Sahasracitya
Sahasracitya was a rājarshi (a royal seer). The Anuśāsana Parva of the Mahābhārata praises him for giving up his own dear prāṇas (life) for the good of a brāhmaṇa. Through this gift he gained great yaśas (fame) and reached the most excellent lokas (worlds). The Āśramavāsika Parva calls him the ruler of the Kekaya countries and the grandfather of the rājarshi Śatayūpa.
The gift of his own life
Bhīshma lists the kings who reached svarga (heaven) through dāna (giving). In that list Sahasracitya is named as a rājarshi who gave up his own prāṇas for the sake (prayojana) of a brāhmaṇa. A being holds nothing dearer than life. Through this gift he gained great yaśas and reached the most excellent lokas.
King of Kekaya and grandfather of Śatayūpa
The Āśramavāsika Parva tells of Sahasracitya in another way. It names him as the glorious and fearless ruler of the Kekaya countries. He was the grandfather (tāta) of the rājarshi Śatayūpa. Śatayūpa’s forest āśrama (hermitage) near Kurukshetra was the place where Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī and Kuntī stayed during their vānaprastha (life in the forest).
Nārada told how Sahasracitya handed the burden of the kingdom to his eldest and most virtuous son. Then he went into the forest, blazing with tejas (radiance). By his tapas (austerity) he reached the very abode of Devendra. Nārada said that he himself had seen this king many times in Indra’s mansion, with his pāpa (sin) burnt away by tapas.
The Anuśāsana Parva says he reached the most excellent lokas by giving his own life. The Āśramavāsika Parva says he reached them by tapas performed after he gave up his throne.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 137
- Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 20