AGASTYA
![](386px-AgasthiyarG.jpg)
Agastya
Title
: Natural Medicinal Scientist, Siddha
Personal
Spouse : Lopamudra
Children : Drdhasyu
Agastya
was a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he
is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages
of the Indian subcontinent. He and his wife Lopamudra are the celebrated
authors of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 in the Sanskrit text Rigved and
other Vedic literature.
In
Valmiki Ramayan, it is stated that Asurs hid inside the ocean so
that the Devs couldn’t harm them. The Devs requested Rishi
Agastya for help, and he drank the entire ocean using his austerity
and mystic powers. The Devs killed the Asurs, and asked the sage
to return the ocean’s water. The water was returned by river
Ganga post penance of Bhagirath.
In
some scriptures, it is stated that during Lord Shiv’s marriage,
everyone in the universe went to witness the event in the Himalayas,
in the North. Bhumi Devi or the Earth Goddess was not able to bear
this misbalance and prayed to Lord Shiv for help, who then told
Agastya to go to the south end. Rishi Agastya went to the south
and the earth’s balance was restored. On one side there was
the entire universe and on the other side was Agastya, whose austerity
power and aura balanced the earth.
Agastya
appears in numerous itihasas and purans including the major Ramayan
and Mahabharat. He is one of the seven or eight most revered rishis
(the Saptarishi) in the Vedic texts, and is revered as one of the
Tamil Siddhar in the Shaivism tradition, who invented an early grammar
of the Tamil language, Agattiyam, playing a pioneering role in the
development of Tampraparniyan medicine and spirituality at Saiva
centres in proto-era Sri Lanka and South India. He is also revered
in the Puranic literature of Shaktism and Vaishnavism. He is the
one who was created by Siva to offer boons to Kaliyan. 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. He is the principal figure
and Guru in the ancient Javanese language text Agastyaparva, whose
11th century version survives.
Agastya
is traditionally attributed to be the author of many Sanskrit texts
such as the Agastya Gita found in Varah Puran, Agastya Samhita found
embedded in Skand Puran, and the Dvaidha-Nirnaya Tantra text. He
is also referred to as Maan, Kalasaj, Kumbhaj, Kumbhayoni and Maitravaruni
after his mythical origins.
Etymology
and nomenclature :
![](576px-MET_1993_387_2_357588.jpg)
Sage
Agastya in seated posture. This sculpture is from Angkor period,
Cambodia, ca.975 AD.
The etymological origin of Agastya has several theories. One theory
states that the root is Aj or Anj, which connotes "brighten,
effulgent one" and links Agastya to "one who brightens"
in darkness, and Agastya is traditionally the Indian name for Canopus,
the second most brilliantly shining star found in South Asian skies,
next to Sirius. A third theory links it to Indo-European origins,
through the Iranian word gasta which means "sin, foul",
and a-gasta would mean "not sin, not foul". The fourth
theory, based on folk etymology in verse 2.11 of the Ramayan states
that Agastya is from aga (unmoving or mountain) and gam (move),
and together these roots connote "one who is mover-of-mountains",
or "mover-of-the-unmoving". The word is also written as
Agasti and Agathiyar.
Biography
:
![](AgathiyarLopamudra.jpg)
Maharishi
Agastya and Lopamudra
Agastya is the named author of several hymns of the Rigved. These
hymns do not provide his biography. The origins of Agastya - Pulastya,
one of the Rig Vedic Saptarishis is his father. His miraculous rebirth
follows a yajna being done by gods Varun and Mitra, where the celestial
apsara Urvashi appears. They are overwhelmed by her extraordinary
sexuality, and ejaculate. Their semen falls into a mud pitcher,
which is the womb in which the fetus of Agastya grows. He is born
from this jar, along with his twin sage Vashisth in some mythologies.
This mythology gives him the name kumbhayoni, which literally means
"he whose womb was a mud pot".
Agastya
is a Brahmin who leads an ascetic life, educates himself, becoming
a celebrated sage. His unknown origins have led to speculative proposals
that the Vedic-era Agastya may have been a migrant whose ideas influenced
the south.
According
to inconsistent legends in the Puranic and the epics, the ascetic
sage Agastya proposed to Lopamudra, a princess born in the kingdom
of Vidharbh. Her parents were unwilling to bless the engagement,
concerned that she would be unable to live the austere lifestyle
of Agastya in the forest. However, the legends state that Lopamudra
accepted him as her husband, saying that Agastya has the wealth
of ascetic living, her own youth will fade with seasons, and it
is his virtue that makes him the right person. Therewith, Lopamudra
becomes the wife of Agastya. In other versions, Lopamudra marries
Agastya, but after the wedding, she demands that Agastya provide
her with basic comforts before she will consummate the marriage,
a demand that ends up forcing Agastya to return to society and earn
wealth.
Agastya
and Lopamudra have a son named Drdhasyu, sometimes called Idhmavaha.
He is described in the Mahabharat as a boy who learns the Veds listening
to his parents while he is in the womb, and is born into the world
reciting the hymns.
Agastya
ashram :
Agastya had a hermitage (ashram), but the ancient and medieval era
Indian texts provide inconsistent stories and location for this
ashram. Two legends place it in Northwest Maharashtra, on the banks
of the river Godavari, near Nashik in small towns named Agastyapuri
and Akole. Other putative sites mentioned in Northern and Eastern
Indian sources is near Sangli in Ainwadi (Agastinagar) (Tal-khanapur)
village (Western ghats at Maharashtra), or near Kannauj (Uttar Pradesh),
or in Agastyamuni village near Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand), or Satpura
Range (Madhya Pradesh). In Southern sources and the North Indian
Devi-Bhagavat Puran, his ashram is based in Tamil Nadu, variously
placed in Tirunelveli, Pothiyal hills, or Thanjavur. Facing east,
he penanced upon a rock at Kanyakumari immediately after the beginning
of Kal Yug. It is also considered that his final resting place is
in Agastyarkoodam in Thiruvananthapuram.
Textual
sources :
Vedas :
Agastya is mentioned in all the four Vedas of Hinduism, and is a
character in the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, epics, and many
Purans. He is the author of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 of the Rigved (~1200
BCE). He ran a Vedic school (gurukul), as evidenced by hymn 1.179
of the Rigved which credits its author to be his wife Lopamudra
and his students. He was a respected sage in the Vedic era, as many
other hymns of the Rigved composed by other sages refer to Agastya.
The hymns composed by Agastya are known for verbal play and similes,
puzzles and puns, and striking imagery embedded within his spiritual
message.
Agastya
vedic verses :
With thee, O Indra, are most bounteous riches
that further every one who lives uprightly.
Now may these Maruts show us loving-kindness,
Gods who of old were ever prompt to help us.
— 1.169.5,
Transl: Ralph T.H. Griffith
May
we know refreshment,
and a community having lively waters.
— 1.165.15, 1.166.15, 1.167.11, etc.
Transl: Stephanie Jamison, Joel Brereton;
—
Rigved
His Vedic poetry is particularly notable for two themes. In one
set of hymns, Agastya describes a conflict between two armies led
by gods Indra and Maruts, which scholars such as G. S. Ghurye have
interpreted as an allegory of a conflict between Arya (Indra) and
Dasa (Rudra). Agastya successfully reconciles their conflict, makes
an offering wherein he prays for understanding and loving-kindness
between the two. Twenty one out of the twenty seven hymns he composed
in Mandal 1 of the Rigved have his signature ending, wherein he
appeals, "may each community know refreshment (food) and lively
waters". These ideas have led him to be considered as a protector
of both the Arya and the Das. However, some scholars interpret the
same hymns to be an allegory for any two conflicting ideologies
or lifestyles, because Agastya never uses the words Arya or Dasa,
and only uses the phrase ubhau varnav (literally, "both colors").
The theme and idea of "mutual understanding" as a means
for lasting reconciliation, along with Agastya's name, reappears
in section 1.2.2 of the Aitareya Aranyaka of Hinduism.
The
second theme, famous in the literature of Hinduism, is a discussion
between his wife Lopamudra and him about the human tension between
the monastic solitary pursuit of spirituality, versus the responsibility
of a householder's life and raising a family. Agastya argues that
there are many ways to happiness and liberation, while Lopamudra
presents her arguments about the nature of life, time and the possibility
of both. She successfully seduces Agastya, in the simile filled
Rigvedic hymn 1.179.
Agastya is mentioned in both the oldest and the youngest layers
of the Rigved (c. 1500–1200 BCE), such as in hymn 33 of mandal
7, which is older than mandal 1. He is also mentioned in other three
Veds and the Vedang literature such as in verses 5.13–14 of
the Nirukt. Agastya and his ideas are cited in numerous other Vedic
texts, such as section 7.5.5 of Taittiriya Samhita, 10.11 of Kathaka
Samhita, 2.1 of Maitrayani Samhita, 5.16 of Aitareya Brahman, 2.7.11
of Taittiriya Brahman, and 21.14 of Pancavimsati Brahman.
Ramayan
:
![](WLA_lacma_12th_century_Maharishi_Agastya.jpg)
A
12th-century statue of Agastya from Bihar
Sage Agastya is mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayan in several chapters
with his hermitage described to be on the banks of river Godavari.
In
the Ramayan, Agastya and Lopamudra are described as living in Dandak
forest, on the southern slopes of Vindhya mountains. Ram praises
Agastya as the one who can do what gods find impossible. He is described
by Rama as the sage who asked Vindhya mountains to lower themselves
so that Sun, Moon and living beings could easily pass over it. He
is also described as the sage who used his Dharma powers to kill
demons Vatapi and Ilwala after they had jointly misled and destroyed
9,000 men.
Agastya,
according to the Ramayan, is a unique sage, who is short and heavy
in build, but by living in the south he balances the powers of Shiv
and the weight of Kailash and Mount Meru. Agastya and his wife meet
Ram, Sita and Lakshman. He gives them a divine bow and arrow, describes
the evil nature of Ravan and, according to William Buck, B. A. van
Nooten and Shirley Triest, bids them goodbye with the advice, "Ram,
demons do not love men, therefore men must love each other".
Mahabharat
:
The story of Agastya is mirrored in the second major Hindu epic
Mahabharat. However, instead of Ram, the story is told as a conversation
between Yudhishthir and Lomas starting with section 96 of Book 3,
the Van Parv (the Book of Forest).
![](640px-Agastya_drinks_the_ocean.jpg)
Maharishi Agastya drinking the whole sea
He is described in the epic as a sage with enormous powers of ingestion
and digestion. Agastya, once again, stops the Vindhya mountains
from growing and lowers them and he kills the demons Vatapi and
Ilval much the same mythical way as in the Ramayan. The Van Parv
also describes the story of Lopamudra and Agastya getting engaged
and married. It also contains the mythical story of a war between
Indra and Vritra, where all the demons hide in the sea, gods requesting
Agastya for help, who then goes and drinks up the ocean thereby
revealing all the demons to the gods.
Purans
:
The Puranic literature of Hinduism has numerous stories about Agastya,
more elaborate, more fantastical and inconsistent than the mythologies
found in Vedic and Epics literature of India. For example, chapter
61 of the Matsya Puran, chapter 22 of Padma Puran, and seven other
Maha Purans tell the entire biography of Agastya. Some list him
as one of the Saptarishi (seven great rishi), while in others he
is one of the eight or twelve extraordinary sages of the Hindu traditions.
The names and details are not consistent across the different Purans,
nor in different manuscript versions of the same Puran. He is variously
listed along with Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu, Bhargav, Bharadvaj, Visvamitra,
Vashisth, Kashyap, Gautam, Jamadagni and others.
Agastya
is reverentially mentioned in the purans of all major Hindu traditions:
Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. Many of the Purans include lengthy
and detailed accounts of the descendants of Agastya and other Saptarishis.
Tamil
texts :
![](576px-Agasthiyar.jpg)
Agathiyar,
Tamil Nadu
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.
There
are similarities and differences between the Northern and Southern
(Tamil) traditions about Agastya. According to Iravatham Mahadevan,
both traditions state that Agastya migrated from north to south.
The Tamil text Purananuru, dated to about the start of the common
era, or possibly about 2nd century CE, in verse 201 mentions Agastya
along with many people migrating south.
In
the northern legends, Agastya's role in spreading Vedic tradition
and Sanskrit is emphasized, while in southern traditions his role
in spreading irrigation, agriculture and augmenting the Tamil language
is emphasized. In the north, his ancestry is unknown with mythical
legends limiting themselves to saying that Agastya was born from
a mud pitcher. In southern traditions, his descent from a pitcher
is a common reference, but two alternate southern legends place
him as the Cankam (Sangam) polity and is said to have led the migration
of eighteen Velir tribes from Dvarak to the south.
The
northern traditional stories, states Mahadevan, are "nothing
more than a collection of incredible fables and myths", while
the southern versions "ring much truer and appear to be a down
to earth account of a historical event". Others disagree. According
to K.N. Sivaraja Pillai, for example, there is nothing in the early
Sangam literature or any Tamil texts prior to about the mid 1st
millennium CE that mentions Agastya. The earliest mention of the
role of Agastya in Tamil language, according to Richard Weiss, can
be traced to the Iraiyanar Akapporul by 8th century Nakkirar. However,
in medieval era stories of the Tamil tradition, Agastya pioneered
the first sangam period that lasted 4,440 years, and took part in
the second sangam period that lasted another 3,700 years.
The
Tirumantiram describes Agastya as an ascetic sage, who came from
the north and settled in the southern Pothigai mountains because
Shiv asked him to. He is described as the one who perfected and
loved both Sanskrit and Tamil languages, amassing knowledge in both,
thus becoming a symbol of integration, harmony and learning, instead
of being opposed to either. According to the Skand Puran, the whole
world visited the Himalayas when Shiva was about to wed Parvati.
This caused the earth to tip to one side. Shiv then requested Agastya
to go to the southern region to restore the equilibrium. Thus, Agastya
migrated south at Shiv's behest.
Siddhar
:
![](640px-Agathiyar.jpg)
Reverence
at the Agastya shrine atop the peak of Agastya mala, with garlands
of fruits and flowers
Agastya, in Tamil Hindu traditions, is considered as the first and
foremost Siddhar (Tamil: cittar, Sanskrit: sidh). A siddhar is derived
from the Sanskrit verbal root sidh which means "to accomplish
or succeed". As the first Siddhar, Agastya is deemed as the
first master, accomplished, the sage who perfected his knowledge
of the natural and spiritual worlds. This Tamil concept has parallels
to Tibetan mahasiddhas, Sri Lankan Buddhist, and Nath Hindu yogi
traditions of north India.
![](631px-Sri_Lobamudra_Sameda_Agasthiyar.jpg)
Lobamudra sameda Agasthiyar Temple, A. Vallalapatti, Madurai
Agastya, along with Tirumular, is considered a siddhar in both philosophical
and practical domains, unlike most other siddhar who are revered
for their special domain of knowledge. Agastya is also unique for
the reverence he has received in historic texts all over the Indian
subcontinent.
According
to Venkatraman, the Siddhar-related literature about Agastya is
late medieval to early modern era. In particular, all medicine and
health-related Tamil text, that include Agastya as the Siddhar,
have been composed in and after the 15th-century. According to Hartmut
Scharfe, the oldest medicine siddhar Tamil text mentioning Agastya
were composed no earlier than the 16th century.
His
named is spelled as Agathiyar or Agasthiyar in some Tamil texts,
and some consider the writer of the medical texts to be a different
person.
According
to Kamil Zvelebil, the sage Agastya, Akattiyan the Siddha, and Akatthiyar,
the author of Akattiyam, were three or possibly four different persons
of different eras, who over time became fused into one single person
in the Tamil tradition.
Buddhist
texts :
Several Buddhist texts mention Agastya. Just like early Buddhist
texts such as Kalap, Katantra and Candra-vyakaran adapting Panini,
and Ashvaghosh adopting the more ancient Sanskrit poetic methodology
as he praises the Buddh, Agastya appears in 1st millennium CE Buddhist
texts. In Tamil texts, for example, Akattiyan is described as the
sage who learnt Tamil and Sanskrit grammar and poetics from Avalokitan
(another name for Buddh-to-be Avalokitesvar).
![](Agastya.jpg)
The left Indonesian statue shows Agastya with Shiv's trident,
as a divine sage of Shaivism. Agastya iconography is common in southeast
Asian temples
According to Anne E. Monius, the Manimekalai and Viracoliyam are
two of many South Indian texts that co-opt Agastya and make him
a student of the Buddh-to-be.
Agastya
elsewhere appears in other historic Buddhist mythologies, such as
the Jatak tales. For example, the Buddhist text Jataka-mala by Aryasur,
about the Buddha's previous lives, includes Agastya as the seventh
chapter. The Agastya-Jatak story is carved as a relief in the Borobudur,
the world's largest early medieval era Mahayan Buddhist temple.
Javanese
and southeast Asian texts :
Agastya is one of the most important figures in a number of medieval
era Southeast Asian inscriptions, temple reliefs and arts. He was
particularly popular in Java Indonesia, till Islam started to spread
throughout the islands of Indonesia. He is also found in Cambodia,
Vietnam and other regions. The earliest mentions of Agastya is traceable
to about the mid 1st millennium CE, but the 11th-century Javanese
language text Agastya-parva is a remarkable combination of philosophy,
mythology and genealogy attributed to sage Agastya.
The
Agastya-parva includes Sanskrit verse (shloks) embedded within the
Javanese language. The text is structured as a conversation between
a Guru (teacher, Agastya) and a Sisya (student, Agastya's son Drdhasyu).
The style is a mixture of didactic, philosophical and theological
treatise, covering diverse range of topics much like Hindu Purans.
The chapters of the Javanese text include the Indian theory of cyclic
existence, rebirth and sansar, creation of the world by the churning
of the ocean (samudra manthan), theories of the Samkhya and the
Vedant school of Hindu philosophy, major sections on god Shiv and
Shaivism, some discussion of Tantra, a manual like summary of ceremonies
associated with the rites of passage and others.
While
the similarities between the Agastya-parv text and classical Indian
ideas are obvious, according to Jan Gond, the Indian counterpart
of this text in Sanskrit or Tamil languages have not been found
in Indonesia or in India. Similarly other Agastya-related Indonesian
texts, dated to be from the 10th to 12th centuries, discuss ideas
from multiple sub-schools of Shaivism such as theistic Shaivasiddhant
and monistic Agamic Pashupat, and these texts declare these theologies
to be of equal merit and value.
![](576px-Agastya_statue_in_southern_niche_of_Sambisari_temple.jpg)
Agastya on south side of the 9th-century Javanese Sambisari
temple unearthed from volcanic mud
Agastya is common in medieval era Shiv temples of southeast Asia,
such as the stone temples in Java (candi). Along with the iconography
of Shiv, Uma, Nandi and Ganesh who face particular cardinal directions,
these temples include sculpture, image or relief of Agastya carved
into the southern face. The Shiv shrine in the largest Hindu temple
complex in southeast Asia, Prambanan, features four cellae in its
interior. This central shrine within Prambanan group of temples
dedicates its southern cella to Agastya.
The
Dinoyo inscription, dated to 760 CE, is primarily dedicated to Agastya.
The inscription states that his older wooden image was remade in
stone, thereby suggesting that the reverence for Agastya iconography
in southeast Asia was prevalent in an older period. In Cambodia,
the 9th-century king Indravarman, who is remembered for sponsoring
and the building of a large number of historic temples and related
artworks, is declared in the texts of this period to be a descendant
of sage Agastya.
Agastya
Samhita :
The Agastya Samhita, sometimes called the Sankar Samhita is a section
embedded in Skand Puran. It was probably composed in late medieval
era, but before the 12th-century. It exists in many versions, and
is structured as a dialogue between Skand and Agastya. Scholars
such as Moriz Winternitz state that the authenticity of the surviving
version of this document is doubtful because Shaiv celebrities such
as Skand and Agastya teach Vaishnavism ideas and the bhakti (devotional
worship) of Ram, mixed in with a tourist guide about Shiv temples
in Varanasi and other parts of India.
Agastimata
:
Agastya is attributed to be the author of Agastimata, a pre-10th
century treatise about gems and diamonds, with chapters on the origins,
qualities, testing and making jewellery from them. Several other
Sanskrit texts on gems and lapidary are also credited to Agastya
in the Indian traditions.
Others
:
Other mentions of Agastya include :
•
Brhaddevata in
section 5.134.
• The
Lalita sahasranama of Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, which describes
the 1000 names of the goddess Lalita is a part of the Brahmanda
Purana. It is presented as a teaching from Hayagriya (an avatar
of Vishnu) to Agastya.
• Agastya
is credited as the creator of the Aditya Hrdayam (literally, "heart
of the sun"), a hymn to Surya he told Ram to recite, so that
he may win against Ravan. Scholars such as John Muir questioned
this hymn since the need for a such a hymn by Ram implies doubts
about his divine nature.
• Lakshmi
Stotram and Saraswati Stotram.
• The
Tamil text Pattuppattu states Agastya to be master of icai (music,
song).
• Kalidas,
in his Raghuvansh (6.61) states that Agastya officiated the horse
sacrifice of a Pandya king of Madurai.
• One
of the authors of Nadi Shastra / Nadi astrology
Legacy :
Temples :
Sri Agasthiyar Temple in Tamil Nadu :
1.
Sri Agasthiyar Temple, Agasthiyar Falls (Kalyana Theertham), Papanasam,
Thirunelveli.
2.
Sri Lobamudra Samedha Agasthiyar Temple, Arulmigu Chidambara Vinayagar
Thirukoil, A. Vellalapatti, Madurai - Near to Alagarkovil (7 km).
Agastya
statues or reliefs feature in numerous early medieval temples of
north India, south India and southeast Asia. The Dasavatara temple
in Deogarh (Uttar Pradesh, near Madhya Pradesh border) features
a 6th-century Gupta Empire era Agastya carving. In Karnataka similarly,
he is reverentially shown in several 7th-century temples such as
the Mallikarjuna temple in Mahakuta and the Parvati temple in Sandur.
He is a part of many Chalukya era Shaivism temples in the Indian
subcontinent peninsula.
The
artistic iconography of South Asian and Southeast Asian temples
show common themes such as he holding a pitcher, but also differences.
For example, Agastya is featured inside or outside of the temple
walls and sometimes as guardian at the entrance (dwarpal), with
or without a potbelly, with or without a receding hairline, with
or without a dagger and sword. Rock cut temples and caves, such
as the 8th century Pandya rock temples group, show Agastya.
Literature
:
The shrine to Agastya at the Pothigai hill source of the river is
mentioned in both Ilango Adigal's Silappatikaram and Chithalai Chathanar's
Manimekhalai epics.
Similarly,
the Sanskrit plays Anargharaghav and Rajasekhar's Balaramayan of
the ninth century refer to a shrine of Agastya on or near Adam's
Peak (Sri Pad), the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka (ancient Tamraparni),
from whence the river Gona Nadi/Kala Oya flows into the Gulf of
Mannar's Puttalam Lagoon.
Martial
arts :
Maharishi Agastya is regarded as the founder and patron saint of
silambam and varmam -an ancient science of healing using varmam
points for varied diseases and southern kalaripayat. Shiv's son
Murugan is said to have taught the art to Sage Agastya who then
wrote treatises on it and passed it on to other siddhar.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Agastya