Paśusakha
Paśusakha was a śūdra (a man of the fourth varṇa) and the husband of the maidservant Gaṇḍā. He travelled with the seven great ṛshis and Arundhatī in the time of famine. He shared fully in the trials of the company. These were the starvation, the refusal of King Vṛshādarbhi’s wealth, and the trial at the lotus-pond guarded by the rākshasī Kṛtyā. The account is in the Anuśāsana Parva of the Mahābhārata, Chapter 93.
Companion of the seven ṛshis
Paśusakha is named together with his wife Gaṇḍā in a company of ten. The company was made up of:
- the seven great ṛshis: Kaśyapa, Atri, Vasishṭha, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni
- Arundhatī
- Gaṇḍā
- Paśusakha himself
The ten wandered over the whole earth together, in tapas (austerity) and samādhi (deep meditation). When the great famine came, Paśusakha bore hunger just as the ṛshis did. He joined them in refusing the wealth that King Vṛshādarbhi offered, because it did not suit those who were given to tapas.
At the lotus-pond
Kṛtyā stopped the company at the lotus-pond and asked each one to explain his name. Paśusakha gave his own explanation. He said that he pleased all creatures (paśu) at first sight and was always their friend (sakha). It was a riddle in the same way as the explanations of the ṛshis. Kṛtyā could not hold it in mind, and Paśusakha went safely into the pond.
Śunaḥsakha in the same account
The same account gives a separate speaking part to Śunaḥsakha. He is the plump ascetic who travels with a dog. He is later shown to be Indra in disguise. He slays Kṛtyā. He is also the one who in the end admits that he had hidden the lotus-stalks, as a further test of whether the company was free from greed. Śunaḥsakha is a separate character from the śūdra Paśusakha.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 93