Viśvāmitra’s Guru-dakshiṇā

Ṛshi Viśvāmitra once stood completely still for one thousand divine years, with a pot of hot milk pudding in his hand, waiting for the ṛshi Durvāsa to come back and eat it. This episode comes from the Ayodhyā Māhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa. It explains why Viśvāmitra asked his disciple Kautsa for an enormous guru-dakshiṇā (the fee a student gives his teacher): fourteen crore gold coins.

Viśvāmitra’s tapas and Durvāsa’s visit

Viśvāmitra, the best of all ṛshis, was doing a very hard tapas (austerity). He kept his vratas (vows) with great purity, and the power of his tapas had grown very great. At this time the ṛshi Durvāsa came to visit him.

Durvāsa was known for making unexpected trouble. He said that he was thoroughly afflicted with hunger and asked for hot milk pudding at once.

Viśvāmitra knew the dharma of hospitality. He also knew from long experience that Durvāsa’s curses must be taken very seriously. So he answered at once. He prepared the milk pudding with great care, took the pot in his hand, and rose to offer it to Durvāsa.

At that very moment, as Viśvāmitra was rising with the pudding in his outstretched hand, Durvāsa said:

“O eminent Brāhmaṇa, wait for a moment so that I shall take my bath and return. Stay for a moment; stay, do stay. I shall come presently.”

Then Durvāsa went away to his āśrama (hermitage).

One thousand years of stillness

Viśvāmitra stayed exactly as he was. He held the pot of milk pudding in his outstretched hand, ready to give it, and he did not move.

Kautsa stayed at his side and served his teacher through the whole time. He is described as having a great and generous mind and as being free from jealousy.

One thousand divine years passed. Viśvāmitra stood like a mountain, without moving.

Durvāsa returns

Durvāsa came back. He ate the milk pudding, which had been held in the ṛshi’s hand for a thousand divine years. Then he went away to his own āśrama, content.

Kautsa is released

When Durvāsa had gone, Viśvāmitra released Kautsa. He let him go home and take up the life of a householder. Kautsa’s studies were complete.

But Kautsa wanted to pay his teacher first. He asked Viśvāmitra to name the dakshiṇā, so that he could settle this last duty before he left.

Viśvāmitra answered:

“What fee will you give? Your service itself is my fee. Go back to your house.”

Kautsa asked again, and then again. He would not accept the dismissal. Viśvāmitra was tired after the thousand years of standing, and the repeated asking made him angry. He spoke harshly:

“Bring me fourteen crores of gold pieces of excellent colour as my fee, O Brāhmaṇa, and go home thereafter.”

Kautsa goes to fulfil the demand

Fourteen crore gold coins was a sum that no ordinary person could produce. Kautsa took it as his guru’s word. He did not ask whether it was fair and did not ask for a smaller sum. He set out to fulfil it.

His search led him to King Raghu of Ayodhyā. In the end Kubera sent a miraculous shower of gold, and this made the Svarṇakhaṇi tīrtha (a holy place).

Sources

• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Ayodhyā Māhātmya, Chapter 5