"अगस्त्य ऋषी - भाग ८"

"अगस्त्य ऋषी - भाग ८"

1.Discussion between Agastya & his wife Lopamudra about the human tension between the monastic solitary pursuit of spirituality,versus the responsibility of a householder's life and raising a family is very famous.

2.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.

3.She successfully seduces Agastya, in the simile filled Rigvedic hymn 1.179.

4.Agastya is mentioned in both the oldest and the youngest layers of the Rigveda (c. 1500–1200 BCE), such as in hymn 33 of mandala 7, which is older than mandala 1.

5.He is also mentioned in other three Vedas and the Vedanga literature such as in verses 5.13–14 of the Nirukta.

5.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 Brahmana, 2.7.11 of Taittiriya Brahmana, and 21.14 of Pancavimsati Brahmana.

6.Sage Agastya is mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana in several chapters with his hermitage described to be on the banks of river Godavari.

7.In the Ramayana, Agastya and Lopamudra are described as living in Dandaka forest, on the southern slopes of Vindhya mountains.

8.Rama praises Agastya as the one who can do what gods find impossible.

9.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.

10.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.