By Swami Harshananda
Rṣyaśṛṅga literally means ‘the sage with the horns of a deer'.
Rṣyaśṛṅga, a Sage[edit]
Rṣyaśṛṅga was a great sage with unbelievable powers. He was the son of the sage Vibhāṇḍaka. He had two horns like those of a deer. Once, the king Romapāda of Aṅgadeśa displeased the brāhmaṇas of his country, who then migrated to other countries in masses. Consequently there were no rains in Aṅgadeśa and a severe famine set in. On the advice of some wise elders, he managed to bring Rṣyaśṛṅga to his country. As soon as the great sage stepped on the soil of Aṅgadeśa, it rained heavily and the people were saved of starvation.
Romapāda gave his foster daughter Śāntā[1] in marriage to the young sage to show his gratitude. Rṣyaśṛṅga was the chief priest who conducted the Putrakāmeṣṭi sacrifice for Daśaratha. The present town of Śṛṅgerī in Karnataka State is said to be the place where Rṣyaśṛñga had his hermitage. According to another version, he had his hermitage on the bank of the river Kosi in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar.
Rṣyaśṛṅga, a Writer[edit]
Rṣyaśṛṅga is also the name of a writer of dharmaśāstra quoted by a few well-known works like the Mitākṣarā and Smrticandrikā. However, his work has not been obtained till now.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
By Swami Harshananda
Ṛta literally means ‘that which is straight’.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore