RISHYASRINGA the sage with a horn on forehead.

 Dear Children,    Last month, we had read about Asthaavakra the sage with eight deformities.

Now, let us read about another great sage with a horn on his forehead! He was named Rishyasringa. Sringa in Sanskrit means horn.

If a person behaves as if he is ‘special’, we ask him in Kannada, “Do you have a horn on your head?” This figure of speech might have Rishyasringa as the origin!

 Vibhandaka was a sage of Treta yuga (Lord Rama’s period.) He was pursuing a very hard and strict penance, the intensity of which, frightened Indra, the Lord of Heaven. He became apprehensive that Vibhandaka might seek his throne as a boon to his penance. He decided to abort the possibility by obstructing the penance, Indra sent a Celestial Dancer, Urvashi,to entice Vibhandaka, and poor Vibhandaka, fell a pray. He forgot his penance and fell in love with Urvashi, who was very beautiful and talented. A son was born to them. As the boy was born with a horn-like projection on fore-head, he was named Rishyasringa.

As soon as Urvashi’s task of obstructing the penance was over, she left for Heaven, leaving the new-born child with Vibhandaka, though he pleaded for his love to her and her need to bring up the child.. This heart -less act of Urvashi made Vibhandaka to hate womankind. He decided to bring up the child himself and isolating the child from seeing any woman.

Under the care and tutelage of Vibhandaka, Rishyasringa grew up to be a great scholar of Vedas and Scriptures even at an early age. Because of his chastity and piety,he got a boon from Gods that wherever he went, there would be prosperity.

King Romapaada was ruling the Anga kingdom. Once, there was a severe famine. There was no rain and all lakes dried and crops failed.There was starvation deaths. King Romapaada had to find a solution. The Pundits in his court suggested that if Rishyasringa could be brought to the country, there would be rains and prosperity would return. The king asked his ministers to go to Vibhandaka with gifts and riches to persuade him to send Rishyasringa. But they said, as Vibhandaka hated women, he would not allow his son to come to the city, where the boy may meet womenfolk. After a lot of discussion, a plan was hatched: A group of beautiful women should go to the Ashram when Vibhandaka had gone out on a journey. They should take with them   fruits and riches which the people in the ashram would not have seen or tasted. They should meet the boy-Rishyasringa when he was alone and use all their guile and tempt him to come with them. Once they are out of the Ashram, the chariots waiting for them would bring them to Anga capital they should accomplish this before Vibhandaka returned.

  It was very difficult to persuade the women as it involved lot of risk and if they were caught in their act, they would face the curse of the sage. Finally they agreed to take that risk, to save the country from famine.

As soon as they learnt that sage Vibhandka had left Ashram on a long journey, they hurried to carry out their plan. They went to ashram and met Rishyasringa and prostrated to him and inquired if he was fine and if his penance was without any hindrance. Rishyasringa had not seen such nice looking and attractive persons. He was very happy to meet them. He thought they were also some sages and welcomed the guests with courtesy and reverence. When he prostrated to them, they said, they wished to greet him in their special way. The leader went and hugged the boy, and offered the sweets and rare fruits they had brought. Rishyasringa, who had not seen a woman till then, felt it was a new and very pleasant experience. He was thrilled with the nice features, pleasant touch and sweet voice,and  the warm embrace of the lady  After a while in their pleasant  company, they requested him to come to visit their hermitage. Rishyasringa readily agreed.He came out of the ashram with the ladies and sat in the chariot which sped towards Anga desha.

 As the chariot with Rishyasringa entered the Anga kingdom, the spell of drought in the land was broken and it started raining! Everybody was dancing and singing. King Romapaada came out of the palace to welcome the honored guest who had saved the country from famine. In gratitude, Romapaada offered his daughter Shanta in marriage to Rishyasringa. He was proud to have alliance with a sage like Vibhandaka and a scholar like Rishyasringa as his son-in-law. Though Rishyasringa was with a horn on his forehead, his innocent looks and pleasant manners, his radiant face and the scholarly knowledge, had won the heart of princess Shanta. Rishyasringa was also very happy in the company of the bride.

 King Romapaada was happy that his plan to end the famine had succeeded and also, his daughter was happy with Rishyasringa. But, he was worried how to face the rage of Vibhandaka, when he comes to know that his innocent son had been tricked out of ashram by the king. In order to pacify the sage,he kept large herds of cattle in the villages along the route from the ashram to the capital, and instructed the cow-herds to welcome Vibhandaka and    proclaim they are servants of sage Rishyasringa looking after the cows belonging to him.

 Sage Vibhandaka returned to the Ashram and was very angry that his son was missing.Soon, he found out that during his absence, King Romapaada had contrived to get his son out of Ashram to save his country from famine. Fuming Vibhandaka marched to Anga Desha. All along the way, he found people praising his son for saving them from famine; and saw the cattle and cow-herds belonging to his son. His anger gave way to pride for his son. On reaching the capital, he was received with great honor and led to the palace. The King himself came out to welcome him. He saw his son, Rishyasringa and the beautiful bride Shanta seated on the throne with the king, and was pleased with the honor and regard given to his son. He blessed the new couple for happy and contented life and asked his son to return to Ashram after they got a child who could be the heir to the king .He blessed the King and his Kingdom also for prosperity.

 Rishyasringa spent a few years in the palace, enjoying happy married life with Shanta. Shanta gave birth to a beautiful male child who was to be the next king. When Rishyasringa went to King Romapaada to bid good-bye, princess Shanta insisted that she would accompany him to the forest to remain with him to assist in his spiritual pursuits, as expected of a dutiful wife.

Sage Vibhandaka was immensely pleased that his son returned to ashram with his wife who had left the comforts of a palace to come to forest to look after his house and also pursue spiritual activities with her husband. Rishyasringa became a very great scholar in Vedic Rites.  King Dasharatha, on the advice of his Gurus, invited Sage Rishyasringa to come and conduct the Putra-Kaamesthi Yaaga for obtaining sons .The birth of Sri Rama and his three brothers was the result of this Yaaga supervised by Rishyasringa .

(Acknowledgement: “Maha Bhaarata “By Sri. Rajagopalachari that I had read is the main source for this article).

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