Śunaḥśepa Upākhyāna
The Śunaḥśepa Upākhyāna is told in the Ninth Skanda of the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, within the accounts of King Hariścandra and of Viśvāmitra. Śunaḥśepa was the son of the brāhmaṇa Ajīgarta. His father sold him to be the human paśu (sacrificial victim) at Hariścandra’s Purushamedha yajña, which the king performed to keep his vow to Varuṇa. Tied to the sacrificial post, Śunaḥśepa praised Brahmā and the devas with great stotras (hymns of praise), and he was freed. Viśvāmitra then adopted him and gave him the name Devarāta, “given by the devas”. He became a celebrated mantra-drashṭā (seer of Vedic mantras) of the Kauśika gotra (family line).
Hariścandra’s vow
King Hariścandra had no sons. On the advice of Nārada, he prayed to Varuṇa and made a vow: “If I receive a son, I shall sacrifice him to you.” Varuṇa gave the vara (boon), and a son, Rohita, was born.
Each time Varuṇa came back to claim the sacrifice, Hariścandra found a reason to delay. First he said the child had not yet grown teeth. Then he said the milk teeth had not fallen. Then he said the adult teeth had not come. Last, he said the boy had not yet put on armour. Out of love for his son, the king put off the sacrifice at every stage.
When Rohita learned of the vow that would make him the victim, he took his bow and fled to the forest. Each year Indra came to him in the form of a brāhmaṇa and told him not to go home. Indra said: “Wandering the holy places and tīrthas is auspicious.” Rohita stayed in the forest for six years, and each year Indra stopped him from returning.
Meanwhile Varuṇa struck Hariścandra with jaladara (dropsy of the belly).
Śunaḥśepa as the substitute
In the sixth year, Rohita met a poor brāhmaṇa named Ajīgarta, who had three sons. Rohita bought Ajīgarta’s middle son, Śunaḥśepa, to be the human paśu in his own place, and brought him to Hariścandra. Hariścandra offered Śunaḥśepa to Varuṇa as the promised sacrifice.
The Purushamedha yajña was arranged, with the foremost priests (ṛtvijas) of that time:
- Viśvāmitra was the hotā, who recites the Ṛk hymns.
- Jamadagni was the adhvaryu, the Yajus priest.
- Vasishṭha was the brahmā, who oversees the rite.
- Ayāsya was the udgātā, who sings the Sāma hymns.
Freed by the stotras
Śunaḥśepa was bound to the sacrificial post (yūpa). Standing there, facing death, he turned his whole being to the devas. He offered great stotras in praise of Brahmā and the other devas gathered there. The devas were pleased with the purity of his heart. By the force of his praise and by their grace, his bonds fell away, and Śunaḥśepa was free.
At the same moment, Hariścandra was freed from his disease. Indra was delighted and gave Hariścandra a golden chariot. Viśvāmitra was moved by the boy’s courage and insight. He gave Hariścandra the gift of ātmajñāna (knowledge of the self). By it Hariścandra dissolved the five elements back into their causes and finally reached Parabrahman.
Adopted by Viśvāmitra, named Devarāta
Viśvāmitra took Śunaḥśepa as his own son. He told his hundred and one sons that Śunaḥśepa, though of the Bhārgava line (a descendant of Ṛcīka), must be honoured as their eldest brother in the Kauśika gotra.
Fifty of Viśvāmitra’s older sons refused. They did not want a Bhārgava as their elder. Viśvāmitra gave them a śāpa (a curse): “You shall become mlecchas.” The other fifty-one sons, led by the middle son Madhucchandas, gladly accepted Śunaḥśepa and declared their loyalty to him. Viśvāmitra blessed them and said that their sons too would be noble in the same way.
Because the devas themselves had freed him, Śunaḥśepa received the name Devarāta, “given by the devas”. He became a celebrated mantra-drashṭā and was counted in the Kauśika (Viśvāmitra) gotra. In this way Viśvāmitra’s descendants came to carry the Devarāta pravara (line of ancestors named in the family recital) in their lineage.
Sources
- Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Ninth Skanda, Chapter 7
- Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Ninth Skanda, Chapter 16