Rushaṅku

Rushaṅku

Rushaṅku was a ṛshi who kept his āśrama (hermitage) at Pṛthodaka. Pṛthodaka is a holy tīrtha (pilgrimage place) on the river Sarasvatī. Balarāma visited it on his pilgrimage. Rushaṅku is said in the Mahābhārata to have reached paramapada (the highest state) there.

Rushaṅku at Pṛthodaka

Rushaṅku had his āśrama at Pṛthodaka. The tīrtha is linked with several accounts of great spiritual change. His name is given where the Mahābhārata speaks of what makes the place holy. He is counted among the ṛshis who reached paramapada at this place through steady tapas (austerity).

Others linked with Pṛthodaka

Pṛthodaka is linked with a group of people who crossed from the rank of kshatriya to the rank of brahmarshi through great tapas. They are Sindhudvīpa, Devāpi and Viśvāmitra, and also Ārjisheṇa. The ṛshi Rushaṅku is part of this tradition that makes the tīrtha holy. The Mahābhārata, Śalya Parva, Chapter 41, tells this.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Śalya Parva, Chapter 41