Śaikhāvatya

Śaikhāvatya

Śaikhāvatya was an ascetic who lived in an āśrama in the forest. The Mahābhārata names him in the Ambopākhyāna Parva, which is part of the Udyoga Parva. He is one of the ṛshis whom Ambā met during her long search for a champion against Bhīshma.

Śaikhāvatya and Ambā

Ambā wandered for years in search of justice. Śaikhāvatya’s āśrama lay on her path, and it served as a place where she stopped on her way.

Akṛtavraṇa, the disciple of Paraśurāma, came to this āśrama while Śaikhāvatya was there. This meeting made the link that in the end led Ambā to Paraśurāma. He was the only one left to whom she could turn. Śaikhāvatya’s āśrama is one stage in the chain of meetings through which she came to him.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Ambopākhyāna Parva