Introduction
Rishis or sages have been accorded a very high status and viewed as supreme in India from time immemorial. They are even placed above celestial beings. We learn the art of living by following their tenets closely. Sages are the embodiments of not only learning but also of self-control, sacrifice, supreme understanding, childlike innocence, universal love and goodwill for the entire world- animals and birds, trees and creepers, lakes, streams and rivers, hills and dales, rocks and hills included. The highest seers could see beyond the ordinary ken of mortals, but yet they were embodiments of simplicity, contentment and equanimity. That is why the Upanishads describe a rishi as the highest among the Vipras-rushirvipranam” (Mahanarayanopanishad 12.1).
We understand how important a vipra is from the definition – one born as a Brahman becoming a dvija by sacred ceremonies namely upanayan that gives him the status of a Brahmacharin worthy of the study of the Veda, acquiring profundity by the study and understanding of the Veda along with its six limbs i.e.shadangas, namely shiksha, vyakarana, chhandas, nirukta, kalpa and jyotisha and the highest study that leads on to moksha dharma which is Pravidya – the final stage which makes one a vipra, it can be seen why a rishi is the highest among the vipras.
जन्मना ब्राह्मणो प्रोक्तः संस्कारैर्द्विज उच्यते।
विद्यते याति विप्रत्वं त्रिभिः श्रोत्रिय उच्यते॥
Thus it can be observed that one satisfying the three conditions and reaching the stage of vipra automatically is a Shrotriya. A Shrotriya is one who is well versed in the Veda. Even among the vipras of whom the highest is the Shrotriya, the rishi is the noblest, the one enlightened by the Veda and ennobled by Tapas or penance.
Rishis are held in high esteem even in the earliest Vedic hymns. The concept of the Seven Rishis is introduced in the Rigveda where they are perceived as our fathers.
अस्माकं पितरः आसन् सप्तर्षयः॥ (Rigveda 4.42.8)
They are classified as sacrificial priests i.e. hotri, potri, neshtri, agnidhri, prashastri, adhvaryu, brahma respectively invoker, purifier, leader, kindler, director, ministering priest and praying priest.
तवाग्ने तव होत्रं तव पोत्रं नेष्ट्रं त्वं अग्नदूतयतः।
तव प्रशास्त्रं त्वमध्वरीयसि ब्रह्माचासि गृहपतिश्च नो दमे॥ (Rigveda 2.1.2)
and this is continued thereafter
सप्त जिव्हा सप्त ऋषयः धामा प्रियाणि। (Taitthriya Samhita 1.5.3)
Birth of Agastya
Sage Agastya was born by the virtue of Lord Maha Vishnu. Various Indian epics provide elaborate information on Sage Agastya which traces his life history. Agastya was a seer of Rig Veda. He has 26 hymns dedicated to him. He persuaded Lord Indra to bless the land with rains without resorting to any kind of Pashuhinsa (animal slaughter).
This legend is linked to King Nimi, the son of Ikshhwaku, a famous king of the Solar Dynasty. After Nimi was enthroned as the king he wanted to perform a yajna. Hence, he approached the royal priest Sage Vasishta for performing the yajna. Unfortunately, Vasishta was already appointed by Devendra for conducting a yajna in the heaven, at the same time. Vasishta, although, agreed to perform the duty of a ritwik only once he returned from Devendra’s yajna.
The king got disappointed and returned to his palace. He then decided to get the yajna performed by Sage Shathanand, the son of Sage Gautama, before the return of Sage Vasishta. When Vasishta returned from his yajna, he came to meet Nimi at his palace. During this time a short, yet serious, misunderstanding occurred as Nimi was asleep that time and Vasishta had to wait for sometime as the king was ignorant of his arrival. In a series of eventful episodes, irate Vasishta thought the king to be extremely conceited and cursed him to die that very moment. However, Nimi was also a very great tapasvi and in return he also cursed Vasishta that he should also die that very moment. After this raging event, Nimi died immediately while Vasishta, who was immortal and pure, left his body and turned into divine light and entered Brahmaloka. Upon meeting Lord Brahma, the two had extensive deliberations on the issue. Brahma, however, convinced Vasishta that since he is the sutradhara he needs to fulfill certain duties on the earth. Thus, with the help of Mithra-Varuna, Vasishta attained a new body and came back on earth and resumed working.
Lord Brahma’s order was thus carried out. Through Mithra and Varuna, two Maharishis were born. First came Maharishi Agastya. Then came Vasishta who knew the secrets of the Vedas. As Vasishta was born after Agastya, Vasishta came to be considered as younger to Agastya.
Agastya was born with the thorough knowledge of Vedas and other holy texts. He was also extremely skilled in the use of weapons. His disciple was Sage Agnivesha. Agnivesha was the preceptor of Dronacharya.
There is another famous story surrounding the birth of Sage Agastya. According to it, Agastya is the son of Urvashi and brother of Sage Vasishta. It is also mentioned that he was born from the earthen pot. (Brihaddevata 5.134)
Birth of Lopamudra
Who is going to be a suitable bride for me? How can the family line continue? Agastya began to be haunted by these thoughts. He continued to think for a long time but he failed to come to a conclusion. Suddenly an idea flashed in his mind. Using the power of his tapas, he created a fine juicy fruit. He knew that the king of Vidarbha was performing tapas for begetting children. He gave that fruit to the king. The king was very happy and he received the fruit happily and took it to the palace and gave it to his queen. The queen ate the fruit with great devotion. The fruit was the product of Agastya’s years of tapas. The queen became pregnant and at the end of nine months she gave birth to a princess. The king invited priests and got the namakarana ceremony (christening, naming ceremony) done. The priests were very much attracted by the beauty of the child. The child was named Lopamudra. Lopamudra grew up and became a girl of exquisite beauty and she attracted the attention of everyone around her. She grew up to be a very well behaved girl. She was soft spoken, kind and she had all the good qualities expected of a princess. When she reached the age of marriage, the king began to look for a suitable bridegroom for her. Many princes of neighboring countries felt that they were no match to Lopamudra and they did not venture to offer to marry her. The king got worried.
Agastya marries Lopamudra
With his divine insight Agastya came to know that Lopamudra was the most suitable bride for him and he was sure, she could become a very good grihini. He went to the king of Vidarbha. The king received the sage performing all traditional rites and asked him the reason for his visit. Sage Agastya said, “O great king, with the sole object of continuing the line of my family, I would like to marry Lopamudra. I request you to give her in marriage to me.” The royal couple became terribly disappointed. They could not imagine giving their daughter in marriage to a sage who lived in a forest. Lopamudra came to know the cause of her parents’ worry. She went to them and asked them to give her in marriage to Agastya. Now the parents had no choice. Finally she became Agastya’s wife.
After the marriage Agastya asked Lopamudra to give up all her royal glory and dress up as the wife of a sage. Therefore Lopamudra had to abandon all her royal finery and put on a dress made up of plant fiber. She went to Gangadwara and the sage engaged himself in severe tapas. Lopamudra proved herself to be an ideal wife. She would help her husband in his routine and look after him with great love and care. Agastya felt proud of his wife. In course of time she became a tapasvini herself. One day Lopamudra went near Agastya and said, “Please bless me with a child” Agastya was happy to listen to his wife’s request. He said, “O blessed one, I am happy with the way you have been conducting yourself. Do you desire to have one thousand children, or one hundered having the strength of one thousand? Or would you prefer ten having the strength of one hundred or just one who has the strength of ten?”
“It is no use having one thousand wicked children; instead it is better to have one son who is good and lovable. Therefore bless me with a son who is equal to you in wisdom, goodness and scholarship.”
Agastya was very happy. He blessed her. A few months later Lopamudra became pregnant. Once again Agastya went to the forest for performing tapas. At the end of nine months Lopamudra gave birth to a baby boy. The child shone brilliantly and he was named Dridhadasyu. Even at birth, the child appeared to have mastered the Vedas. At an early age Dridhadasyu was capable of doing hard labor such as bringing huge bundles of fuel from the forest. As a result, later the boy became famous as ‘Idhmavaha’. In this way Sage Agastya fulfilled his duty towards his pithrus and helped them go to heaven. The place where Agastya lived came to be called Agastyashram, a holy place even today.
Agastya searches the seabed and the end of Kaleyas
A band of daityas(demons) called Kaleyas used to live in the sea bed and they would come out of it at night, enter ashrams of holy men destroy everything they find there and run back and hide under the sea. Every morning one could see a number of tapasvis lying dead in their destroyed ashrams. No one could even guess the cause of these terrible killings. A number of great sages were put to suffering on account of the Kaleyas. They did not even spare the ashrams of sages such as Vasishta, Bharadwaja, Chyavan and many others.
Hundreds of Brahmins were killed in their ashrams. In a few years Brahmins as a group gradually became rare. These demons destroyed the ashram of the Pandavas as well. As a result of all these, all good acts such as performing poojas, yajnas and yagas came to a stand-still. The devas were very much worried. They did not know what to do. They went to Vaikunta and told Lord Vishnu the sad tale of the earth and asked him the cause of this unnecessary destruction. Lord Vishnu attributed the grave damage to a gang of demons by name Kaleyas living under the sea. Vishnu further added, “They (Kaleyas) come out at night and destroy the ashrams of sages and kill Brahmins, when they finish their evil deeds they disappear into the bottom of the sea. If you have to destroy them you have to drain that sea and then kill them. There is only one who can do that job and that is Maharishi Agastya. He can drink the entire volume of water of that sea in one gulp. No one else can do this work. Therefore go to him and request him to do the task for the good of the world. When the sea is drained it is easy to kill the rakshasas.”
With the permission of Lord Brahma, all the devas went to the ashram of Sage Agastya to seek his help. There all the devas together pleaded to the sage to save them from the havoc created by the Kaleyas. The devas explained to Agastya how, as per the instructions of Lord Vishnu, the only way through which the world could be saved was by draining the sea. Again, this was a mammoth task which only a tapasvi of Sage Agastya’s stature could only accomplish. Thus Sage Agastya agreed upon helping them and with his unusual powers he drank the whole sea-water in a gulp. As soon as the seabed became dry and empty, all the danavas (Kaleyas), who were ready with their weapons, started attacking the devas. After a prolonged fierce battle between the devas and the demons, the former gained victory over the latter. However, after the battle got over the devas went to Sage Agastya to thank him and also to request him to refill the dried out sea-bed with water. In return, Agastya apologized to them saying the sea water which he gulped down had already been digested and now cannot be retrieved at any cost. The disappointed devas then sought Lord Vishnu’s help who asked them to wait till King Bhagiratha would arrive on the earth as a progeny in the family of Sagar. The legend of Emperor Sagar has been mentioned vividly in many Hindu scriptures. As per the legend, Emperor Sagar had sixty thousand sons. Sage Kapila had cursed all of them and thus they were reduced to ashes. In order to bring salvation to the souls of the sixty thousand sons, Sagar’s grandson Bhagiratha performed severe penance and tapas and brought River Ganga on earth. River Ganga flowed over the ashes of sixty thousand sons of Emperor Sagar and led them to heaven. Simultaneously, Ganges also filled the long dried sea bed.
Agni Deva born as Agastya
According to certain Puranas we come to know that Agnideva was born as Agastya. Devas and danavas were always enemies. They would be fighting each other constantly. On one such occasion Devendra ordered Agni Deva and Vayu deva to fight against the demons and destroy them. Accordingly the two had a terrible battle with the demons and killed most of them. Those who remained ran for their lives and hid themselves under an ocean. Agni Deva and Vayu Deva thought that those demons hiding in the ocean would be ineffective and they would not come out and trouble the devas. Therefore they returned to heaven. When Devendra came to know what the two had done he called them and commanded them to go back and destroy the demons forthwith. On that occasion Agni Deva and Vayu Deva said, “O Devendra, there are millions of living things in the ocean. They do not harm anyone. If we get into the ocean to search for the demons, most of these living beings would die. It is not good to do so.” Devendra was not in a mood to listen. He became angrier. He thought that those wicked demons should be destroyed somehow and if some living beings got killed in the process it was inconsequential and there was no question of injustice. He angrily shouted at the two, “Agni and Vayu, you did not do what I had requested you to do. You have not done your duty and now you have begun teaching me what is right and what is wrong. Go and be born as humans on the earth and you can have long discussions on rights and wrongs of things. Get out of my sight.” This way he heaped a curse on Agni Deva and Vayu Deva. He continued and said to Agni Deva. “When you are born on earth you have to drink the water of the ocean and dry it.” Accordingly Agni and Vayu were born on earth as Agastya and Vasishta respectively. Agni who was born as Agastya had to drain the water of the ocean in which the demons called Kaleyas were hiding so that they could be killed by devas. Great men are born to serve and save the world from disasters and their greatness is unfathomable.
Agastya’s wife flows as River Kaveri
Sage Agastya’s wife Lopamudra was born for enhancing the welfare of the world. For that very purpose she wanted to turn into River Kaveri and flow down the plains. Agastya consented to it. It is an interesting episode. Whatever be the veracity of the story, it is a great good fortune for mankind. Brahmagiri is a tall hill in the Brahmagiri range of mountains. There was a king by name Kavera living on the slopes of the hill. He wanted to do some good to the world and for that purpose he began to perform severe tapas. Lord Shiva was pleased with his tapas, came and stood before him and blessed him saying, “Your great desire will be fulfilled by your daughter.” In course of time Kavera had a daughter and she was named Kaveri. She grew up to be a righteous and loveable young woman. Kavera revealed to his daughter his heart’s desire of doing something good to the world. She liked the idea and she was also inspired by such a desire. As willed by God, she married Sage Agastya. After the marriage, Sage Agastya began to live in a small ashram on the slope of Brahmagiri along with his wife Kaveri. He spent time in performing tapas and other religious rituals. Kaveri was burning with the desire to help people somehow. She revealed her desire to her husband. Agastya consoled her saying that for every good thing to happen one had to wait for an opportune time. In the meantime there was a very brave demon king by name Shoora Padma ruling over the southern part of India. He was angry with Devendra. He was also angry with humans because they worshipped Devendra and the other devas. With the help of his extraordinary power he prevented the earth from receiving rain. All the rivers and lakes dried up. Humans, animals, birds and other creatures had neither food to eat nor water to drink. There was suffering and pain all over the earth. When Kaveri saw the suffering of the people she thought of helping people. The time is ripe for doing something good, she thought. One early morning Sage Agastya had to go to the river for bath. Kaveri was not well. She could not accompany her husband to the river. Agastya was worried because he did not desire to leave Kaveri alone in the ashram. Finally he found a solution. With the power of his penance and tapas he changed Kaveri into water and filled it in his kamandal- the holy water pot, kept it on a stone and got into the river to have a bath. The devas were also expecting something good to the world from Kaveri. When Agastya got into the river keeping his water pot on a stone, Devendra requested Lord Ganesha to mix the water in the holy water pot with the water of the river.
With a view to doing good to the world Lord Ganesha, took the form of a crow and made the holy water pot roll on the stone. Kaveri who was confined to the water pot, now came out and began to flow all over the land. People, who were suffering from lack of water, became happy to get the sweet and crystal clear water of the Kaveri. Kaveri became a huge river and began to flow in leaps and bounds, forming whirl pools here and there. When sage Agastya came up after finishing his sandhyavandana, he saw the holy pot on the ground with all its water spilt and the water was flowing all over the land. He was very much upset. He began to search for Kaveri, but he could not get her. Lord Ganesha and the devas saw the distraught Agastya and they were sorry for his plight. They came to him and said, “O great sage, Kavera and his daughter Kaveri wanted to help the people of the world and the time has come for it. Now she is flowing as a river. When you changed her into water and kept her in your holy pot, she thought that her father’s desire was fulfilled and in a way our plan helped her realize her dream. Hereafter Kaveri will flow constantly and supply the people of the south with water and food forever. She will become a redeemer of the sins of all.” Sage Agastya stood spell bound for some time. When he looked at the majestically flowing Kaveri, she seemed to tell him, Kindly excuse me, I began to flow as a river without your permission.” He began to think, “Yes, Kaveri is flowing as a river and she is helping and protecting thousands of people on either side of her course. In fact, she is sanctifying mother earth. As I help the world in my own way, she is doing the same in her special way. May God bless her.” So saying Sage Agastya blessed Kaveri and bade good bye to the devas. Like the Ganga mata in the north, Kaveri is flowing in the south, doing good to people. Today the river is considered to be very holy.
Agastya’s role in the marriage of Shiva and Parvati
The Himalayan Mountain range is the king of all mountain ranges. His wife was Mane. Parvati was their daughter. Parvathi performed severe tapas and pleased Lord Shiva. She wanted to marry him. Their marriage was to be celebrated on the Himalayan mountain range and all the devas, Maharishis, Yakshas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, the best among all had arrived to witness the divine event. As the weight of the guests concentrated on one side, it became too heavy and the mountain range tilted and began to shake. As a result of it, the entire world began to tremble. Mountains cracked and came crashing down. Seas were in high tide. People were nervous and scared thinking there was going to be deluge. They rushed to Shiva, prayed to him and begged him to save the world. Then Shiva address all the guests gathered there saying, “Dear all, you have come to witness our marriage. As all of you are standing on the northern side, the excessive weight has made the mountain tilt. If the balance is to be restored we have to place an equal weight on the southern side. Then the earth will stand in balance and there will be peace in the world. This balancing act can be done only by Sage Agastya. If he goes and stand on the southern side balance will be restored in the world. Then Shiva spoke to Sage Agastya who had also gone there to witness the marriage, “O Sage Agastya, kindly go south and restore the balance of the earth.” When the sage heard the words of Lord Shiva he was disappointed. Like others present there he was there to take part in the celestial event. Now that he was asked to go south he was denied of the chance of witnessing the marriage ceremony. Shiva who understood the plight of the sage said, “O great sage, you have to go south just to do good to the world. So please do as I ask you to do. You desire to see our marriage, don’t you? Whenever you want to see us just call me. Parvati and I will appear before you as bride and bridegroom. I will also grant you divine eyes to witness our marriage from the place where you are. Now you may start.” Sage Agastya was very happy indeed. He went and stood on the southern end and the tilted earth regained its poise. Agastya could see the divine marriage from the point where he was standing. The marriage ceremony went off without any further hurdle. Everyone felt happy. This way Sage Agastya performed Lord Shiva’s command for the good of the world. He was blessed by Lord Shiva. Words fail to describe the good fortune that befell Sage Agastya because he was blessed by Lord Shiva himself.
Rama initiated to Aditya Hridaya
Sage Agastya’s ashram was located in the midst of Dandakaranya where he used to stay with his wife Lopamudra. The place oozed most pious and spiritual vibes owing to the prolonged penance and tapas performed by the couple. While on exile, Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana visited the sage. As mentioned in scriptures, Agastya played a very good host to them and Lopamudra also gifted Sita divine ornaments. Most importantly, while teaching Lord Rama the nuances of dharma, Agastya presented Lord Rama the Vaishava Dhanus with divine arrows. Rama along with his brother also built an ashram on the bank of River Godavari as instructed by the sage.
Sage Agastya also helped Lord Rama in gaining victory over Ravana to a certain extent. As per the legend of Ramayana, Ravana had ten heads which were indestructible as no sooner did Rama cut one, than a new one sprang on his head and this was endless. Upon seeing Rama’s difficulty in defeating Ravana, Sage Agastya initiated Rama with the sacred hymn ‘Aditya Hridaya’. Finally, with the blessings of Sun God, Lord Rama defeated Ravana and became one of the most prosperous king of the Treta Yuga. As suggested by Sage Agastya, Rama also performed Aswamedha yaga for the wellbeing of his kingdom and subjects.
Krauncha cursed
While Agastya was travelling south after subduing the Vindhya Mountain, a demon by name Krauncha stopped him enroute. The demon was blessed with the magical power to curse heavy rainfall. However, when he tried to harm the environment, Agastya sprinkled water from his pot on the demon and cursed him to turn into a mountain. Realizing the significant powers of Agastya, the demon surrendered after which the sage consoled him assuring that when Lord Subrahmanya would arrive there he would struck an arrow and instantly release the demon from the curse.
The ever full Holy Pot of Agastya
When demon Shoorapadma invaded heaven and forced all the devas out of their abode, Devendra went to Shiyuti and started meditating on Lord Shiva. All of a sudden the prevailing rainfall came to a halt and before the famine would dry out all the rivers, Sage Agastya filled his pot with the water of the Kaveri. As per the legend Lord Ganesha assumed the body of a crow and overturned the holy pot. Initially Agastya got extremely infuriated but later when he got the darshan of Lord Ganesha the two entered into a long discourse and finally Ganesha assured him that his holy pot will always remain filled.
Urvashi, Jayantha and Narada cursed
Once Devendra invited Sage Agastya at his palace and also arranged a dance program in his honor. While performing the dance, Urvashi lost her rhythm as she fell in love with Jayantha, the son of Davendra. Meanwhile, Narada also fumbled while playing his veena. This made Agastya extremely furious and he cursed all three of them, following which –
o Jayantha turned into a flower bud,
o Urvashi reborn as Madhuri, an common woman in the world, and
o Narada permanently lost his veena, Mahati and the mortals on earth started using it.
Agastya relieves Dushyantha
Once upon a time, the wicked prince of Pataliputra, Dushyantha was accused of killing many children in the kingdom and was excommunicated from his own land. While wandering in the forest, the prince came across a young boy and killed him by drowning him in the water. The boy killed was the son of Ugrarava and upon knowing the death of his son he became extremely infuriated and he killed Dushyantha by drowning him in water.
Dushyantha later turned into an evil spirit and being unable to bear this curse he went to Sage Agastya and begged him to relieve him from it. The sage called his disciple Sutheekshna and asked him to visit the Gandhamandana Mountain, take a bath in the holy River Agnithirtha and also bring some water back along with him. As soon as Sutheekshna sprinkled the holy water on the evil spirit of Dushyantha, he got released from his curse, regained his original form and also found his place in heaven.
Agastya redeems Vidarbha
Once Agastya went deep into a huge forest. It was lonely and frightening. As he was walking along he saw a few gandharvas and some divine women singing and dancing. One of the gandharvas went to a lake pulled out a corpse of a man and began to cut it and eat the flesh raw without any hesitation. When he saw Sage Agastya he got frightened and surrendered. Agastya asked why he was eating human flesh. The gandharva began to narrate his story.
“In Threta yuga there was a king by name Vidarbha. I was his son. My name was Shwetha. I ruled the land for a long time and then came here and began to perform tapas. After my mortal body fell, I went to heaven. I became hungry and even in heaven my hunger continued to become intense. I went to a Brahmin and asked him for the reason. He told me that as king I did not give alms to anyone. Therefore I was tormented with hunger even in heaven. Just to satisfy my hunger, I come here every day and eat human flesh as directed by that Brahmin. He told me that one day Sage Agastya would come here and if I gave him a gold bracelet as a gift my sin would be redeemed. Now that you are here, I am blessed.” So saying he gave a gold bracelet to Agastya and got blessed. Then he went to heaven.
Kubera and his companion cursed
While in exile, the Pandavas stayed in a forest near the Himalayas. During this time, Arjuna without informing his brothers went to Mount Meru and started meditating on Lord Shiva. Few years went passed and the four Pandavas became worried about their brother. After consulting many eminent persons, finally Sages Vrishparva and Arshtishena were able to help them and the brothers arrived at Alkapuri, the then capital of the God of Wealth Kubera. Bhimasena, in a fit of anger, started attacking the whole of the Alkapuri kingdom and also killed the army of Kubera. In the battle, Kubera’s best friend Mahiman also got killed.
Later, when the eldest of the Pandavas, Yudhishtira went to seek forgiveness of Kubera for the atrocities done by his younger brother Bhima, Kubera narrated to him the entire story which formed the basis of everything that happened. As mentioned by Kubera, once he and Mahiman went to Kushavathi to listen to divine music. At the same time, Sage Agastya was meditating on the bank of River Kalindi. Mahiman spat on Sage Agastya and this made the sage extremely angry. Since Kubera watched the whole episode and remained mum on the evil deed of his friend Mahiman, the sage cursed Kubera saying his whole kingdom would once be destroyed by a human and in the battle his friend Mahiman would also get killed. Thus as soon as Bhimasena destroyed Alkapuri, Kubera got redeemed from the curse. The legend reflects on the power of Sage Agastya’s curse that didn’t even spare the God of Wealth, Kubera.
Devendra’s confrontation with Agastya
Once, Agastya along with a number of other sages started off a yagya. However, the sages failed in successfully completing this fire sacrifice and this made Lord Indra extremely furious and he stopped rainfall on earth. A severe famine struck the earth, all crops failed and people started dying out of food and hunger. During this time Sage Agastya sheltered thousands of hungry people at his abode. People from three lokas got surprised at this kind gesture of Agastya as he continued to feed everyone sumptuously. Agastya also declared that if Indra failed to provide enough rain on earth, he would take over the responsibility of Indra for the welfare of the mankind. Meanwhile, Indra began feeling extremely insecure on this act of Agastya and broke his resolution in order to save his position as the Lord of Rain.
Works of Agastya
Agastya is known as the originator of the Tamil literature and he is till date highly revered by the people of Tamil Nadu. He is also being worshiped in a number of shrines in Tamil Nadu.
Agastya went down to Southern India in the later part of his life and also built various Shivalingas and temples here, especially in Karnataka. Thus, the south is revered as the divine direction of Agastya. Writers like Villiputturan also believe that it was Agastya who introduced the Tamil language to the world. Apparently, he also wrote texts on Tamil music and play, most importantly being his text on Tamil grammar. The oldest book on Tamil grammar is recorded as Tolkapyam, written by Tolkapyar who was one of the twelve core disciples of Sage Agastya. Kamba Ramayana has also made a number of references to the sage. Sage Agastya was an expert in Vedic mantra shastra and tantra shastra; he is considered as one of the prime drishtar of the Veda mantras as a number of them were revealed to him. Sri Lalita Sahastranama is one of the best collections of Agastya, which is used as a reference by many scholars and religious practitioners even today.
