Aṅgiras
Aṅgiras
Aṅgiras is one of the first ṛshis (seers). The Vāyu Mahā Purāṇa says he was born from the aṅgāras (embers) of the fire of Brahmā‘s yajña (fire ritual) in the Vaivasvata Manvantara. Agni, the sacred fire, also claimed him as his son. Aṅgiras is one of the eight mānasa-putras (sons born from the mind) of Brahmā. He is the father of the great Āṅgirasa line, from which came Gautama, Bṛhaspati, Bharadvāja and the deva-Āṅgirasas.
The Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells how the emperor Māndhatā of the solar dynasty went to him when his kingdom suffered a drought of three years. Aṅgiras named the cause. When Māndhatā would not accept the first remedy, Aṅgiras told him to keep the Padmā Ekādaśī. The Mahābhārata also tells of his wife and children, and of two teachings he gave. The Vāmana Purāṇa names him as the eldest of the Saptarshis, who spoke for them when Bhagavān Śiva sent them to ask Himavān for the hand of Kālī, and as the ṛshi who gave the bunch of darbha at the upanayana of Bhagavān Vāmana.
Identity and origin
The Padma Mahā Purāṇa lists Aṅgiras among the mānasaputras of Brahmā. These ṛshis arose directly from Brahmā at the start of creation. Aṅgiras shines with the great lustre of his tapas (austerity), and it lights up the quarters around him.
Birth from the yajña-fire (Vāyu Purāṇa)
Brahmā performed a great yajña in the Vaivasvata Manvantara. The eight mānasa-putras were born from this yajña. During it, the second oblation of Brahmā’s śukra (seed) fell into the fire. It lodged in the embers, not in the flame. Aṅgiras was born from these embers. His name comes from aṅgāra (ember).
At that moment Agni spoke to Brahmā: “I received your retas; let this second one be my son.” Brahmā agreed. So the Āṅgirasas belong to the line of Agni, Āgneya iti. They are mānasa-putras of Brahmā and also sons of Agni.
Wives and the Āṅgirasa line (Vāyu Purāṇa)
The Vāyu Mahā Purāṇa gives three wives for Aṅgiras:
- Surūpā, the daughter of Marīci Maharshi (a Mārīcī).
- Kārdamī, the daughter of Kardama Prajāpati (a Svārāṭ).
- Pathyā, the daughter of Manu (a Mānavī).
From Surūpā, Aṅgiras had these sons: Gautama, Bṛhaspati, Avaṃdhya, Vāmadeva, Utathya and Ūja.
From Kārdamī came Dhishṇu (named as Pathyā’s son), the mānasa Saṃvarta, and Āyasya (the dark-skinned Vicitra).
Some well-known descendants in this line:
- Bṛhaspati had Bharadvāja, the great Āṅgirasa ṛshi.
- Utathya had Śaradvanta. The line goes on through Dīrghatamas and Uśija.
- Vāmadeva had Bṛhadukta.
- Dhishṇu had Sudhanvāna, who had Ṛshabha.
The Āṅgirasa gaṇas (hosts) among the devas are counted too. They are mahāojaskas (of great power) and are called pre-eminent. The Vāyu Purāṇa says the Bharadvājas came from the line of Aṅgiras together with Gautama. The tradition counts fifteen Āṅgirasa gotra branches (pakshas).
The meeting with Māndhatā (Padma Purāṇa)
The emperor Māndhatā of the solar dynasty went deep into the forest. He was looking for a ṛshi who could tell him why his kingdom had no rain for three years. At last he found Aṅgiras, who blazed with the lustre of his tapas and lit up the quarters around him. Māndhatā stepped down from his vehicle, joined his palms and bowed at the ṛshi’s feet. Aṅgiras asked about his welfare and why he had come.
The cause of the drought
Aṅgiras listened to the king’s account. He said that this was the Kṛta age, the best of the four ages, when Dharma stands on all four feet. In this age only brāhmaṇas, and no others, may perform tapas. In the king’s land a śūdra was practising tapas. This broke the order of the age and made the clouds hold back their rain. Aṅgiras first advised the king to kill this person, and then the drought would end.
Māndhatā would not kill an innocent being who was doing tapas. He asked for a remedy that would end the trouble and also keep to dharma.
The Padmā Ekādaśī
When Aṅgiras heard the king’s refusal, he gave another remedy. He told Māndhatā to keep the Padmā Ekādaśī of the bright fortnight of Bhādrapada. He said this Ekādaśī gives every kind of prosperity and destroys all troubles. The king should keep it together with all his subjects and the four varṇas.
Māndhatā went back to his city and kept the Ekādaśī with everyone. Clouds gathered and rain fell in plenty. The land shone with crops.
The Āṅgirasopākhyāna: wife and children (Mahābhārata)
In the Vana Parva (Chapters 217–222), Mārkaṇḍeya tells Yudhishṭhira the Āṅgirasopākhyāna. It gives many details of Aṅgiras’s family.
His wife Subhā
In this account Aṅgiras’s wife is Subhā. She is the mother of all the children listed below.
The seven sons
Aṅgiras had seven sons by Subhā. Each son’s name begins with Bṛhat- (vast, great):
- Bṛhat-kīrti (of vast fame)
- Bṛhaj-jyoti (of vast light)
- Bṛhad-brahma (of vast knowledge of Brahman)
- Bṛhan-manas (of vast mind)
- Bṛhan-mantra (of vast power of mantra)
- Bṛhad-bhāsa (of vast radiance)
- Bṛhaspati (lord of vast prayer), the most famous, who became the guru of the devas
Bṛhaspati, the seventh son, received the lustre of this line. He carried it to the world of the devas as their guru.
The eight daughters
Aṅgiras also had eight daughters by Subhā. Each is named with a tithi (lunar day) and its ruling principle:
- Bhānumatī, the first daughter, was given in marriage to Candra (the Moon).
- Rāgā, the second, is dear to all people. She is the abhimāna-devī (presiding devī) of the night. Her name comes from the rāga (red colour) of the twilight hours, or from the rāga (fondness) that all beings feel for her.
- Sinīvālī, the third, is the amāvāsyā (new-moon day) joined with the caturdaśī (fourteenth tithi). She is dṛśyādṛśya, sometimes seen and sometimes not. She is very subtle (tanutvāt), so she appears and disappears. Bhagavān Śaṃkara wears her on his forehead as the thin crescent. The śruti names her: yā pūrvā’māvāsyā sā sinīvālī, “the former amāvāsyā is Sinīvālī”.
- Arcishmatī, the fourth, is the śuddha-pūrṇimā, the pure full-moon night. Her light lets people see clearly even at night. She is also called śuddha-paurṇamāsī.
- Havishmatī, the fifth, is the pāḍyami-paurṇimā, the full-moon day joined with the prathamā (first tithi). This day is also called Rākā. When she is present, havis (the offering) is given to the devas in the yajña.
- Mahishmatī, the sixth, is the caturdaśī-paurṇimā. She is also called Anumati. The śruti names her: yā paurṇamāsī sānumatiḥ, “the pūrṇamāsī is Anumati”.
- Mahāmatī, the seventh, is the śuddha-amāvāsyā, the pure dark-moon night. In the great yajñas (mahāmakhas) she shines with brilliance.
- Kuhū, the eighth, is the uttara-amāvāsyā. The śruti names her: yottarā sā kuhūḥ, “the latter amāvāsyā is Kuhū”.
Aṅgiras and Bhīshma: the rule of fasting (Anuśāsana Parva, Chapters 106–107)
The Anuśāsana Parva tells that Bhīshma once put to Aṅgiras the same question that Yudhishṭhira later put to him. Why do all varṇas, even the mlecchas, feel drawn to upavāsa (fasting)? What phala (fruit) does fasting bring? Bhīshma calls Aṅgiras “the tapodhana ṛshi born of Agni“. Aṅgiras answered with a full, step-by-step vidhi (rule) of fasting.
- First comes a calendar of single-meal (ekabhukta) observance through the year, month by month and linked to the tithis.
- Then comes a rising scale of days, eating once every 2, 3, 4 days and on up to 29 days.
- Each step of the scale is matched with a great Vedic yajña: Agnishṭoma, Atirātra, Vājapeya, Gomedha, Pauṇḍarīka, a thousand Aśvamedhas, a thousand Rājasūyas, and at last Brahmaloka itself.
- For each step the rule also gives the number of years to be spent in svarga (heaven) and the kind of vimāna (celestial vehicle) that is earned.
Aṅgiras also set limits on unbroken fasting by varṇa. Brāhmaṇas and kshatriyas may fast up to three nights. Vaiśyas and śūdras gain no fruit from a fast longer than two days.
Bhīshma tells Yudhishṭhira the purpose of this teaching. The poor cannot afford the means for the great yajñas, but by fasting alone they can gain the same phala. The Anuśāsana Parva tells that Aṅgiras first set out this vidhi, in order, for the great ṛshis of old.
Aṅgiras’s secret teaching: the lamp under the karañja tree (Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 127)
In the Rahasya-Dharma cycle of the Anuśāsana Parva, Aṅgiras is one of the devas and ṛshis who give a secret teaching of dharma to the assembled devas. His teaching is this. If a person offers a dīpa (lamp) for a full year under a karañja or suvarcalā tree or creeper, that person’s santati (children and line) will grow and multiply.
The same cycle holds the teachings of Vishṇu, Balarāma, Viśvāmitra, Vasishṭha, Lomaśa, Arundhatī, Yama and Citragupta, the Pramathas, the Diggajas, Skanda and Maheśvara.
Aṅgiras in the Vāmana Purāṇa
The Vāmana Purāṇa, which Pulastya Maharshi tells to Nārada Maharshi, names Aṅgiras in six chapters.
At Daksha’s yajña and in the Dārukāvana
When Daksha, best of the prajāpatis, began his great yajña, he invited the ṛshis with their wives, as couples: Arundhatī and Vasishṭha, Atri and Anasūyā, Dhṛti and Kauśika, Ahalyā and Gautama, Amāyā and Bharadvāja, and Candrā and Aṅgiras. These knowers of the Veda he appointed as the yājakas (the priests of the yajña).
Later, Bhagavān Śiva, followed by Kāma, came to the Dārukāvana, where many ṛshis lived with their wives, and asked for bhikshā (alms). The wives of the Bhārgava and Ātreya ṛshis lost their self-control and followed him; only Arundhatī and Anasūyā were untouched. Seeing their wives leave their āśramas and run after Parama Śiva like she-elephants after a rutting elephant, the ṛshis headed by Aṅgiras, maddened with anger, pronounced a śāpa that Śiva’s liṅga should fall to the ground. At once the liṅga fell, splitting the earth, and Bhagavān Śiva vanished from sight.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 2, 6
In the suprabhāta stotra of Śaṅkara
The ṛshis taught the rākshasa king Sukeśī the morning stotra that Bhagavān Śiva gave for release from the bonds of pāpa. In it Aṅgiras is named among the ṛshis who are asked to grant a good morning: “Bhṛgu, Vasishṭha, Kratu, Aṅgiras, Manu, Pulastya, Pulaha and Gautama, Raibhya and Marīci, Cyavana and Ṛbhu: may they give me a good morning!” One who reads, hears or remembers this suprabhāta on rising is freed from the faults of bad dreams of the night before and, by divine grace (bhagavat-kṛpā), gains what is auspicious.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 14
Aṅgiras asks Himavān for Kālī
When Devī Satī had been born again as Umā, the daughter of Himavān, Bhagavān Śiva remembered the maharshis together with Arundhatī, and they came to him on Mount Mandara. He honoured them, and Nandīśvara gave them arghya and pādya. Then Śiva addressed the seven, Kaśyapa, Vasishṭha, Atri, Viśvāmitra, Gautama, Bharadvāja and Aṅgiras, and asked them to go to the king of mountains and ask for his daughter. The Saptarshis said “Oṃ namaḥ Śaṅkarāya!”, bowed and went, with Arundhatī behind her husband.
Himavān himself came to his door to receive them, led them into his assembly hall and said he was their servant, ready to do whatever they commanded. The maharshis of firm vratas then asked Aṅgiras, the eldest among them, to tell the purpose of their coming. Aṅgiras said: “O foremost of mountains, hear why we have come to you with the sādhvī Arundhatī. We have been sent by Parama Śiva, who is Sarvabhūtāntarātmā (the inner ātmā of all beings), Dakshādhvara-nāśaka (destroyer of Daksha’s yajña), Śaṅkara, Halapāṇi, Śarva, Trinetra (the three-eyed), Vṛshabhavāhana (whose vāhana is the bull), Jīmūtaketu, Śatrughna (slayer of enemies), Yajñabhoktā (enjoyer of the yajña), Svayambhū (the self-existent), Ekaika Īśvara (the one and only Īśvara), Śiva, Sthāṇu, Mahādeva and Paśupati.”
He went on: “Maheśvara asks for your daughter Kālī, the beauty of the three worlds. Give her to Bhava and be blessed. Fortunate indeed is the father whose daughter gains a bridegroom who is handsome, auspicious and of noble birth. As soon as she takes Hara’s hand, this Devī will become the Jaganmātā, the mother of all beings of the four kinds of birth, born of the womb, of the egg, from the earth and from sweat. All who bow to Śaṅkara will bow at your daughter’s feet. How great is your fortune! We are the petitioners, Śaṅkara is the bridegroom, you are the giver, and Umā, the Jaganmātā, is the bride. Enjoy this good fortune.”
Himavān called his kinsmen, the mountains headed by Meru, and they told him to give Kālī to Śiva at once. The Saptarshis then fixed the day of the wedding, the maitra muhūrta when the moon enters Uttarāphalgunī, blessed Himavān and returned to Śiva, who honoured them all with Arundhatī.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 26
In Vishṇu’s svastivācana for Skanda
When Skanda had been consecrated as the commander of the deva armies, he bowed to Bhagavān Vishṇu at Devī Umā’s word, and Śrī Hari recited a svastivācana (blessing for well-being) for his victory over Mahisha. Among those he asked to give Skanda kalyāṇa (auspiciousness) are Marīci, Atri, Pulaha, Pulastya, Kratu, Vasishṭha, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Mārkaṇḍeya and the seven great ṛshis.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 32
At the upanayana of Vāmana
When Bhagavān Vishṇu was born as Vāmana, Bharadvāja Maharshi performed his upanayana and gave him the dīkshā of the brahmacarya vrata (the vow of the student). Then all who were present gave gifts to the young brahmacārī: Pulaha the sacred thread, Pulastya a white garment, Agastya the black antelope skin, Bharadvāja the girdle, Marīci the staff of palāśa wood and Vasishṭha the rosary. Aṅgiras gave the kauśya, a bunch of darbha grass. King Raghu gave an umbrella, King Nṛga sandals, and Bṛhaspati a water-pot.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 62
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 57
- Vāyu Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 4
- Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 217–222
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapters 106–107
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 127
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 2, 6, 14, 26, 32, 62