Gautama Maharishi
Encyclopedia
Gautama Maharishi is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi
of the current Manvantara
(seventh). He was one of the Maharishis of Vedic times, known to have been the discoverer of Mantras -- 'Mantra-drashtaa', in Sanskrit. The Rig Veda has several suktas (Sanskrit: 'hymns') that go with his name. He was the son of Rahugana, belonging to the line of Angiras. The Devi Bhagavatam
says that the river Godavari
is so named because of its association with Gautama. He had two sons by name Vamadeva
and Nodhas, both themselves discoverers of Mantras. There is a hymn called Bhadra
in the Sama Veda which again is ascribed to Gautama Maharishi.
, herself the 'mind born daughter' (Sanskrit: manasa putri) of Creator Brahma
. The Puranas
speak of the story wherein it is described how Gautama won the hand of Ahalya by circumambulating
the divine cow in order to fulfill the stipulation of Brahma that whoever first goes round the whole Earth will win the hand of Ahalya. The 'chief priest' (Sanskrit: Purohita) of King Janaka
of Mithila
, by name Shatananda, was the son of Gautama and Ahalya. Gautama's sixty-year long penance is mentioned in the Shanti parva of the Mahabharata
. The Narada purana
describes the story of the 12-year famine during which Gautama fed all the Rishis and saved them.
Gautama was one of the famous seven rishi
s termed Saptarshi
. He was the progenitor of the Gautama gotra. He was the son of Rahugana.
With Bharadvaja, Gautama shares a common ancestry as they are both descended from Angirasa, and sometimes they are both bracketed together under the name Angirasa.
The sons of Gautama are Vamadeva
and Nodha. The 4th book of the Rigveda
is that of the Vamadeva Gautama family.
as Trimbakeshvar, that constitutes the source of the Jyotirlinga
nearby, happened for the sake of Gautama. The Brahmanda Purana
mentions that one of the sub-branches of the Raanaayani branch of Sama Veda was initiated by this Gautama. Some famous disciples of Gautama were Praachina-yogya, Shaandilya, Gaargya, and Bharadwaja
.
According to the Ramayana
, Rishi Gautama once went to take bath in the river Ganges early morning. The king of the devas, Indra, was fascinated with Gautam's wife, Ahalya. Indra came in the form of Gautam and made love to Ahalya. As he was escaping, he was caught by Rishi Gautama who was returning to the Ashrama from his bath. Gautam cursed Ahalya and Indra both for this act. Ahalya was converted to stone, while Indra was cursed with one thousand female genitals (Sahasrayoni). Later, taking pity on both, Gautama converted both these curses to boons. Indra's female genitals (yonis) became eyes, and he came to be known as Sahasraaksha. As for Ahalya, Gautama granted her the boon that she would be brought back to human form by the touch of the feet of Lord Rama and would reunite with him.
s, the four varnas
, kingly duties, the punishments for various offences, the obsequies for the dead, do's and don'ts of food consumption, the dharmas of women, the rules for Praayaschitta (atonement for sins), and the rules of succession of property. In this sense Gautama's Dharma Shastra may perhaps be considered the oldest law book of the world.
Akṣapāda Gotama, the 2nd century CE founder of the school of philosophy that goes by the name of 'Nyaya
' (Logic), is not to be confused with Gautama Maharishi.
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
of the current Manvantara
Manvantara
Manvantara or Manuvantara , or age of a Manu , the Hindu progenitor of mankind, is an astronomical period of time measurement. Manvantara is a Sanskrit sandhi, a combination of words manu and antara, manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning the duration of a Manu, or his life span .Each...
(seventh). He was one of the Maharishis of Vedic times, known to have been the discoverer of Mantras -- 'Mantra-drashtaa', in Sanskrit. The Rig Veda has several suktas (Sanskrit: 'hymns') that go with his name. He was the son of Rahugana, belonging to the line of Angiras. The Devi Bhagavatam
Devi-Bhagavata Purana
Devi-Bhagavata Purana , also known as Shrimad Devi Bhagvatam or Devi Bhagavatam, is one of the most important work in Shaktism, the veneration in Hinduism of the divine feminine, next to Devi Mahatmya...
says that the river Godavari
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...
is so named because of its association with Gautama. He had two sons by name Vamadeva
Vamadeva
In Hinduism, Vamadeva is the name of the preserving aspect of the God Siva, one of five aspects of the universe he embodies. On a panchamukha Sivalingam, Vamadeva appears on the right hand side...
and Nodhas, both themselves discoverers of Mantras. There is a hymn called Bhadra
Bhadra
In Hinduism, Bhadra is a goddess of the hunt and one of Shiva's servants....
in the Sama Veda which again is ascribed to Gautama Maharishi.
Personal life
His wife is AhalyaAhalya
In Hinduism, Ahalya , also known as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama, primarily known for her sexual encounter with the god-king Indra, the resultant curse by her husband and her subsequent liberation by Rama – an avatar of the god Vishnu...
, herself the 'mind born daughter' (Sanskrit: manasa putri) of Creator Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
. The Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
speak of the story wherein it is described how Gautama won the hand of Ahalya by circumambulating
Circumambulation
Circumambulation is the act of moving around a sacred object.Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu ritual. It is also practised in Buddhism. In Islam, circumambulation is performed around the Kaaba in Mecca, in a counter-clockwise direction...
the divine cow in order to fulfill the stipulation of Brahma that whoever first goes round the whole Earth will win the hand of Ahalya. The 'chief priest' (Sanskrit: Purohita) of King Janaka
Janaka
Janaka or Raja Janaka were the kings of Videha Kingdom. Their capital was Mithila, which is believed to be present day Janakpur, Nepal...
of Mithila
Mithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
, by name Shatananda, was the son of Gautama and Ahalya. Gautama's sixty-year long penance is mentioned in the Shanti parva of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. The Narada purana
Naradeya Purana
The Naradiya Purana or Narada Purana is one of the major eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of Hindu religious texts. It deals with the places of pilgrimages. It is in the style of dialogue between the sage Narada, and Sanatkumara...
describes the story of the 12-year famine during which Gautama fed all the Rishis and saved them.
Gautama was one of the famous seven rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
s termed Saptarshi
Saptarshi
The Saptarishi are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. They are regarded in the Vedas as the patriarchs of the...
. He was the progenitor of the Gautama gotra. He was the son of Rahugana.
With Bharadvaja, Gautama shares a common ancestry as they are both descended from Angirasa, and sometimes they are both bracketed together under the name Angirasa.
The sons of Gautama are Vamadeva
Vamadeva
In Hinduism, Vamadeva is the name of the preserving aspect of the God Siva, one of five aspects of the universe he embodies. On a panchamukha Sivalingam, Vamadeva appears on the right hand side...
and Nodha. The 4th book of the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
is that of the Vamadeva Gautama family.
Legends
The descent of Lord ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
as Trimbakeshvar, that constitutes the source of the Jyotirlinga
Jyotirlinga
A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India....
nearby, happened for the sake of Gautama. The Brahmanda Purana
Brahmanda Purana
The Brahmanda Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts and has been assigned the eighteenth place in almost all the lists of the Puranas.Brahma in Sanskrit means "the biggest", anda/andam means globe...
mentions that one of the sub-branches of the Raanaayani branch of Sama Veda was initiated by this Gautama. Some famous disciples of Gautama were Praachina-yogya, Shaandilya, Gaargya, and Bharadwaja
Bharadwaja
Bharadwaja was one of the greatest Hindu Arya sages descendant of rishi Angirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. He was one of the Saptarshis in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa.Bhardwaj Rishi was father of...
.
According to the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, Rishi Gautama once went to take bath in the river Ganges early morning. The king of the devas, Indra, was fascinated with Gautam's wife, Ahalya. Indra came in the form of Gautam and made love to Ahalya. As he was escaping, he was caught by Rishi Gautama who was returning to the Ashrama from his bath. Gautam cursed Ahalya and Indra both for this act. Ahalya was converted to stone, while Indra was cursed with one thousand female genitals (Sahasrayoni). Later, taking pity on both, Gautama converted both these curses to boons. Indra's female genitals (yonis) became eyes, and he came to be known as Sahasraaksha. As for Ahalya, Gautama granted her the boon that she would be brought back to human form by the touch of the feet of Lord Rama and would reunite with him.
Author of the earliest Dharma-sutra
Gauatama was also the author of Dharma-sutra known as Gautama Dharma sutra It is in fact the earliest Dharma Sutra. It contains 28 chapters with 1000 aphorisms. Almost every aspect of the observances of Hindu dharma - including the rules for the four Ashramas, the forty sanskāraSanskara
In Hinduism sanskaras are the imprints left on the subconscious mind by experience in this or previous lives, which then color all of life, one's nature, responses, states of mind, etc.-Overview:Sanskaras are impressions derived from past experiences that form desires that influence future...
s, the four varnas
Varnas
Varnas is the masculine form of a Lithuanian family name. Its feminine forms are: Varnienė and Varnytė .The surname may refer to:* Adomas Varnas , Lithuanian artist...
, kingly duties, the punishments for various offences, the obsequies for the dead, do's and don'ts of food consumption, the dharmas of women, the rules for Praayaschitta (atonement for sins), and the rules of succession of property. In this sense Gautama's Dharma Shastra may perhaps be considered the oldest law book of the world.
Akṣapāda Gotama, the 2nd century CE founder of the school of philosophy that goes by the name of 'Nyaya
Nyaya
' is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy—specifically the school of logic...
' (Logic), is not to be confused with Gautama Maharishi.
External links
- Collection of stories on Gautama Maharshi: 1, 2, 3
- Gauthama Maharshi