day, while the king was at his worship, sage Agasthya came to the palace.

Agasthya told the servant at the door, “Tell Indrayani that I have come to see him.” 

But the king could not leave in the middle of his worship. 

Therefore he said to the door-keeper,

“Receive the sage with the utmost respect, conduct him to my chamber and beg him to be seated. I will come soon.”

The sage expected that the king would himself come to welcome him. 

When he saw the servant who came back, he was angry. 

He thought that the king did not appear because of arrogance.

So he cursed him, saying, “0 King, since you did not honor me out of pride, may you be born as an elephant!” 

He was about to leave the palace.

By then the king completed the worship. 

He came running and begged Agasthya to forgive him and explained the reason for the delay.

 The sage realized that the king was not to blame; he felt sorry for him. 

But a curse is like an arrow, which has left the bow, it cannot be recalled.

But still, Agasthya said, “Indradyumna, when the sacred wheel of Lord Vishnu touches you, the curse will end.” So he indicated the remedy, too.

The king became an elephant. 

The elephant moved with other elephants in the forest.

Later on, he became ‘Gajendra’, the king of the elephants. 

One day, the elephants were thirsty.

They went to a lake to drink water. 

The elephants entered the water and drank water to their hearts’ content.

Suddenly a big crocodile in the water caught the leg of Gajendra.

 It started pulling Gajendra into the water. 

The elephant fought back. 

But the crocodile would not let go.

 The other elephants too came to the rescue of their king.

They tried to pull him out of the water.

 But the crocodile was a big and strong one. 

It pulled harder than all the elephants. 

The elephants said in despair, “God alone can help you,” and left the place.

 Step by step Gajendra was pulled into the water.

When all the elephants left him, he did not know what to do. 

He began to pray to God; he cried out, “You are the hope of those who have no other hope,” and prayed to Lord Hari in many ways.

Mahavishnu who was in heaven heard his devotee’s cry of despair. 

At once he mounted Garuda, who carries the Lord everywhere; he came to the lake where Gajendra was and hurled the Chakra, the sacred wheel, at the crocodile.

Blazing like a thousand suns and revolving round and round, the Sudarshana Chakra shot forward and cut off the head of the crocodile.

The compassionate Lord brought the elephant out of the lake. 

He accepted with all affection the lotus flower devoutly offered by Gajendra.

King  Nahusha 

Nahusha was a pious emperor of the Lunar Dynasty. 

He had performed a hundred Ashwamedha Yagas (Sacrifices) and attained the position of Indra, the King of the Gods.

He was filled with pride because he was the lord of all the gods. 

He wanted the old Indra and his wife Shachidevi should serve him along with the other gods.

The old Indra and Shachidevi were not prepared to serve the new Indra. 

But as Nahusha was the new Indra no one could disobey him

At last, they thought of a plan.

Shachidevi informed Nahusha that she would gladly serve him if he came in a palanquin carried by the rishis, the great sages.

The great sages to carry the palanquin! What a shame! 

But the new Indra, Nahusha, blinded by arrogance, did not consider whether what he was doing was right or wrong.

Without reflecting that the rishis are great tapasvis, men dedicated to prayer and meditation, he sent for them. 

“I want to go to the palace of Shachidevi. 

You shall carry my palanquin,” ordered Nahusha.

After all, he was the lord of the gods,  so the sages agreed. 

Nahusha entered the palanquin. 

The sages carried it on their shoulders. 

Among them was Agasthya.

As Agasthya was very short the palanquin dipped a little on one side.

Nahusha was enraged by this and kicked in impatience saying, “Sarpa Sarpa” (faster and faster). 

His foot touched Agasthya’s shoulder.

The insulted sage grew angry and cursed: “Nahusha, you have become arrogant. 

May you become a Sarpa” (a serpent)! 

(In Sanskrit, the word ‘sarpa’ means both faster and a serpent.)

Nahusha’s eyes were now opened. 

He was cured of his arrogance. 

He jumped out of the palanquin and, falling at Agasthya’s feet, begged,

“0 Sir, forgive my sin.” Then the compassionate Agasthya said, “Your descendants will bring you salvation.”

Nahusha was transformed into an ‘Ajagara’ (a python). 

He fell from the high heavens to the earth. 

The huge python used to move about in the forest. 

Many years passed. 

When the Pandavas were in the forest Draupadi wanted the flower Sougandhika. 

The mighty Bheema went to find the flower.

 The python encircled him.

Dharmaraja had to come to rescue Bheema.

Dharmaraja gave proper answers to the questions of the python. 

Bheema was released and Nahusha, too, got salvation.

Thus Agasthya could punish the arrogant and pardon and save those who felt sorry for their misdeeds.

These are the few stories  of Agastya.

In next part you will be familiar  with another  stories. 

Till then goodbye. 

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