Rishyasringa

According to Hindu mythology and scriptures, Rishyasringa (Sanskrit:ऋष्यशृंग, IAST: unicode|Ṛṣyaśṛnga) ('deer-horned' in Sanskrit) or Ekashringa (one-horned), was a boy born with the horns of a deer. His father was the rishi Vibhandaka, and his mother was a celestial paramour 'Menaka'. According to another legend, he was believed to have been born of a doe and from the slight protrusion of his forehead. According to legend, his father was seduced by the celestial danseuse 'Menaka' by order of 'Indra'- the king of gods, who feared the yogic powers gained out of penance by the rishi could prove fatal to the very existence of heavenly world. The father was seduced and out of his relation with the danseuse was born Rishyasringa. However immediately after the child was born 'Menaka', after completing the duty she was sent for left the infant child and her lover and made her way to the heavens. The incident left the father with extreme hatred towards women folk, and he raised the boy in a forest, isolated from society. He never saw any girls or women, and was not told of their existence. The tradition states that he was endowed with magical and miraculous powers.

In the usual version of the story, at the time that the boy becomes a young man, the kingdom of Anga suffers from drought and famine. The king, Romapada(Lompada), is told that this can only be alleviated by a brahmin with the powers that come from observance of perfect chastity. The only such person is Rishyasringa. He has to be brought to the city, and be persuaded to carry out the necessary ceremonies. Despite his fear of the power and anger of the boy's father, the king sends young women, and later his daughter 'Shanta', to introduce the boy into normal society. This is done, Rishyasringa uses his powers, the kingdom receives bountiful rains and Rishyasringa then marries the princess Shanta. Much of the story is taken up by accounts of the feelings of the young man as he becomes aware of women for the first time.

In another version of the story, the forest in which the boy is brought up is part of Anga. The boy's upbringing without knowledge of women is itself the cause of the troubles of the kingdom.

The story can be found in both the Ramayana and the Mahābhārata. According to the Ramayana, Ekashringa was the chief priest when the king Dasaratha performed a yagya to beget progeny, and as the consequence of the said yagya were born Rama, Bharata, and the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

ringeri

The town of Sringeri in Karnataka is named after this sage. The name "Sringeri" is derived from "Rishyasringapura". This is based on the legend that Sage Rishyasringa performed penance here. The Advaitin philosopher, Adi Shankara, founded the Sringeri Sharada Peetham at Sringeri after seeing a hooded snake giving shelter to a frog in labor, in spite of snakes and frogs being mortal enemies. Adi Shankara realized that the place must have been a spot of penance and established the "Dakshninamnaya Sharada Peetham" (Southern Seat of Goddess Sharada) here

References

*"Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend" (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola

ee also

*Advaita Vedanta