Agasthya also is the star Canopus “cleanser of waters,” since its rising coincides with the calming of the waters of the Indian Ocean.
He is said to have been the first Aryan sage who crossed over Vindhyaachal Mountain and settled in Southern India. His original name is Kumbh Sambhav as he was born from a Kumbh and he is believed to be of a very short stature. He is also called Kurumuni, meaning short (kuru) saint (muni). He was supposed to have lived around 4000 years before the commencement of Kali Yuga and is believed to be still living in Tamil Nadu by his devotees.
STORIES OF HIS BIRTH
1. Maharshi Pulastya, one of the ten Maanasa putras sons of Brahmaa was married to one of the nine daughters of Kardama and Devahooti, namely Havirbhoo. Pulastya and Havirbhoo had two sons: Maharshi Agastya and Maharshi Vishravaa. Agastya here is said to be the incarnation of Badavaanal, a form of Agni. There are three types of Agni
Badavaanal—which can even dry the sea
Daavaanal—which can even all forests on earth
Jatharaagni—this Agni lives in stomach and helps in digestion of food
2.When Vitrasura was not yet killed and Kalakeya was troubling the Devas, Indra requested Agni Deva and Varuna to kill the Asuras where ever they find them. Although they killed many of the Asuaras, many of them went hiding in the ocean. They assumed that the asuras hid as they were cowards and thus could no longer hurt or harm anyone and so returned to Indra without killing them. Indra was angered at their action and questioned as to why they did not kill the asuras. In their defense Varuna explained how the churning up the ocean could have killed the innocent animals in it and it would be against his Dharma. And Agni explained his inability to kill them in the ocean. Indra was enraged and cursed them. He told them that one of them disobeyed his order and the other tried teaching him Dharma, so he cursed them both to be born on earth, with cursing Agni that he would one day drink up the ocean in his birth. Thus, they were born as sons of Mitra and Varuna from Urvashi.
AGASTHYA AND LOPAMUDRA
Agasthya once happened to see his ancestors hanging upside down in a pit. On enquiring they told him that they could be saved from damnation only by Agasthya’s son. According to popular belief having a son could prevent a person from going to the Puth (hell). That is why a son is called Puthra.
Since Agasthya could not find himself an appropriate bride, he came up with an unusual method of getting himself the right bride. Using his yogic power, he created a female child who according to him would be a perfect bride for a renunciate like himself. Around the same time King of Vidharba (kingdom south of Vindhyachal) was performing spiritual austerities for the purpose of getting a child. Sage Agasthya pleased at the kind of devotion, arranged for the child he created to be born to this noble king. Thus a baby girl was born to the king and she was named Lopamudra. She was also called Kausitaki and Varaprada.
He also said to have had another wife named Kaveri, who was the daughter of a sage named Kavera. To end a severe famine in the south, Kaveri was transformed into a river of the same name, which flows to this day through the south. She is also called the southern Ganga. There are versions that say that Lopamudra was Kaveri. I have allotted a section on the versions of the stories of Kaveri later in the article.
When Lopamudra reached the marriageable age, Agasthya went to the king to seek her hand in marriage. The king was not at all happy with this proposal. But Lopamudra who had exhibited extraordinary standards of mind and character had already set in her mind to marrying Agasthya and renouncing the royal life she had been living, and thus, convinced her father to accept the proposal. They were duly married and lived a “life of extraordinary felicity and happiness.” They were blessed with two sons Bhringi and Achutha. Lopamudra has attained the status as one of the Mahapativrathas a position she shares with characters like Mandodari, Ravanas wife.
One day desirous of adorning herself with good clothes and jewels she convinces Agasthya
to seek wealth. Agasthya not resorting to his yogic power started to seek the same in the material world. He approached the Shrutashrav king, Vradhnashwa, and finally to Purukuts’ son Trasdasyu, but he could not take any wealth from them. They suggested that they could get it all from the demon Ilavala.
ILVALA AND VATHAPI
Ilvala and Vathapi are the demon brothers to Rahu, Salya, Nabha, and Namuchi. It is also believed that Rahu is the eldest of the 100 brothers and they also have a sister by name Maahishmati. This story was narrated by Lord Rama to Lakshmana while describing the glory of Sage Agasthya.
Ilvala once requested a Brahmin to bless him with a son who would be powerful as Indra, a request which the Brahmin refused to grant without a second thought. Ilvala was angered and it became his life’s mission to destroy all the Brahmans. To achive this goal he took the help of his younger brother Vathapi and his knowledge of the Mritasanjivani Matra was an added asset. With the evil power vested in him, he came up with an evil plan. Accordingly, Ilvala would assume the guise of a brahmana and he would turn his brother in to a goat and cook him and offer the meat as a vegetarian dish as sages consume only satvic food. Another version says that the meat of the animal that was sacrificed during the Yagna nothing like practice of killing animals in slaughterhouses. In a properly performed Vedic sacrifice, the soul inside the animal is promoted to a higher species in the next life. Meat eating occurred only as part of Vedic sacrifices.
Anyway such great were his skill as a culinary that no brahmin could refuse the food he served. After they consumed the food, he would just call out for his brother “Vathape athragacha,” who would then return to him in his original form thus killing the Brahmin. Then they would resort to enjoy the human flesh and keep the valuables left by them. They always were smart enough to invite just one Brahmana. Soon the number of brahmanas began to reduce.
It was around this time that Agasthya happened to pass by and he got invited by them. Agasthya was well aware of their plan and it was his intend to put an end to their atrocities. After the meal he was offered he rubbed his stomach uttering “Vathapi Jeer No bhava,” which literally meant Let Vathapi be digested. While Ilvala tried to revive his brother Agasthya calmly told him that he would not return. Ilavala was angered and rushed to kill Agasthya. But Agasthya by his yogic power reduced Ilvala to ashes.
In another version Ilavala was spared of his life. Ilvala was ready to do anything to get rid of his visitors. The sage asked for enough wealth to keep his wife and his companions happy and returned the way he came.
AGASTYA CURSES INDRADYUMNA
Indradyumna was the king of the Pandya kingdom. Later in his life when he retired from his family life he decided to set up his ashrama in the Malaya Mountains and started to lead a life of a hermit, performing stern austerities. He would often resort to observing “mauna vratham” (vow of silence) and was always immersed in the worship of the lord and in ecstatic state of mind with love for the Lord.
Sage Agasthya once happened to pass by when Indradyumna was in the state of Mauna Vratha. Agasthya felt that he was not given his due respect and was not welcomed by Indradyumna courteously and so he was enraged. He felt so insulted that he cursed Indradyumna that since he insulted a brahmana he would enter the “region of darkness and receive the dull, dumb body of an elephant.”
Indradyumna on his part accepted this curse as the will of God. And although he was born as an elephant, because of devotion remembered how to worship and offer prayers to the Lord.
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