Bhrigu | |
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Affiliation | Saptarishi |
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Spouse | Kavyamata, Puloma, Khyati, Divyadevi, and Paulami |
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Hindu philosophy | |
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Bhrigu (Sanskrit : भृगु, IAST : Bhṛgu) is a rishi of Adi-rishi tradition. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, and one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of creation) created by Brahma. [1] The first compiler of predictive astrology and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita , an astrological (jyotisha) classic. Bhrigu is considered a manasaputra ("mind-born-son") of Brahma. The adjectival form of the name, Bhargava , is used to refer to the descendants and the school of Bhrigu. According to Manusmriti , Bhrigu was a compatriot of and lived during the time of Manu, the progenitor of humanity. [2] Along with Manu, Bhrigu had made important contributions to the Manusmriti, which was constituted out of a sermon to a congregation of saints in the state of Brahmavarta, after the great floods in this area. [3] As per the Skanda Purana , Bhrigu migrated to Bhrigukaccha, modern Bharuch, on the banks of the Narmada river in Gujarat, leaving his son Chyavana at Dhosi Hill.
According to Bhagavata Purana , he was married to Khyati, one of the nine daughters of Prajapati Kardama. She was the mother of Lakshmi as Bhargavi. [4] They also had two sons named Dhata and Vidhata. He had one more son with Kavyamata, who is better known than Bhrigu himself – Shukra, learned sage and guru of the asuras. The sage Chyavana is also said to be his son with Puloma, as is the folk hero Mrikanda. [5] [Maha:1.5] One of his descendants was sage Jamadagni, who in turn was the father of sage Parashurama, considered an avatar of Vishnu. [6] [7] [8]
Bhrigu is mentioned in the Shiva Purana and the Vayu Purana , where he is shown present during the great yajna of Daksha (his father-in-law). [9] He supports the continuation of the Daksha yajna even after being warned that without an offering for Shiva, it was asking for a catastrophe for everyone present there. In the Tattiriya Upanishad, he is described to have had a conversation with his father Varuni on Brahman.
In the Bhagavad Gita , Krishna says that among sages, Bhrigu is the representative of the opulence of God. [10]
The Bhagavata Purana describes a legend in which sages gathered at the bank of the river Sarasvati to participate in a great yajna. The gathered sages could not decide who among the Trimurti (supreme trinity) of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva was pre-eminent and should be the recipient of the yajna. They deputed Bhrigu to determine this answer. [11]
Upon being entrusted with the task, Bhrigu decided to test each of the Trimurti. He first visited Brahma at Satyaloka, and to test his patience, he refused to sing in his praise or prostrate before him. Brahma grew angry, but realised that his son was testing him and allowed him to pass. Bhrigu left for Kailasha, the abode of Shiva. Upon seeing the sage, Shiva rose to his feet and moved forward with great joy to embrace the sage. Bhrigu, however, refused the embrace, and tested him by calling the deity a maligner of social conventions and rituals. Shiva was infuriated and prepared to strike the sage with his trident, but was calmed by his consort, Parvati. The sage then travelled to the abode of Vishnu, Vaikuntha. [11] Vishnu was resting his head on the lap of Lakshmi when the sage arrived. Bhrigu kicked Vishnu on the chest to wake him up, enraged by the perceived insult. Vishnu woke up, greeted Bhrigu, and starts massaging his feet, regarding his chest to have been sanctified due to its contact with the sage's foot. Overpowered with emotion, Bhrigu went back to the sages and declared Vishnu to be the greatest among the Trimurti. [12] [13]
According to some traditions, Vishnu's consort Lakshmi grew angry at him because the chest was considered as Lakshmi's place (vakshasthala) and left Vaikuntha to be born on earth. She was found on a lotus flower, and was raised by Bhrigu and his wife Khyati, which is why another name of Lakshmi is Bhargavi, daughter of Bhrigu. Since she was found on a lotus, she is also called Padmavati. [11] [14] [15]
A variation of this is the legend behind Tirupati, in which a furious Lakshmi is born as Padmavati on earth and Vishnu assumes the form of Srinivasa and Venkateswara. [16]
Bhrigu is regarded to have had his ashram (hermitage) on the Vadhusar River, a tributary of the Drishadwati River near Dhosi Hill in the state of Brahmavarta, [17] presently on the border of Haryana and the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. [18] [19]
His son Chyavana, known for Chyavanprash also had his Ashram at Dhosi Hill. Bhrigu is also worshipped at Bharuch, Swamimalai, Tirumala, Ballia, Nanguneri, Thiruneermalai, and Mannargudi.
An ashram for Bhrigu is in Maruderi, Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu. Khedbrahma in Gujarat is associated with Brahma and Bhrigu's legend of testing the Trimurti. Lastly, Bhrigu migrated to Bhuinj Satara, Maharashtra where he took Samadhi. His ashram and his daughter's temple also situated there. His son's ashram and samadhi are also situated on Chyavaneshwar hill near Bhuinj.
In Tattiriya Upanishad, first six anuvakas of Bhrigu Valli are called Bhargavi Varuni Vidya, which means "the knowledge Bhrigu got from (his father) Varuni". It is in these anuvakas that sage Varuni advises Bhrigu with one of the oft-cited definition of Brahman, as "that from which beings originate, through which they live, and in which they re-enter after death, explore that because that is Brahman". [20] This thematic, all encompassing, eternal nature of reality and existence develops as the basis for Bhrigu's emphasis on introspection and inwardization, to help peel off the outer husks of knowledge, in order to reach and realize the innermost kernel of spiritual self-knowledge. [20]
Bhrigu decided to write his famous books of astrology, the Bhrigu Samhita . Bhrigu collected birth charts, wrote full-life predictions, and compiled them together as Bhrigu Samhita. Bhrigu Samhita is believed to be one of the first book of its kind in the field of astrology. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
The lineage of Bhrigu includes Shukra, Chyavana, Aurva, Richika, Jamadagni, Parashurama, Bhargava, Balai, and Dadhichi. [26] [27] [28]
Shukra, son of Bhrigu and Puloma, is considered to be a Daitya-Guru, teacher of the Asuras.[ citation needed ] Additionally, Shukra is also known the planet Venus in astronomical terms. [29]
Once, while Puloma was pregnant with Chyavana, Bhrigu had gone for a bath. While he was gone, an asura who was also named Puloma came to Bhrigu's ashram in the form of a boar and kidnapped, or carried away, Bhrigu's wife. Because of this, Bhrigu's wife had a miscarriage. Despite being prematurely born, the infant was radiating light like the sun, which burned the asura into ashes. Later, when Puloma went back to Bhrigu with her prematurely-born yet miraculous child, Bhrigu asked her how the asura had come to know of the location of the ashram. She revealed that it was Agni who had told the asura Puloma about their whereabouts. Angered, Bhrigu cursed Agni that he would consume all that came in his way. [30]
Aurva was the son of Chyavana and his wife Arushi (daughter of Manu). [28] [31]
After King Krutavirya's death, his sons invaded the rishis' ashrams to get their wealth. The kshatriyas were hunting down Bhargavas, so the rishis had to leave their ashrams. Among the fleers was Arushi, who was pregnant. In order to protect her unborn child, she hid her garba in her thigh as she fled. The kshatriyas, however, found out and caught her. The thigh broke and the child came out. The child was radiating immensely, and his light blinded the kshtariya kings. The kings realized their mistakes and asked for forgiveness. Aurva returned their eyesight, however, his strong hatred towards the Kshatriyas remained. He want to perform austerities to bring justice to his ancestors (pitrus) and the rigorousness of his austerities caused the world to start to burn. Aurva's pitrus appeared before him, and pleaded him to withdraw the fire and force it into the ocean. [30] [31]
In Hinduism, Daksha is one of the prajapati, the agents of creation, as well as a divine king-rishi. His iconography depicts him as a man with a stocky body and a handsome face or the head of a goat.
Kurma, is the second avatar of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu. Originating in Vedic literature such as the Yajurveda as being synonymous with the Saptarishi called Kashyapa, Kurma is most commonly associated in post-Vedic literature such as the Puranas. He prominently appears in the legend of the churning of the Ocean of Milk, referred to as the Samudra Manthana. Along with being synonymous with Akupara, the World-Turtle supporting the Earth, Kurma is listed as the second of the Dashavatara, which are the ten principal incarnations of Vishnu.
Virabhadra, also rendered Veerabhadra, Veerabathira, and Veerabathiran, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self-immolation of his consort, Sati, at the Daksha yajna.
Avatar is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means 'descent'. It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being.
The Shrivatsa is an ancient symbol, considered auspicious in Hinduism and other Indian religious traditions. It is said that the Shrivatsa symbol appears on the chest of an avatar of Vishnu when he is chosen to be Vishnu's incarnation
Shukra is a Sanskrit word that means "clear" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of a sage who counselled the asuras in Vedic mythology. In medieval mythology and Hindu astrology, the word refers to the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas.
The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Hindu culture and associated cultures’ traditions, which are expressed as words in Sanskrit or other Indic languages and Dravidian languages. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Hinduism all in one place.
Lakshmi Narayana or Lakshmi Narayan is the dual representation of the Hindu deities Vishnu, also known as Narayana, and his consort, Lakshmi, traditionally featured in their abode, Vaikuntha. The goddess of prosperity and beauty, Lakshmi, is depicted as standing next to Vishnu, who holds the Panchajanya, Kaumodaki, Padma, and the Sudarshana Chakra. Another depiction of Lakshmi-Narayana portrays Lakshmi in the service of Narayana, who reclines on the cosmic serpent Shesha, floating in the Kshira Sagara, the Ocean of Milk.
Anasuya is an ascetic, and the wife of Sage Atri in Hinduism. She is the daughter of Devahuti and the Prajapati Kardama in Hindu texts. In the Ramayana, she lives with her husband in a small hermitage on the southern border of the Chitrakuta forest. A pious woman who leads an austere life, she is described as having miraculous powers.
Chyavana was a sage (rishi) in Hinduism. He was a son of Bhrigu, also known as Bhrigu Varuni in the Upanishads, and is known for his rejuvenation through a special herbal paste or tonic known as chyavanaprasham, which was prepared by the Ashvins. According to the Mahabharata, he was powerful enough to oppose the celestial thunderbolt (vajra) of Indra, and was responsible for the Ashvins getting their share of the sacrificial offerings. He created an asura, Mada, to achieve it.
Dadhichi, also rendered Dadhyanga and Dadhyancha, is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for his sacrifice in the Puranas, where he gives up his life so that his bones could be used to manufacture the Vajra, the diamond-like celestial thunderbolt of the deity Indra, in order to slay Vritra.
The Kumaras are four sages (rishis) from the Puranic texts of Hinduism who roam the universe as children, generally named Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara. They are described as the first mind-born creations and sons of the creator-god Brahma. Born from Brahma's mind, the four Kumaras undertook lifelong vows of celibacy (brahmacharya) against the wishes of their father. They are said to wander throughout the materialistic and spiritualistic universe without any desire but with the purpose of teaching. All four brothers studied Vedas from their childhood, and always travelled together.
For one of the major Hindu denominations, the Tirumala Sri Venkateshvara Temple at Tirupati in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is the most famous Vaishnavite temple in the world. The presiding deity of Vishnu here is referred to as Venkateshvara. There are many legends regarding this temple. The Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam is the most accepted legend among these, which provides the religious account of the history of the temple across various yugas. This place had also been mentioned in many Puranas.
Dhosi Hill is an important Vedic period site, an extinct volcano, standing alone at the north-west end of the Aravalli mountain range. Its height varies from about 345 to 470 meters from the surrounding lands and 740 meters from the sea level. At present the hill has temples, a pakka pond, ruins of a fort, caves and forest around it. In the ancient times, as per various scriptures like Mahabharata - Vanparv, Puranas, Shathpath Brahmana etc. the hill had Ashrams of various Rishis who made contributions to Vedic scriptures.
Sharanga also spelt as Saranga, is the celestial bow of the Hindu god Vishnu, primarily associated with his avatar of Rama. In South India, the Sharanga is also simply known as the Kodanda, literally meaning bow. Rama is often praised as Kodandapani, the holder of the Kodanda. The attribute of the bow is also mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama.
Kashyapa is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism. He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the Rigveda. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, along with the other Saptarishis, listed in the colophon verse in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam is an annual 27-day Hindu pilgrimage that commemorates the mythological Daksha Yaga. Similar to the Kumbh Mela of Prayag, this festival involves ritual ablutions. The vicinity is not called a temple because there are no permanent structures. Instead, a temporary hermitage built with Palmyra leaves is found and addressed as Yajna Bhoomi. Kottiyoor is revered as Dakshina Kasi.
Dakṣayajña is an important event in Hindu mythology that is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (ritual-sacrifice) organised by Daksha, where his daughter, Sati, immolates herself. The wrath of the god Shiva, Sati's husband, thereafter destroys the sacrificial ceremony. The tale is also called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha. The legend forms the liturgical basis of the establishment of the Shakti Pithas, the temples of Mahadevi, the supreme deity of Shaktism. It also becomes a prelude to the legend of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation, who later marries Shiva.
Devi Adi Parashakti is a mythological television series based on the Hindu texts of the Shiva Purana, the Devi-Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and pan-Indian folktales of the Goddess. The series was created by Siddharth Kumar Tewary, directed by Loknath Pandey and Manish Singh, and produced by Swastik Productions. Rati Pandey plays the role of Devi Adi Parashakti and her incarnations Goddess Sati, and Goddess Parvati. Tarun Khanna played the role of Devi's husband, Lord Shiva with Kanan Malhotra as Lord Vishnu, Devi's brother. The show also features Sonia Singh as Goddess Diti, the main antagonist.
And Daksha, Prachetas, Pulaha, Marichi, the master Kasyapa, Bhrigu, Atri, and Vasistha and Gautama, and also Angiras, and Pulastya, Kraut, Prahlada, and Kardama, these Prajapatis, and Angirasa of the Atharvan Veda, the Valikhilyas, the Marichipas; Intelligence, Space, Knowledge, Air, Heat, Water, Earth, Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Scent; Nature, and the Modes (of Nature), and the elemental and prime causes of the world – all stay in that mansion beside the Lord Brahma. And Agastya of great energy, and Markandeya, of great ascetic power, and Jamadagni and Bharadwaja, and Samvarta, and Chyavana, and exalted Durvasa, and the virtuous Rishyasringa, the illustrious Sanatkumara of great ascetic merit and the preceptor in all matters affecting Yoga