DIRGHTAMAS
/ RAHUGAN
![](Dirghatamas_rishi.jpg)
Rishi
Dirghatamas
Part
I :
Dirghatamas
was an ancient sage well known for his philosophical verses in the
Rig Ved. He was author of Suktas (hymns) 140 to 164 in the first
Mandala (section) of the Rig Ved. However there was another Dirghatamas
named Dirghatama Mamteya.
Background
:
Dirghatamas was one of the Angiras Rishis, the oldest of the Rishi
families, and regarded as brother to the Rishi Bharadvaj, who is
the seer of the sixth Mandala of the Rig Ved. Dirghatamas is also
the chief predecessor of the Gautam family of Rishis that includes
Kakshivan, Gautam Maharishi, Nodhas and Vamdev (seer of the fourth
Mandala of the Rig Ved), who along with Dirghatamas account for
almost 150 of the 1000 hymns of the Rig Ved. Ang, Vang, Kaling,
Pundra and Suhma, Ondra were also the sons of Dirghatamas through
Raja Bali’s wife Sudhesan. His own verses occur frequently
in many Vedic texts, a few even in the Upanishads.
He
was the reputed purohit or chief priest of King Bharat (Aitareya
Brahman VIII.23), one of the earliest kings of the land, after whom
India was named as Bharat (the traditional name of the country).
Birth
:
Dirghatama was son of Rastra.
Bhishma
tells the narrative of the birth of Dirghatama Mamteya in the Mahabharat
(book1, Adi Parva, CIV): "There was in olden days a wise Rishi
of the name of Utathya. He had a wife of the name Mamata whom he
dearly loved. One day Utathya's younger brother Brihaspati, the
priest of the celestials, endued with great energy, approached Mamata.
The latter, however, told her husband's younger brother—that
foremost of eloquent men—that she had conceived from her connection
with his elder brother and that, therefore, he should not then seek
for the consummation of his wishes. She continued, 'O illustrious
Brihaspati, the child that I have conceived has studied in his mother's
womb the Vedas with the six Angs, Seed is not lost in vain. How
can then this womb of mine afford room for two children at a time?
Therefore, it behoveth thee not to seek for the consummation of
thy desire at such a time. Thus addressed by her, Brihaspati, though
possessed of great wisdom, could not suppress his desire. The child
in the womb protested, 'There is no space here for two. O illustrious
one, the room is small. I have occupied it first. It behoveth thee
not to afflict me.' But Brihaspati without listening to what that
child in the womb said, sought the embraces of Mamata possessing
the most beautiful pair of eyes. And the illustrious Brihaspati,
beholding this, became indignant, and reproached Utathya's child
and cursed him, saying, 'Because thou hast spoken to me in the way
thou hast at a time of pleasure that is sought after by all creatures,
perpetual darkness shall overtake thee.' And from this curse of
the illustrious Brihaspati, Utathya's child who was equal unto Brihaspati
in energy, was born blind and came to be called Dirghatamas (enveloped
in perpetual darkness). And the wise Dirghatamas, possessed of a
knowledge of the Veds, though born blind, succeeded yet by virtue
of his learning, in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahmana
maiden of the name of Pradweshi. And having married her, the illustrious
Dirghatamas, for the expansion of Utathya's race, begat upon her
several children with Gautam Dirghatamas as their eldest.
Asya
Vamasya Hymn :
Dirghatamas is famous for his paradoxical apothegms. His mantras
are enigmas: "He who knows the father below by what is above,
and he who knows the father who is above by what is below is called
the poet."
The
Asya Vamasya (Rig Ved 1.164) is one of the sage's most famous poems.
Early scholars (such as Deussen in his Philosophy of the Upanisads)
tried to say that the poems of Dirghatamas were of a later nature
because of their content, but this has no linguistic support which
has been argued by modern Sanskrit scholars (such as Dr. C. Kunhan
Raja in his translation of the Asya Vamasya Hymn). The reason that
earlier Western scholars believed them to be of a later origin is
due to the monist views found there. They believed that early Vedic
religion was pantheistic and a monist view of god evolved later
in the Upanisads - but the poems of Dirghtamas (1.164.46) which
say "there is One Being (Ekam Sat) which is called by many
names" proves this idea incorrect.
Earliest
Mention of the Zodiac :
Some scholars have claimed that the Babylonians invented the zodiac
of 360 degrees around 700 BCE, perhaps even earlier. Many claim
that India received the knowledge of the zodiac from Babylonia or
even later from Greece. However, as old as the Rig Ved, the oldest
Vedic text, there are clear references to a chakra or wheel of 360
spokes placed in the sky. The number 360 and its related numbers
like 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 108, 432 and 720 occur commonly in
Vedic symbolism. It is in the hymns of the Rishi Dirghatamas (RV
I.140 - 164) that we have the clearest such references.
Famous
Sayings :
A number of famous sayings originate from the verses of Dirghatamas.
Another
one bites the dust The first time the phrase "bites the dust"
appears is in the Rig ved (1.158.4-5) where the poet Dirgatama has
a prayer to the divine doctors (Ashvini Kumar) and says ‘may
the turning of the days not tire me, may the fires not burn me,
may the wood-pyre not eat the earth, may the waters not swallow
me’. There are disputes on what "bites the dirt"
means in sayan’s commentary in the 14th century- which means
the phrase had gone out of style in India at this time as most people
began to be cremated instead of buried. But reading the padbandha,
it's very clear that it refers to the wood-pyre eating earth, not
the deceased human.
ma
mam edho dasatayas cito dhak pra yad vam baddhas tmani khadati ksam
Note
the use of 3rd person singular verb ending -ti for khad (to eat).
Dirghatama is using it as a prayer from death - such as don’t
let me die and be burned. If it were a prayer saying "let me
not eat the earth", the 1st person singular, -mi or -ani would
have been used. Here, eating of earth effect is produced by charring
of earth by burnt wood-pyre.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/Dirghatamas
Part
II :
Dirghtamas
also known as Rahugan was son of Ucathya and father of Rishi Gautam.
Dirghatamas
was an ancient sage well known for his philosophical verses in the
Rig Ved. He was author of Suktas (hymns) 140 to 164 in the first
Mandala (section) of the Rig Ved. However there was another Dirghatamas
named Dirghatama Mamteya.
Dirghatamas
was one of the Angiras Rishis, the oldest of the Rishi families,
and regarded as brother to the Rishi Bharadvaj, who is the seer
of the sixth Mandala of the Rig Veda. Dirghatamas is also the chief
predecessor of the Gautam family of Rishis that includes Kakshivan,
Gautam, Nodha and Vamadev (seer of the fourth Mandala of the Rig
Ved), who along with Dirghatamas account for almost 150 of the 1000
hymns of the Rig Veda. His own verses occur frequently in many Vedic
texts, a few even in the Upanishads.
He
was the reputed purohit or chief priest of King Bharat (Aitareya
Brahman VIII.23), one of the earliest kings of the land, after whom
India was named as Bharat (the traditional name of the country).
Some
also say that Dirghatamas was adopted by Bharat. Dirghatamas was
born blind.
Dirghtamas story is mentioned in Adi Parva, Mahabharata/Book
I Chapter 104 :
"Bhishma continued, 'In olden days, Ram, the son of Jamadagni,
in anger at the death of his father, slew with his battle axe the
king of the Haihayas. And Ram, by cutting off the thousand arms
of Arjun (the Haihaya king), achieved a most difficult feat in the
world. Not content with this, he set out on his chariot for the
conquest of the world, and taking up his bow he cast around his
mighty weapons to exterminate the Kshatriyas. And the illustrious
scion of Bhrigu's race, by means of his swift arrows annihilated
the Kshatriya tribe one and twenty times.
"And
when the earth was thus deprived of Kshatriyas by the great Rishi,
the Kshatriya ladies all over the land had offspring raised by Brahmans
skilled in the Vedas. It has been said in the Vedas that the sons
so raised belongeth to him that had married the mother. And the
Kshatriya ladies went in unto the Brahmans not lustfully but from
motives of virtue. Indeed, it was thus that the Kshatriya race was
revived.
"In
this connection there is another old history that I will recite
to you. There was in olden days a wise Rishi of the name of Utathya.
He had a wife of the name Mamata whom he dearly loved. One day Utathya's
younger brother Brihaspati, the priest of the celestials, endued
with great energy, approached Mamata. The latter, however, told
her husband's younger brother--that foremost of eloquent men--that
she had conceived from her connection with his elder brother and
that, therefore, he should not then seek for the consummation of
his wishes. She continued, 'O illustrious Brihaspati, the child
that I have conceived hath studied in his mother's womb the Vedas
with the six Angas, Semen tuum frustra perdi non potest. How can
then this womb of mine afford room for two children at a time? Therefore,
it behoveth thee not to seek for the consummation of thy desire
at such a time.
Thus addressed by her, Brihaspati, though possessed of great wisdom,
succeeded not in suppressing his desire. Quum auten jam cum illa
coiturus esset, the child in the womb then addressed him and said,
'O father, cease from thy attempt. There is no space here for two.
O illustrious one, the room is small. I have occupied it first.
Semen tuum perdi non potest. It behoveth thee not to afflict me.'
But Brihaspati without listening to what that child in the womb
said, sought the embraces of Mamata possessing the most beautiful
pair of eyes. Ille tamen Muni qui in venture erat punctum temporis
quo humor vitalis jam emissum iret providens, viam per quam semen
intrare posset pedibus obstruxit. Semen ita exhisum, excidit et
in terram projectumest. And the illustrious Brihaspati, beholding
this, became indignant, and reproached Utathya's child and cursed
him, saying, 'Because thou hast spoken to me in the way thou hast
at a time of pleasure that is sought after by all creatures,
p.
225
perpetual
darkness shall overtake thee.' And from this curse of the illustrious
Brihaspati Utathya's child who was equal unto Brihaspati in energy,
was born blind and came to be called Dirghatamas (enveloped in perpetual
darkness). And the wise Dirghatamas, possessed of a knowledge of
the Vedas, though born blind, succeeded yet by virtue of his learning,
in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahman maiden of the
name of Pradweshi. And having married her, the illustrious Dirghatamas,
for the expansion of Utathya's race, begat upon her several children
with Gautam as their eldest. These children, however, were all given
to covetousness and folly. The virtuous and illustrious Dirghatamas
possessing complete mastery over the Vedas, soon after learnt from
Surabhi's son the practices of their order and fearlessly betook
himself to those practices, regarding them with reverence. (For
shame is the creature of sin and can never be where there is purity
of intention). Then those best of Munis that dwelt in the same asylum,
beholding him transgress the limits of propriety became indignant,
seeing sin where sin was not. And they said, 'O, this man, transgresseth
the limit of propriety. No longer doth he deserve a place amongst
us. Therefore, shall we all cast this sinful wretch off.' And they
said many other things regarding the Muni Dirghatamas. And his wife,
too, having obtained children, became indignant with him.
"The
husband then addressing his wife Pradweshi, said, 'Why is it that
thou also hast been dissatisfied with me?' His wife answered, 'The
husband is called the Bhartri because he supporteth the wife. He
is called Pati because he protect her. But thou art neither, to
me! O thou of great ascetic merit, on the other hand, thou hast
been blind from birth, it is I who have supported thee and thy children.
I shall not do so in future.'
"Hearing
these words of his wife, the Rishi became indignant and said unto
her and her children, 'Take me unto the Kshatriyas and thou shalt
then be rich.' His wife replied (by saying), 'I desire not wealth
that may be procured by thee, for that can never bring me happiness.
O best of Brahmanas, do as thou likest. I shall not be able to maintain
thee as before.' At these words of his wife, Dirghatamas said, 'I
lay down from this day as a rule that every woman shall have to
adhere to one husband for her life. Be the husband dead or alive,
it shall not be lawful for a woman to have connection with another.
And she who may have such connection shall certainly be regarded
as fallen. A woman without husband shall always be liable to be
sinful. And even if she be wealthy she shall not be able to enjoy
that wealth truly. Calumny and evil report shall ever dog her.'
Hearing these words of her husband Pradweshi became very angry,
and commanded her sons, saying, 'Throw him into the waters of Ganga!'
And at the command of their mother, Gautam and his brothers, those
slaves of covetousness and folly, exclaiming, 'Indeed, why should
we support this old man?--'tied the Muni to a raft and committing
p.
226
him
to the mercy of the stream returned home without compunction. The
blind old man drifting along the stream on that raft, passed through
the territories of many kings. One day a king named Vali conversant
with every duty went to the Ganges to perform his ablutions. And
as the monarch was thus engaged, the raft to which the Rishi was
tied, approached him. And as it came, the king took the old man.
The virtuous Vali, ever devoted to truth, then learning who the
man was that was thus saved by him, chose him for raising up offspring.
And Vali said, 'O illustrious one, it behoveth thee to raise upon
my wife a few sons that shall be virtuous and wise.' Thus addressed,
the Rishi endued with great energy, expressed his willingness. There
upon king Vali sent his wife Sudeshna unto him. But the queen knowing
that the latter was blind and old went not unto him, she sent unto
him her nurse. And upon that Sudra woman the virtuous Rishi of passions
under full control begat eleven children of whom Kakshivat was the
eldest. And beholding those eleven sons with Kakshivat as the eldest,
who had studied all the Vedas and who like Rishis were utterers
of Brahma and were possessed of great power, king Vali one day asked
the Rishi saying, 'Are these children mine?' The Rishi replied,
'No, they are mine.
Kakshivat
and others have been begotten by me upon a Sudra woman. Thy unfortunate
queen Sudeshna, seeing me blind and old, insulted me by not coming
herself but sending unto me, instead, her nurse.' The king then
pacified that best of Rishis and sent unto him his queen Sudeshna.
The Rishi by merely touching her person said to her, 'Thou shalt
have five children named Ang, Vang, Kaling, Pundra and Suhma, who
shall be like unto Surya (Sun) himself in glory. And after their
names as many countries shall be known on earth. It is after their
names that their dominions have come to be called Ang,
Vang, Kaling,
Pundra and Suhma.'
"It
was thus that the line of Bali was perpetuated, in days of old,
by a great Rishi. And it was thus also that many mighty bowmen and
great car-warriors wedded to virtue, sprung in the Kshatriya race
from the seed of Brahmans. Hearing this, O mother, do as thou likest,
as regards the matter in hand.'"
Source
:
https://www.jatland.com/
home/Adi_Parva,_Mahabharata/
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