Aurva
By Swami Harshananda
Aurva literally means ‘born from the thigh’.
He was the son of the sage Cyavana[1] and Āruṣi.[2] He was called as Aurva as he was born from the uru or the thigh of his mother.
Once, the kṣattriyas belonging to the race of Kārtavīryārjuna were harassing the ṛṣis who were descendants of Bhṛigu, including the womenfolk. Due to this tension and fear, the foetus in the womb of Āruṣi slipped into her thigh and was born out of it. The child, ṛṣi Aurva, stared at the marauders making them blind. They regained their sight by praying to the child-sage.
Later on, the sage Aurva engaged himself in a sacrifice to destroy the followers of Kārtavīryārjuna. He was however dissuaded from doing so. In this process Aurva discharged his anger into the sea, in the form of a horse. This submarine fire came to be known as ‘Vaḍavāgni.’ Aurva had two children :
- Rcīka (son)
- Kandalī (daughter)
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore