Hārita
Hārita
Hārita has other meanings too: see all meanings of Hārita.
Hārita was an old ṛshi. King Dilīpa of the Solar dynasty met him in an āśrama (hermitage) on his pilgrimage. Hārita carried a conch and a discus, the emblems of Bhagavān Vishṇu. These marked him as a devotee of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
Dilīpa told Hārita of his longing for spiritual knowledge. Hārita saw that the right teacher for what Dilīpa sought was the great ṛshi Vasishṭha, and he sent the king to him. This is how the full Māgha Māhātmya came to be told to Dilīpa. This is a different Hārita from the Hārita of Maulisthāna.
The conch and the discus
Hārita carried the śaṅkha (conch) and the cakra (discus). Both are attributes of Bhagavān Vishṇu. His devotees carry them as marks of dedication. These emblems told Dilīpa at once what kind of ṛshi stood before him, a ṛshi of the Vaishṇava path.
His part in the account
Hārita did not give the teaching himself. He pointed Dilīpa to the one who held it, the ṛshi Vasishṭha. By sending the king to Vasishṭha, he made it possible for the whole Māgha Māhātmya to be passed on in its full form.
Sources
- Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 125