Pulastya Maharshi

Pulastya

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Pulastya Maharshi is one of the great ṛshis born of Brahmā: he came forth from Brahmā’s ears, together with Pulaha, and is counted among the Nava Brahmās, the nine Brahmās. A parama-sāttvika and a pure jñānī who had conquered kāma and krodha, he married Havirbhū, the daughter of Kardama Prajāpati, and was the father of Agastya; from his marriage with the daughter of Tṛṇabindu was born Viśravas, the father of Kubera and Rāvaṇa, and from his line came the rākshasas. He freed his grandson Rāvaṇa from the prison of Kārtavīryārjuna, turned Parāśara from his yajña against the rākshasas and gave him the vara of all knowledge, taught Bhīshma the way of tīrtha-sevā, and is honoured as the author of the Pulastya-smṛti.

The Vāmana Purāṇa is told by Pulastya Maharshi. Seated at ease in his āśrama (hermitage), he was asked by Nārada Maharshi why Bhagavān Vishṇu took the form of a dwarf, why Prahlāda fought the devas, why Satī gave up her body and was born again to Himavān, and about the vratas, the tīrthas and dāna; and he told him the whole Purāṇa from the beginning, in order, answering question after question through sixty-nine chapters, until he could say: “Brahmarshi Nārada, I have told you this most holy Vāmana Purāṇa in full.” The Purāṇa calls him the best among the jñānīs, the best of munis and the best of speakers, one who knows all. He is named among the great ṛshis in the suprabhāta stotra and in the svastivācana that Bhagavān Vishṇu spoke for Skanda, he heard the secret teaching of Vishṇu’s four forms from Sanatkumāra, and when Bhagavān Vishṇu was born as Vāmana and received the sacred thread, Pulastya was among the ṛshis who gave the young brahmacārī his gifts.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 1, 14, 32, 34, 62, 69

The Agni Purāṇa names him among the seven mind-born sons of Brahmā who became famed as the seven Brahmās and carried out the creation of beings. His wife Prīti bore him a son, Dattoli; his son Viśravas was the father of Kubera and Rāvaṇa; and his son Nidāgha, a disciple of the jñānī Ṛtu, was taught by his guru that the one ātmā is all, and attained mukti. In the rites of that Purāṇa he receives tarpaṇa among the ṛshis, and he is called upon among the maharshis to protect a king at his abhisheka.

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 11, 17, 20, 72, 219, 380

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa names Pulastya among the ten sons of Brahmā who became the causes of the creation of beings, born from Brahmā’s ears. By his wife Havirbhū he had two sons, Agastya and Viśravas, and to Viśravas he gave the highest vidyā; the Purāṇa calls him the best of yogīs. It was at Pulastya’s wish that Parāśara Maharshi told the Bhāgavata, the first Purāṇa, to Maitreya, through whom it came to Vidura. His āśrama with Pulaha stands in the Śālagrāma kshetra, where Bharata, in his birth as a deer, waited for his end. He is one of the seven prajāpatis who received the Veda-dharma from Svāyambhuva Manu, one of the nine Prajāpatis whom Akrūra saw praising Śrī Mahāvishṇu, and the maharshi of Sūrya‘s gaṇa in the month of Caitra; and he came with the great maharshis to see Balarāma and Śrī Kṛshṇa at Samantapañcaka, where they became the ṛtviks of Vasudeva‘s yajña.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapters 8, 12; Skandha 4, Chapter 1; Skandha 5, Chapter 8; Skandha 9, Chapter 2; Skandha 10, Chapters 39, 84; Skandha 11, Chapter 14; Skandha 12, Chapter 11

Birth and Early Life

In ancient times, Brahmā created the four great ṛshis Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana, and Sanatkumāra from his mind. When Brahmā requested them to enter into saṃsāra and propagate the world, they refused, choosing instead a life of devotion to Hari, immersed in jñāna and vairāgya. Then Brahmā created Svāyambhuva Manu and the beautiful Śatarūpā from his left side. From their lineage, the kshatriya race was born. Brahmā further created the Ekādaśa Rudra-s from his forehead, embodiments of krodha (wrath). From his eyes, he created the ṛshis Atri and Kratu; from his mouth, Aṅgiras; from his nostrils, Aruṇi; from his left and right sides, Bhṛgu and Daksha; from his throat, Nārada; and from his ears, he created Pulastya and Pulaha. All of these ṛshis were born directly from Brahmā’s body.

Per Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Maitreya Maharshi tells Vidura that as Brahmā, who had received from Śrī Hari the śakti to create the worlds, thought about creation, ten sons were born to him, and they became the causes of the creation of the many kinds of beings: Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu, Vasishṭha, Daksha and Nārada. Nārada came from Brahmā’s lap, Daksha from his thumb, Vasishṭha from his prāṇa (life-breath), Bhṛgu from his skin, Kratu from his hand, Pulaha from his navel, Pulastya from his ears, Aṅgiras from his mouth, Atri from his eye and Marīci from his mind. (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 12)

Per Agni Purāṇa, after Sanatkumāra and Rudra, Brahmā created Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasishṭha. These seven are the mind-born sons of Brahmā and became famous as the “Brahmās”, the seven Brahmās; with the Rudras they carried out the creation of beings. When Bhṛgu and the others married the daughters of Daksha, Pulastya’s wife Prīti bore him a son, Dattoli. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 17, 20)

Among these ṛshis, Pulastya Maharshi was renowned as a parama-sāttvika. In wisdom and stature, he was considered equal to Brahmā himself. He performed intense tapas for the welfare of the world, conquering kāma and krodha, and lived as a pure jñānī. These ṛshis are collectively called the Nava Brahmā-s (nine Brahmās). As per Brahmā’s instruction, Kardama Prajāpati gave his nine daughters in marriage to these ṛshis. Pulastya married Havirbhuvī (Havirbhū). Pulastya followed the gṛhastha-dharma, and in time, Havirbhuvī became pregnant and gave birth to Agastya. After growing for some time, Agastya left his physical body and took another form as jaṭharāgni (the digestive fire) present in all beings, as described in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Skandha 4, Chapter 1). Agastya was reborn as Kumbhasambhava, emerging from a pot. This is the Agastya known widely in Purānas.

Desiring to perform severe tapas, Pulastya went to the āśrama of Ṛshi Tṛṇabindu. While he was engaged in tapas, two celestial women came to his āśrama, engaging in playful songs and dances, attempting to distract and mock him. Angered by their disrespect, Pulastya pronounced a śāpa that any woman who came before him would immediately lose her virginity and conceive a child.

The Birth of Viśravas

Tṛṇabindu had a daughter who, unaware of Pulastya’s śāpa, once came before the ṛshi and gazed upon him. Pulastya inadvertently looked back, and immediately she became pregnant. Realizing what had happened, Tṛṇabindu approached Pulastya and pleaded, “Whether by your śāpa or your grace, my daughter has conceived. She is innocent and knows no pāpa. Please accept her as your wife.” Though Pulastya initially wanted to avoid contact with women, he had no choice but to marry her. Fearing further transgression, she adopted mauna-vrata, maintaining silence, obeying his commands, and never acting independently. In time, she gave birth to a son named Viśravas. Even while in the womb, Viśravas listened to his father’s recitation of the śruti-s and memorized the Vedas, earning the name Viśravas, meaning “one who has absorbed knowledge through hearing.” Viśravas grew into a learned ṛshi like his father. He married Devavarṇī, who gave birth to Kubera. Later, Viśravas married another woman named Kaikasī, and from this union, Rāvaṇa was born.

Per Agni Purāṇa, Agastya and the ṛshis who came to Śrī Rāma after the war told him the line of the rākshasas: Brahmā had a son, Pulastya, and his son was Viśravas. Viśravas’s first wife was Pushpodbhavā, and to her Kubera was born; to his wife Kaikasī was born Rāvaṇa, with twenty arms and ten faces, who conquered all the devas by Brahmā’s varas, and also Kumbhakarṇa, overcome by sleep, Vibhīshaṇa, devoted to dharma, and their sister Śūrpaṇakhā. Rāvaṇa’s son Meghanāda, stronger than his father, conquered Indra and was named Indrajit. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 11)

Per Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Maitreya tells Vidura that to Pulastya, in his wife Havirbhū, one of the nine daughters of Kardama Prajāpati, two sons were born, Agastya and Viśravas. Agastya in his next birth became the jaṭharāgni, the digestive fire; Viśravas was a great tapasvin. Śrī Śuka tells Parīkshit that Viśravas Maharshi received from his father Pulastya, best of yogīs, the highest vidyā, which gives good here and hereafter. King Tṛṇabindu, the home of virtues worthy of honour, married Alambushā, best of the apsarās, and had many sons and a daughter, Iḍaviḍā. To Viśravas in Iḍaviḍā was born Kubera, of sāttvic nature, who became the master of the yakshas; and in another wife, Keśinī, were born the rākshasas Rāvaṇa, Kumbhakarṇa and Vibhīshaṇa. (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 1; Skandha 9, Chapter 2)

Pulastya and the Release of Rāvaṇa

Rāvaṇa, empowered by varas from Brahmā, became arrogant, challenging everyone to battle. Once, he approached Kārtavīryārjuna, the king of the Haihaya dynasty, who was an avatāra of Vishṇu’s Sudarśana Cakra. Kārtavīryārjuna was immensely powerful, possessing a thousand arms. During battle, Kārtavīryārjuna captured Rāvaṇa with a single hand and imprisoned him. Hearing of this, Pulastya Brahmā went to Kārtavīryārjuna and said, “Rāvaṇa is my grandson. Please release him from captivity.” Respecting Pulastya’s request, Kārtavīryārjuna immediately freed Rāvaṇa.

Intervention in Parāśara’s Yajña

Once, the ṛshi Viśvāmitra, driven by enmity, caused the death of Vasishṭha’s hundred sons. Among them was Śakti, who perished due to this feud. While still in his mother’s womb, Parāśara, the son of Śakti, absorbed knowledge of the Vedas, śāstra-s, and Purāṇa-s. After his birth, Parāśara came to know of his father’s death from his mother and resolved to perform a yajña to annihilate the entire rākshasa race that had been involved. In that yajña, numerous rākshasa-s perished as oblations. To save the remaining rākshasa-s from Parāśara’s fiery yajña, Pulastya Maharshi went to Vasishṭha, and through him, convinced Parāśara to abandon the destructive yajña.Pulastya succeeded in pacifying Parāśara’s anger. Respecting the words of his grandfather Vasishṭha, Parāśara stopped the yajña.

Pleased with Parāśara’s restraint, Pulastya granted him varas. He asked Parāśara, “What do you desire, my child?” Parāśara replied with humility,

“Ārya! My mind constantly longs for the Veda-s, Purāṇa-s, and śāstra-s. Kindly bless me with bhavya-jñāna-siddhi—the complete attainment of knowledge. I seek the gift of vācā-mādhurya (sweetness of speech), mahāpratibha (great brilliance), and vaidagdhyam (skillfulness). I wish to know everything—from the beginning of creation: the origin of the ṛshis, the devas, the rākshasa-s, the different Indra-s and Brahmā-s who have come and gone, and all events that have unfolded. Let me hold the entire corpus of śāstra-s in my grasp like a karatalāmalaka (a gooseberry in the palm of the hand). Grant me the full expanse of Vedic knowledge that has emerged from Brahmā. Kindly bestow this on me.”

Pulastya Brahmā, filled with compassion and gratitude—knowing that Parāśara had spared many of his own descendants among the rākshasa-s—granted him this vara.

Vasishṭha too blessed Parāśara, saying, “Through you, many great beings in this world will come to know the yathārtha—the true events of the universe, the tattva (essence), the nature of Parameśvara, and why the jīva is bound. They will understand who taught what to whom and when. By hearing these sacred truths from you, countless jīvas will attain śāśvata (eternal) knowledge. Your kīrti (glory) will be everlasting.”

Thus, the mysteries of creation, the secrets of karma, the nature of moksha, and all related topics became known to Parāśara in unparalleled detail—more so than to anyone else. This was made possible by the combined vara-prabhāva (boon-power) of Pulastya and Vasishṭha.

From that moment onward, Parāśara held all knowledge as clearly as if it were an āmalaka fruit in the palm of his hand.

Visit to Bhīshma

Once, Bhīshma was engaged in adhyayana-vrata on the banks of the Gaṅgā, rendering devoted service to his father. His pitr̥-bhakti (devotion to father) was immense. Bhīshma was a parama-dhārmika, steadfast in dharma. Hearing of Bhīshma’s fame, Pulastya Maharshi came to see him. Bhīshma welcomed Pulastya with arghya and pādya, worshipped him, and with great humility asked the ṛshi the reason for his visit.

Pulastya replied, “Dear child! I am pleased with your kīrti and your humility. I am an amogha-darśī (one whose vision is never fruitless). My visit should not go in vain. Ask for a vara you desire.”

Bhīshma then said, “Mahātmā! My mind desires to undertake tīrtha-sevā. I wish to see the entire world, to visit all kshetra-s, to meet many ṛshis, to learn their ways of tapas, their teachings, and their practices.”

Pulastya then taught Bhīshma the secrets of kshetra-sandarśana (pilgrimage to sacred places). He said, “Those who are free from ahaṅkāra, who have conquered their senses, who are without expectations of gifts, who eat sparingly, who have no attachments, who are ever-content, who are committed to satya-vrata, who follow pure conduct, who are free from anger, and who are always immersed in dharma—such people obtain the fruits of sarva-tīrtha-sevā. Visiting the āśrama-s of ṛshis, learning from them, and understanding their tapas, such persons attain moksha.”

Teller of the Vāmana Purāṇa

Nārada’s questions

Pulastya Maharshi, best among the jñānīs, was seated at ease in his own āśrama when Nārada Maharshi came to him and asked about the Purāṇa connected with Vāmana. “Brahmarshi,” said Nārada, “though he is all-powerful, why did Vishṇu in former times take the form of a dwarf? Prahlāda, best of the daityas, was a supreme Vaishṇava: why then did he fight a war with the devas? This doubt troubles me; remove it. Best of brāhmaṇas, Satī Devī, the daughter of Daksha, became the dear wife of Śaṅkara: why did she give up her body and take birth again in the house of Himavān, lord of mountains, and why did she marry Śaṅkara, the Deva of devas, once more? And, twice-born one, tell me in your kindness the ways of the many kinds of vratas (sacred vows), the glory of the tīrthas and kshetras, and the greatness of dāna (giving).” He asked Pulastya, who knows all, to remove these doubts.

Pulastya, the best of munis and the best of speakers, answered the treasure of tapas: “Best of munis, as you wish, I shall tell the Vāmana Purāṇa in full, from the beginning, in order. Listen attentively.” And he began with Satī and Bhagavān Śiva on Mount Mandara in the hot season.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 1

The accounts he told

From then on Nārada asks and Pulastya answers, and Nārada’s questions carry the Purāṇa from one account to the next. Nārada calls him Brahmarshi, Mahāmuni, Mahātmā, Maharshi, Svāmī, best of brāhmaṇas and best of the twice-born, and once “Pulastya Muni, best among the knowers of Brahman”; Pulastya calls Nārada Devarshi, Brahmarshi, Mahāmuni, best of munis, best of vipras, treasure of tapas, sinless one, holy muni, and once Kalahapriya, lover of strife. In the order of the telling:

• Daksha‘s yajña and Kapālī. Asked why Daksha did not invite Śiva to his yajña, Pulastya answered that though Bhagavān Śiva was in every way the eldest and the most worthy of all, Daksha did not invite him because he was Kapālī, one who holds a skull in his hand. Asked how Śiva became Kapālī, he told “the ancient account which Avyakta Brahmā told in the Ādi Purāṇa” (Chapters 1–4).
• Kālarūpī and the rāśis. In the middle of the account of Daksha’s yajña Nārada asked about the form of Kālarūpī. Pulastya said that Tripurāntaka, wishing the welfare of the worlds, became Kālarūpī and occupied the sky, and described his body limb by limb, each limb a rāśi with its nakshatras. Asked about the twelve rāśis, he told their forms, their movement and the places where they dwell, and said: “Mahāmuni, the details I have told about the rāśis beginning with Mesha are very secret and ancient; do not tell them to anyone.” He closed the account of Daksha’s yajña: the destruction of Daksha’s yajña by Tryambaka Mahādeva is supremely holy, brings puṇya, is ancient, drives away all pāpas and brings auspiciousness (Chapter 5).
• Nara and Nārāyaṇa, and Kāma. He told of the family of Dharma and of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, whom he calls the best of the ancient ṛshis, at Badarikāśrama. Asked who the Anaṅga seen by Nārāyaṇa Ṛshi was, he said that it was Kāma, the son of Harsha, whose body Śaṅkara burned so that he became Anaṅga, the bodiless; and asked why, he told the burning of Kāma. Then he told the birth of Urvaśī and the battle of Prahlāda with Nara and Nārāyaṇa (Chapters 6–8).
• Andhaka and Sukeśī. He told of Andhaka’s rule and his war with the devas (Chapters 9–10). Asked who Sukeśī was, whose city Sūrya threw down from the sky, he said: “Sinless one, this is a very ancient account; I shall tell in full the account that Brahmā told in those days.” Within his telling the ṛshis of a forest in Magadha taught the rākshasa king Sukeśī dharma, the narakas, the dvīpas, the āśramas, sadācāra (good conduct) and the suprabhāta stotra; and Pulastya told how Sukeśī, thus instructed, bowed to them and went back to his city by the path of the sky, how Sūrya threw that city to the earth, and how Sūrya himself fell by the fire of Hara’s eye and was raised by the compassionate Śiva (Chapters 11–16).
• The vratas. Asked what vratas the Moon performed to please Śiva and Keśava, he began “the meritorious vratas spoken of by the kāmukas (those who seek their desires) for pleasing Śarva and Keśava”, and went on with the vratas laid down for those who seek wealth (Chapters 17–18).
• Kātyāyanī and Mahisha. Asked who Kātyāyanī was, who slew Mahisha, Namara and Raktabīja, he said: “O muni, listen; I shall tell you an account of ancient times that takes away pāpa. Durgā, who grants every vara, is this Kātyāyanī.” Asked how the Devī, who had every weapon, crushed Mahisha with her feet, he said that this account, holy and taking away pāpa and fear, is very ancient and belongs to the Kṛta yuga (Chapters 18–21).
• The birth of Pārvatī. Asked about the Devī’s next birth, he told it first in brief: she was born the daughter of Himavān, named Umā, and married Śaṅkara, and from her kośa (sheath) Kauśikī would be born to slay Śumbha and Niśumbha. Asked to tell it in full, he began “the ancient account of Kumārasambhava”, and told how Śrī Hari counselled the devas, with the account of Kurukshetra; how the Devī was born again to Menā and Himavān; her tapas and her marriage to Bhagavān Śiva; and the birth of Kauśikī and her war with Śumbha and Niśumbha (Chapters 22–30).
• Skanda. Asked how Skanda split the Krauñca mountain together with Mahisha, he said: “This is a very ancient account, pure; I am telling the matter that describes the growth of Kārttikeya‘s fame.” Nārada asked to hear the holy svastivācana (blessing) that Garuḍadhvaja, Bhagavān Vishṇu, spoke for Skanda, and Pulastya gave it (Chapters 31–32).
• Andhaka, Mura and the four forms of Vishṇu. He told of Andhaka on Mandara and the slaying of Mura. Asked why Vishṇu, who is one, has four forms, he said that the supreme tattva called Vāsudeva is beyond reasoning, cannot be pointed out as “this”, is unmanifest, white in colour, has peace as its very form, and has twelve petals; and he gave the source of that teaching: “This most secret tattva was first told by Parameshṭhī Prajāpati to Sanatkumāra; I heard it from him.” Asked who Sanatkumāra was, he told of the sons of Dharma and Ahiṃsā and of Brahmā’s teaching to Sanatkumāra (Chapters 33–35).
• The war of Andhaka. He told why the worlds were shaken, Prahlāda’s counsel to Andhaka and the whole war of Andhaka against Bhagavān Śiva on Mandara, and closed: “O Nārada, I have told you this wondrous account: how in ancient times Virūpāksha Paramaśiva took the most fierce Bhairava form, humbled the pride of the great daitya Andhaka, and changed him into Bhṛṅgi, his most devoted bhakta.” The account gives puṇya, is pure, showers auspicious things, makes Śiva-bhakti grow, and is to be recited always by excellent brāhmaṇas and by all who desire dharma, long life, health and wealth (Chapters 36–44).
• Indra and the Maruts. Asked how Indra carried out his task on Mount Malaya, and why Indra is called Gotrabhedī, he told of Indra on Malaya and of Diti and the birth of the Maruts; asked who the Maruts were in the earlier manvantaras, he told their births from Svāyambhuva Manu to the present Manu (Chapters 45–46).
• Bali and Aditi. He told how Bali was made king of the daityas, his war on the devas and his rule in svarga in dharma, Lakshmī‘s coming to him, and, asked where Aditi worshipped Hṛshīkeśa, Aditi’s tapas and Bhagavān Vishṇu entering her womb (Chapters 47–51).
• Prahlāda’s tīrtha-yātrā. Asked through which tīrthas Prahlāda travelled, he promised the account of the yātrā “which can wash away the mud of pāpa”. Within it, asked about the earlier Trivikrama, he told of Dhundhu; asked how Purūravas lost his ugliness, he said “the account of Purūravas removes pāpa” and told it, with the Nakshatra Purusha vrata; asked why Śaṅkara holds the Sudarśana and Vāsudeva the śūla, he told the account of Jalodbhava, “an ancient account which Vishṇu told long ago to the Bhavishya Manu”; and asked why Śiva gave the cakra to Vishṇu, he said: “This account of the giving of the cakra is very ancient; it increases the glory of Śiva.” He closed: “O Nārada, in this way I have told you the puṇya-giving account of the tīrthayātrā made by the mahābhāgavata Prahlāda. A man who sings it, hears it, or gives it to others is freed from all pāpas” (Chapters 52–57).
• The four stotras of Prahlāda. Asked which were the four stotras, beginning with the Gajendra-mokshaṇa, that the supreme bhakta Prahlāda chanted with śraddhā (faith), Pulastya promised first the account of Gajendra-mokshaṇa, by chanting, hearing or remembering which bad dreams are destroyed, and after it the Sārasvata and the Pāpa-praśamana stotras. He called the stava made by Gajendra the foremost of the stotras Nārada had asked for: by singing, hearing and remembering it, one becomes far from pāpa (Chapter 58). He gave the sacred Vishṇu stotra spoken by Vāgdevī Sarasvatī through the mouth of a brāhmaṇa: the one who reads it loses all his pāpas and attains moksha (Chapter 59). He recited the supreme Sarva-pāpa-mocana stava, which Maheśvara made known in the kshetra of Vārāṇasī (Chapter 60). And he gave the second pāpa-śamana stotra, the stotra of Agastya Maharshi: all the pāpas of one who studies it well are destroyed, and one who sings, remembers or hears it is freed of many pāpas and gains fame and blessedness (Chapter 61).
• Vāmana and Bali. He told the birth of Bhagavān Vāmana, his upanayana, his words to Bharadvāja on the places of his forms, Bali’s yajña, the three steps and the binding of Bali, and closed: “O Nārada, thus in former times, to accomplish the work of the devas, to do good to Indra and for the welfare of cows and brāhmaṇas, Vishṇu Deva, the bearer of the cakra, took the form of Vāmana and bound Bali.” By hearing, remembering or reciting that account pāpa is destroyed and puṇya is gained. Then he said to Nārada: “Ask what more you wish to hear; I will tell it in detail” (Chapters 62–65).
• Bali in Sutala. Asked where Vishṇu went after giving back Indra’s kingdom, and what Bali did in Sutala, he told of both: Prahlāda’s teaching to Bali, and Bali’s ārādhana of Janārdana, who himself stands guard at Bali’s gate (Chapters 66–68).

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 1–69

His teachings in the telling

Twice in the telling Pulastya speaks a teaching in his own voice. When Mahisha resolved to go after the Devī, he said: “Nārada, the good and evil of beings are already settled beforehand by Brahmā. Whoever must go wherever, at whatever time, goes there either by himself or is taken there” (Chapter 20).

At the close of the account of Bali he taught the worth of the words of elders. Good people, whose hearts are soft as butter, accept with respect the beneficial words of elders even if the elders spoke harshly at first, and so śreyas (lasting good) and joy come to them. For those bitten by the serpents called calamities, who do not know the mantra, the word of the elders is the supreme medicine that brings down the poison. Where in the drinking of soma is the satisfaction that comes to those who drink the amṛta of the elders’ words and walk by them? Those who, caught in calamity, find no elders to show the way are like the dead though they live; for those seized by the crocodile called calamity, who find no elders and learned ones to free them, there is never peace; and for those swept away in the whirlpool of troubles, nothing but the teaching of elders can bring them to the shore. For the fortunate who hear the words of the elders and practise them, good comes then and there, and the example of this is the account of Bali, son of Virocana (Chapter 68).

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 20, 68

The close of the Purāṇa

At the last, Pulastya said: “Brahmarshi Nārada, I have told you this most holy Vāmana Purāṇa in full.” He gave the fruit of hearing it, reading it and praising it with śraddhā and bhakti, beginning with the attainment of Vishṇu‘s pada, and added his own firm conviction: “Nārada, by hearing this Vāmana Purāṇa one gains the fruit of the Rājasūya yāga.” He called it the fourteenth Purāṇa and the foremost, a very secret Purāṇa to be told only to the bhaktas of Hari, and gave the namaskāra namo namaḥ kāraṇa-vāmanāya, “salutation again and again to Vāmana who is the cause”.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 69

Pulastya in the account

Pulastya himself is named among the great ṛshis in the Purāṇa he tells. In the suprabhāta stotra that the ṛshis of Magadha taught Sukeśī, the stotra granted by Śaṅkara, the one who recites asks: “Bhṛgu, Vasishṭha, Kratu, Aṅgiras, Manu, Pulastya, Pulaha and Gautama, Raibhya and Marīci, Cyavana and Ṛbhu: may they give me a good morning” (Chapter 14). In the svastivācana that Garuḍadhvaja spoke for Skanda: “May Marīci, Atri, Pulaha, Pulastya, Kratu, Vasishṭha, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Mārkaṇḍeya and the seven great ṛshis always give you kalyāṇa (auspiciousness)” (Chapter 32).

When Bhagavān Vishṇu had been born to Aditi as Vāmana, Śrī Hari asked for his upanayana, and Bharadvāja Maharshi performed the jātakarma and the other saṃskāras and gave him the dīkshā of the brahmacarya vrata. Then all who were gathered there gave gifts to that wondrous vaṭu (young brahmacārī), and Pulastya tells it in his own voice: Pulaha gave the yajñopavīta (sacred thread); “I”, Pulastya, a white lower garment; Agastya the kṛshṇājina (black antelope skin); Bharadvāja the mekhalā (girdle); Marīci, son of Brahmā, the staff of palāśa wood; Vasishṭha the akshamālā (rosary); Aṅgiras a bunch of darbha grass; King Raghu an umbrella; King Nṛga sandals; and Bṛhaspati a kamaṇḍalu (water pot) (Chapter 62).

Per Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, where Lomaharshaṇa tells the same moment, Brahmā gave the vaṭu the kṛshṇājina, Bṛhaspati the yajñopavīta, Marīci the āshāḍha daṇḍa (staff), Vasishṭha the kamaṇḍalu, the Aṅgirasas a silk garment, Pulaha a seat, and Pulastya the pītāmbara, the yellow garment (Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 9).

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 14, 32, 62; Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 9

Per Agni Purāṇa

His son Nidāgha

Nidāgha, the son of Pulastya, was the disciple of Ṛtu, the son of Brahmā and a great jñānī. Having learned the vidyās, Nidāgha went to live in a city on the bank of the river Devikā. After a thousand divine years Ṛtu came to him, just as Nidāgha, having eaten, was saying that food gives imperishable satisfaction. Ṛtu told him that hunger and thirst belong to the body and not to the ātmā, that the ātmā is all-pervading like space and neither comes nor goes, and that the whole world is the form of the one Paramātmā named Vāsudeva; then he made himself known as Nidāgha’s ācārya and went away. After another thousand years he came again and found Nidāgha standing apart at the edge of the city while the king entered it on his elephant. When Ṛtu asked which was the king and which the elephant, Nidāgha climbed onto him: “I, on top, am like the king; you, below, are like the elephant.” Ṛtu asked: “Then who am I? Who are you?” At once Nidāgha bowed and knew him for his guru, for no one else had a mind so refined by Advaita. Ṛtu said he had come to teach him the Advaita that is the highest truth, and Nidāgha, seeing all beings as not different from himself, was freed from ajñāna and attained mukti. The brāhmaṇa Bharata tells this account to a king, and the king too is freed from saṃsāra.

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 380

Honoured in the rites

• Ṛshi-tarpaṇa. In the daily tarpaṇa, after the devas, one wears the yajñopavīta round the neck like a garland and offers water through the ṛshi-tīrtha to Atri, Vasishṭha, Pulastya, Kratu, Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra, Pracetas and Marīci, with the mantra oṃ hāṃ pulastaye namaḥ for Pulastya.
• The king’s abhisheka. At the abhisheka of a king the maharshis are called upon: “May the maharshis Bhṛgu, Atri, Vasishṭha, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumāra, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Marīci, Kaśyapa and the rest protect the king who rules the prajās.”

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 72, 219

In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa

The Bhāgavata told at his wish

Maitreya Maharshi tells Vidura how the Bhāgavata came down to him. Bhagavān Saṅkarshaṇa, whose thousand crowns make his thousand raised hoods shine, taught it to Sanatkumāra, devoted to the dharma of turning away from the world. Sanatkumāra taught it to the muni Sāṅkhyāyana, firm in his vows, and Sāṅkhyāyana, wishing to describe the glories of Bhagavān Vishṇu, told it to his dear disciple Parāśara and to Bṛhaspati. “That Parāśara Maharshi is our guru,” says Maitreya. “At the wish of Pulastya Maharshi, the compassionate Parāśara Maharshi told me the Bhāgavata, the Ādi-Purāṇa, the first Purāṇa.” And because Vidura had śraddhā and served him with devotion, Maitreya told him that Purāṇa which he had heard from Parāśara.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 8

The āśrama at Śālagrāma

Śrī Śuka tells Parīkshit of King Bharata, son of Ṛshabhadeva, who gave up his kingdom and went to the āśrama of Pulaha. There his mind went after a fawn, and he was born as a deer on the Kālañjara mountain. Hiding the vairāgya that had arisen in him, he left the doe who had borne him and came back to the āśrama of the maharshis Pulastya and Pulaha. That āśrama is in the kshetra of Śrī Hari called Śālagrāma, very dear to the companies of maharshis of peaceful nature. There the deer-Bharata waited for his time with the ātmā alone as his companion, living on dry leaves, grass and the tips of twigs, and when the time came he stood in the water of the Gaṇḍakī and gave up his prāṇas.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 5, Chapter 8

Among the prajāpatis

Nārada Maharshi, teaching King Prācīnabarhis, says that even the greatest do not see the Parameśvara by their own efforts: Brahmā, master of the prajāpatis, Bhagavān Śiva, master of Kailāsa, Svāyambhuva Manu, the prajāpatis beginning with Daksha, the naishṭhika brahmacārīs beginning with Sanaka, Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu, Vasishṭha, Nārada himself and many knowers of Brahman perform tapas, upāsanā and samādhi to see him, yet do not obtain the darśana of that Parameśvara, the witness of all.

When Akrūra bathed in the Yamunā on the way to Mathurā, he saw under the water Śrī Mahāvishṇu on Ādiśesha. Sunanda, Nanda and the attendants praised him as their master, Sanaka and Sanandana as the Parabrahman, Brahmā and Rudra as Sarveśvara; and the nine Prajāpatis, Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu, Vasishṭha and Daksha, with Prahlāda, Nārada, Uparicara Vasu and the other crest-jewels among the bhaktas, praised him as their own kinsman.

Śrī Kṛshṇa tells Uddhava how the Veda came down: he taught it to Brahmā at the beginning of creation, and its dharma is simply to fix the mind on him. Brahmā taught that dharma to his eldest son, Svāyambhuva Manu, and from Manu the seven maharshis who are prajāpatis received it: Bhṛgu, Marīci, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Atri and Kratu.

Sūta Maharshi tells Śaunaka that Bhagavān Sūrya, taking the form of kāla (time), moves with a different gaṇa of seven in each of the twelve months to carry on the course of the worlds. In the month of Caitra the Sūrya is Dhātā, with the apsarā Kṛtasthalī, the rākshasa Heti, the sarpa Vāsuki, the yaksha Rathakṛt, the maharshi Pulastya and the gandharva Tumburu. “These seven make the month of Caitra full.”

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 29; Skandha 10, Chapter 39; Skandha 11, Chapter 14; Skandha 12, Chapter 11

At Vasudeva’s yajña

Śrī Śuka tells Parīkshit that when the Yādavas, the Pāṇḍavas and the kings had gathered, the great maharshis came to see Balarāma and Śrī Kṛshṇa: Vyāsa, Nārada, Cyavana, Devala, Asita, Viśvāmitra, Śatānanda, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Paraśurāma with his disciples, Vasishṭha, Gālava, Bhṛgu, Pulastya, Kaśyapa, Atri, Mārkaṇḍeya, Bṛhaspati, Dvita, Trita, Ekata, the four sons of Brahmā Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanatkumāra, Aṅgiras, Agastya, Yājñavalkya, Vāmadeva, Dhaumya and others. All who were seated rose and bowed, and Balarāma and Śrī Kṛshṇa worshipped them according to rule with words of welcome, a seat, pādya, ācamanīya, garlands, incense and fragrant unguents. Śrī Kṛshṇa praised the glory of the mahātmās, whose mere darśana purifies, and the maharshis, bewildered by his words, praised his līlā: Parabrahma himself, hidden in human form, was serving them.

As the maharshis prepared to go, Vasudeva held their feet and asked how karma could destroy the impressions of karma. They answered that one should worship Śrī Hari, the ruler of all yajñas, by yajña performed with śraddhā, with wealth earned justly, and that a brāhmaṇa pays his three debts, to the devatās by yajña, to the ṛshis by study and to the pitṛs by offspring. Vasudeva bowed to them and chose them as his ṛtviks, and in the Samantapañcaka kshetra the maharshis had him perform excellent yajñas with the proper mantras and materials, the Jyotishṭoma and the other model yajñas, the Saura and the other derived yajñas, and the Agnihotra; he gave them dakshiṇā, cows, land and wealth, and after the patnī-saṃyāja and the avabhṛtha rites they bathed with Vasudeva in the Paraśurāma-kuṇḍa.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 84

Pulastya Maharshi and the Rākshasa Lineage

Pulastya Maharshi was born in the Brahmavaṁśa. He was a mahātmā, a ṛshi of profound power, who granted amogha-varas (infallible boons) to ṛshis like Parāśara. In the beginning, the Pulastya-vaṁśa gave rise to the rākshasa lineage. Why did this happen? It is said that since Pulastya was born from Brahmā’s body, this outcome emerged. Originally, rākshasa-s were also brāhmaṇa-s, but not all brāhmaṇa-s are rākshasa-s. However, sometimes due to misfortune, rākshasa-lakshaṇa-s (demonic tendencies) may arise in brāhmaṇa-s. This is described as a śāpa (curse) in the ancient texts.

The Nature of Rākshasa Tendencies

What are these rākshasa tendencies?

• Dharma-vyatireka (opposition to dharma)
• A-kāraṇa dvesha (baseless hatred toward others)
• A rākshasa desires to devour others merely upon seeing them, without cause.
• When someone is inclined toward moksha or dharma-pravṛtti, a rākshasa feels compelled to obstruct them or cause them suffering.

Additional rākshasa traits include:

• Coveting others’ wealth
• Being unable to tolerate the success of others
• Deriving pleasure from harming or saddening others

The ṛshis explain that even if one is a paṇḍita, a tapassvī, a yogī, or possesses great power—if he delights in another’s sorrow, he is imbued with rākshasa-aṁśa. The rākshasa is not concerned with possessing wealth. Instead, he desires to destroy what others enjoy, to feel joy in another’s misery. If such tendencies take root among brāhmaṇa-s, the ārya-saṁskṛti itself is endangered. When these asurī-saṁpatti traits replace daivī-saṁpatti, the nation suffers.

Works, Teachings and Philosophy

Pulastya Maharshi was a Brahmaśāstra-vetta, a knower of profound scriptural knowledge and the author of the Pulastya-smṛti. Though the full text is not available today, parts of it are quoted in various bhāshya-s (commentaries). It is said that Pulastya was a viśvarūpa, a being of vast knowledge and vision. Many smṛti-vākya-s are ascribed to him.

One of the specific mentions from Pulastya’s teachings relates to śrāddha-kāla-dharma:

• Brāhmaṇa-s must follow a strict śāka-āhāra (vegetarian diet) during śrāddha and offer only vegetarian food in dāna.
• Kshatriya-s, Vaiśya-s, and Śūdra-s were prescribed to offer māṁsa-āhāra in dāna.
• Śūdra-s were instructed to offer madhu (honey) to others.

In Mithākshara and other texts, this is cited as per Pulastya-smṛti. He also listed 12 types of madya (intoxicating drinks), reflecting the detailed categorization in his teachings.

Many maharshi-s have composed smṛti-s, but unfortunately, many have been lost over time. Yet, smṛti-vidhita karma must still be followed. However, jñāna-hīna karma (karma done without knowledge) leads to bandhana (bondage). Only through svadharma karma, performed with the right understanding, does one evolve to higher actions. Without jñāna, karma degrades and leads to patanam (fall).

Pulastya taught that:

• Jñāna-hīna karma causes bondage.
• Jñāna and karma must go together for moksha to be gradually attained.

In his Pulastya-smṛti, he gave 40 examples to explain this subtle relationship between jñāna and karma.

Thus, Pulastya Maharshi is remembered as:

• A smṛti-kartā (author of dharma texts)
• A Brahma Mahārshi
• A sarvajña (knower of all)
• A sarva-pūjya (one worthy of universal reverence)

His contributions to dharma, śāstra, and cosmic knowledge made him one of the navabrahmā-s. His teachings remain a beacon for understanding karma, jñāna, and moksha.

Sources

• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 11, 17, 20, 72, 219, 380
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapters 8, 12; Skandha 4, Chapters 1, 29; Skandha 5, Chapter 8; Skandha 9, Chapter 2; Skandha 10, Chapters 39, 84; Skandha 11, Chapter 14; Skandha 12, Chapter 11
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 1–69
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 9