Dīrghatamas
Dīrghatamas, simply known as Dirghatamas, Sanskrit: दीर्घतमस्, Telugu: దీర్ఘతముడు, Hindi: दीर्घतमा.
Dīrghatamas was a great ṛshi who was born blind because of a śāpa (a curse) from Bṛhaspati. Even so, he became wise and powerful. His own family set him adrift on a river, and King Bali of the eastern lands found him. He fathered five sons with Bali’s queen Sudeshṇā. These five sons founded the five eastern kingdoms of Aṅga, Vaṅga, Suhma, Kaliṅga and Puṇḍra.
A celestial cow named Suradhī cured his blindness, and he took the name Gautama. His other son, Kakshīvān, was born from a maid. Kakshīvān became a great ṛshi and went to Girivrajā.
Birth and the śāpa of Bṛhaspati
Dīrghatamas was the son of the ṛshi Uśīja (Ucathya) and of Mamatā, the wife of Dīrghatapas. Bṛhaspati had come to Mamatā in an improper way while she was with child. The child in her womb objected. The wisdom and goodness of the unborn child spoke against the act. Bṛhaspati then pronounced a śāpa on the child: he would be born into long darkness.
So Dīrghatamas, which means “sunk in long darkness”, was born blind. His name carries the sign of the śāpa. The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa tells this in the Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 74.
Marriage, the godharmā and being cast adrift
Dīrghatamas grew up to be a ṛshi in spite of his blindness. He married Pradveshī and had sons. In his old age he took up the godharmā, a way of life that went against custom. It brought shame on his family. His sons and his wife lost patience with him. They put him on a raft and let it drift down the river. He floated on with no food and no shelter.
Found by Bali
King Bali was a ruler of the eastern region of Aṅga. He came from the Anu line through Titikshu. He found the blind old Dīrghatamas floating on his raft. Bali saw the greatness of the ṛshi in spite of his state, and he honoured him as a great ṛshi should be honoured. Dīrghatamas was made an honoured guest, and in time he became the kula-guru (family teacher) of Bali’s household.
Kakshīvān, the son born from the maid
Bali wanted sons of high spiritual worth from Dīrghatamas. His queen Sudeshṇā sent a maid in her own place. Dīrghatamas, whose inner sight was not harmed by his outer blindness, went on with the arrangement. Several sons were born from the maid. The best known was Kakshīvān, who became a great ṛshi in his own right. Kakshīvān later went to Girivrajā, the capital of the Magadha region, and settled there.
The five eastern kingdoms
When the exchange came to light, Sudeshṇā herself came to Dīrghatamas. Five sons were born from their union. They founded the five great kingdoms of the east:
- Aṅga, the kingdom of Aṅga (western Bengal and Bihar)
- Vaṅga, the kingdom of Vaṅga (Bengal)
- Suhma, the kingdom of Suhmaka (southern Bengal)
- Kaliṅga, the kingdom of Kaliṅga (the coast of Orissa)
- Puṇḍra, the kingdom of Puṇḍraka (northern Bengal)
Sight restored and the name Gautama
After he had fathered these five sons, Dīrghatamas received a divine blessing. The celestial cow Suradhī appeared and cured his blindness. The long darkness of his life was gone. With his sight back, he was called Gautama, “the one who has light”. The Gautama gotra (family line) traces its descent from this line.
Sources
- Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 74
- Matsya Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 48