Ṛbhus

Ṛbhu · ṛbhu, “the skilful ones”

The Ṛbhus are a gaṇa of devas. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells that long ago they performed tapas and by it won Candraloka and a share of the soma in yajñas. When Rudra‘s followers rose to strike Daksha at his yajña, Bhṛgu Maharshi offered a homa and the Ṛbhus appeared from it, shining with brahmavarcas, and drove the attackers away. They are one of the devagaṇas of the present, seventh manvantara; they serve and praise Indra in his sabhā, stand with him in battle, and came with all the devas to Dvārakā for the darśana of Śrī Kṛshṇa.

Their rise at Daksha’s yajña

Maitreya Maharshi tells Vidura that when Satī Devī, insulted by her father Daksha Prajāpati at his yajña, gave up her life, Rudra‘s followers took up weapons and made ready to kill Daksha. Seeing them rush upon the yajña, Bhṛgu Maharshi, who had great mantra-śakti, offered a homa into the dakshiṇāgni with a Yajurveda mantra that destroys those who spoil the yajña.

As Bhṛgu Maharshi, the adhvaryu, was offering into the fire, the devatās famed as the Ṛbhus appeared with great speed. These devatās had formerly performed tapas and obtained Candraloka and a share of the soma in yajñas. Shining with brahmavarcas (the radiance of Vedic power), they took burning sticks as their weapons and struck Rudra’s followers, who were with the yakshas, and all of them fled in every direction.

Maitreya begins the next chapter by recalling this: Satī Devī had given up her life, and the Ṛbhus who arose in Daksha’s yajña had driven off the army of Rudra’s followers. Bhagavān Śiva heard the whole account from Nārada, and Vīrabhadra was sent forth.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapters 4–5

With Indra

Śuka Maharshi tells Parīkshit of Indra‘s sabhā in the days when Indra, proud of the wealth of the three worlds, slighted his guru Bṛhaspati. The Aśvinī Kumāras stood on both sides of Indra, and the Marut-gaṇas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Ādityas, the Ṛbhu-gaṇas, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the Siddhas, the Cāraṇas, the Gandharvas, the maharshis who know the Veda, the Vidyādharas, the Apsarās, the Kinnaras, the birds and the Nāgas served him and praised him (Skandha 6, Chapter 7).

In the war with Vṛtra, fought in the first mahāyuga at the beginning of the Tretā yuga on the bank of the Narmadā, Indra, king of the devas, holding the vajra, shone in battle with his own splendour, with the Rudras, the Vasus, the Ādityas, the Aśvinī devatās, the Pitṛ devatās, Agni, the Maruts, the Ṛbhus, the Sādhyas and the Viśvedevas beside him, and the rākshasas led by Vṛtra could not bear the sight of him (Skandha 6, Chapter 10).

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapters 7, 10

A devagaṇa of the seventh manvantara

In the account of the manvantaras, Śuka tells Parīkshit that in the present manvantara, the seventh, of Śrāddhadeva (Vaivasvata) Manu, the devagaṇas are the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the gaṇas of the Maruts, the Aśvinī devatās and the Ṛbhus. Their Indra is Purandara; the saptarshis are Kaśyapa, Atri, Vasishṭha, Viśvāmitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Bharadvāja; and in this manvantara Bhagavān Vishṇu was born to Kaśyapa from Aditi as Vāmana, the younger brother of the Ādityas.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 13

At Dvārakā for the darśana of Śrī Kṛshṇa

Near the end of Śrī Kṛshṇa‘s līlā on earth, Brahmā went to Dvārakā with his sons Sanaka and the others, with the devatās led by Indra and the prajāpatis led by Marīci, and Bhagavān Śiva went with his pramatha gaṇas. With them went the worshipful Indra, the Marut gaṇas, the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Aśvinī devatās, the Ṛbhus, the Aṅgirasas, the Rudras, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, the gandharvas, the apsarases, the nāgas, the siddhas, the cāraṇas and the yakshas, and the maharshis, the pitṛs, the vidyādharas and the kinnaras, all wishing to see Śrī Kṛshṇa. At his darśana their eyes could not be satisfied. They covered him with flowers from the Nandana garden of svarga and praised him with words lovely in phrase and in meaning.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 11, Chapter 6

Sources

• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapters 4–5; Skandha 6, Chapters 7, 10; Skandha 8, Chapter 13; Skandha 11, Chapter 6