Vasishṭha, Viśvāmitra and Nandinī
The Chaitraratha Parva of the Mahābhārata tells this account as one of the great upākhyānas (episodes) of the Kuru line. Viśvāmitra, then a kshatriya king, came to Vasishṭha’s āśrama with his army. Vasishṭha fed the whole army through his wish-fulfilling cow Nandinī. Viśvāmitra wanted her and Vasishṭha refused. Nandinī then raised a huge army from her own body and destroyed Viśvāmitra’s forces. Viśvāmitra saw that the strength of a warrior is nothing against the power of a brāhmaṇa, and he decided to become one through tapas (austerity).
Viśvāmitra at Vasishṭha’s āśrama
In his earlier life Viśvāmitra was a kshatriya king of the line of Gādhi. He was a ruler of great power with a wide kingdom. Once, as he travelled with his army, he came to the āśrama of Vasishṭha.
The great ṛshi welcomed him and his whole army. Thousands of soldiers, attendants and horses were given food, water, shelter and every comfort. All of it came from the wonderful abundance of Nandinī, Vasishṭha’s divine wish-fulfilling cow, a daughter of Kāmadhenu.
Viśvāmitra had expected the plain welcome of a forest āśrama. He was amazed by this easy abundance. He understood at once that it all came from this one extraordinary cow.
The demand for Nandinī
Viśvāmitra wanted Nandinī. He went to Vasishṭha and said plainly that this cow belonged in a king’s keeping, not in an āśrama. In exchange he offered a hundred thousand ordinary cows, fine horses and great wealth.
Vasishṭha refused. He said that Nandinī was not only a cow. She was joined to the yajñas (fire rituals), to his students, to the offerings for his ancestors and to the very tapas of the āśrama. She could not be taken apart from it.
Viśvāmitra pressed harder and then threatened. Vasishṭha did not move. He told Viśvāmitra that a kshatriya’s might is nothing before the power of brahman, and that Nandinī would stay where she was.
Nandinī destroys the army
Viśvāmitra’s soldiers then seized Nandinī and tried to drag her away by force. Nandinī looked back at Vasishṭha as if to ask his leave. Vasishṭha, perfectly calm, said to her: go where you will, or stay; the choice is yours.
Nandinī at once began to bring warriors out of her body. From her front came the Pahlavas. From her rear came the Śakas and the Yavanas. From other parts of her body came whole armies of other peoples. All of them were armed, fierce and ready. They poured out in thousands and overwhelmed Viśvāmitra’s whole force. His army was routed, his horses were killed and his chariots were broken. His sons who fought were beaten. Viśvāmitra was left alone on the field, his arms hanging at his sides, staring at Vasishṭha.
Viśvāmitra’s resolve
At that moment Viśvāmitra saw what had been hidden from him. Kshātra-bala, the strength of warriors and armies, was nothing beside brahma-bala, the power born of austerity, knowledge and the grace of the divine. A cow had defeated an army of ten thousand. It was not because of any bodily force, but because she flowed from Vasishṭha’s brahma-tejas (the radiance of brahman).
Standing in the ruin of his pride, Viśvāmitra said to himself: “Shame on the power of the kshatriya. This single cow of the brāhmaṇa has defeated my entire army. Truly, brahma-bala is supreme. I will gain it.”
He turned away from his kingdom, his wealth and his title. He set out on the path of tapas to become a brāhmaṇa. This long and hard journey would in time make him Brahmarshi Viśvāmitra.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva (Chaitraratha Parva), Chapter 174
- Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva (Chaitraratha Parva), Chapter 175