Rishis

The Birth and Early Life Once, Brahmā created Kardama Prajāpati and ordered him to populate the world with living beings. Kardama went to the banks of the Sarasvatī river and began performing penance. For ten thousand years, he meditated upon Viṣṇu. One day, Viṣṇu appeared before him and said, “By your wife Devahūti, you will...

Early Life and Ancestry Markandeya is celebrated as a cirañjīva, one destined for long life. His grandfather was Vidhāta, born to Bhr̥gu Maharṣi, who married Niyati and begot a son named Mr̥kaṇḍa. Mr̥kaṇḍa, together with his wife Manasvī, adhered to the duties of householders even while practicing austere tapas. Their devotion was rewarded when Manasvī...

Compared to the life of Maharṣis such as Aṅgirasa, the life of Aruṇi Maharṣi is brief. In some Purāṇas, he is also mentioned as one of the Brahmā Mānasa Putras. The Purāṇas do not elaborate on his birth story or lineage, only mentioning that he is a Brahmā Mānasa Putra. There is a mention of...

At the beginning of the Kṛtayuga, the earth once again became devoid of progeny. There were very few beings, and the world was vast but empty. Though all natural resources were present, there were no people to experience or enjoy them. Many beings who were born in previous cycles through tapas had perished, and no...

The life of Pippalāda Maharṣi is recounted in both the Padma Purāṇa and the Śiva Purāṇa. Birth and Early Life The Fate of Daḍhīci’s Bones Daḍhīci Maharṣi, son of Cyavana, once offered his body to the gods so that they might forge weapons from his bones in their war against the demons. Having surrendered his...

The Birth Once, a brāhmaṇa named Ekapāda was engaged in uninterrupted penance. His wife Sujātā was a noble wife who served her husband with great devotion. Ekapāda would continuously teach the Vedas and Vedāṅgas to numerous disciples, correcting their mistakes while chanting, spending 18 hours a day on this task. In time, Sujātā became pregnant,...

Kāśyapa was born in the lineage of Kaśyapa Prajāpati. He was a dharma-niṣṭha sage, deeply immersed in tapas and endowed with great compassion for all beings. During his time, serpents were abundant. The serpents roamed freely and caused harm to many with their venom. The suffered greatly due to the menace of these serpents. Kāśyapa...

Parāśara Smṛti as the Dharmaśāstra of Kali Yuga In Kaliyuga, the dharma to be observed is the Parāśara Smṛti, compiled by the great sage Parāśara. Each yuga requires its own smṛti because the mental and physical capacities of humanity differ across ages. Today’s life expectancy of eighty years—with roughly twenty years of youth, thirty years...

Aurva Maharṣi, a towering figure in the Bhṛgu lineage, embodies the profound interplay of tapas (austerity), krodha (righteous anger), and kṣamā (compassion) as depicted in the Purāṇas and Itihāsas. Born under extraordinary circumstances when his mother Ṛci hid him in her thigh to protect him from the wrath of the Haihaya kings, Aurva was blessed...

Birth and Early Life In the Gautama vaṁśa, a brāhmaṇa had a son named Mataṅga. He was raised with good virtues, practiced dharma diligently, studied all the Veda-śāstras, and performed yajña-karma. One day, his father called him and said, “Dear son! There is a yajña happening in the neighboring village. You should go as the...