According to
Hindu mythologyHindu mythology is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Indian mythology...
and scriptures,
Rishyasringa (SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
:ऋष्यशृंग, IASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a popular transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts.-Popularity:IAST is the most popular transliteration scheme for romanization of Sanskrit and Pali...
: ) ('deer-horned' in
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
) 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.
According to
Hindu mythologyHindu mythology is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Indian mythology...
and scriptures,
Rishyasringa (SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
:ऋष्यशृंग, IASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a popular transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts.-Popularity:IAST is the most popular transliteration scheme for romanization of Sanskrit and Pali...
: ) ('deer-horned' in
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
) 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
brahminBrahmins have historically been the class of educators, scholars and preachers in Hinduism. They are considered as belonging to the "forward castes" of the four varnas of Hinduism....
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 this sense (and from his name Eka-shringa) this is a possible origin of the unicorn myth as it relates to virgins.
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
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon . The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India, the other being Mahabharata...
and the
MahābhārataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the . The epic is part of the Hindu itihāsa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
. According to the
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon . The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India, the other being Mahabharata...
, Ekashringa was the chief priest when the king
DasarathaThe life story of Dasharatha is narrated principally in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He was a descendant of Raghu and a king of Ayodhya. He was the father of Rama, Rama being the heroic prince of Ramayana and an avatar of God Vishnu according to Hindu tradition...
performed a yagya to beget progeny, and as the consequence of the said yagya were born
RamaRama or Ramachandra is the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a legendary king of Ayodhya in ancient India...
,
BharataIn the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata was the second brother of the main protagonist Lord Rama, and the son of Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Dasaratha was the Emperor of Ayodhya and belonged to the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty. It is said that after Rama, he was the symbol of dharma and idealism...
, and the twins
LakshmanaLakshmana ; Javanese language: Lesmono) was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana. Within a number of Hindu traditions Lakshmana is considered to be an avatara, in a secondary form to Rama's main appearance...
and
ShatrughnaShatrughna was the youngest brother of Lord Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana . He is the twin brother of Lakshmana.-Birth and Family:...
.
Kigga
The town
KiggaKigga is a village near Sringeri. Rishya Shringeshwara temple is located in this village. Sirimane falls and Narasimha parvata are nearby. Of late this village has been in news for naxalites presence.-External links:**...
near by Sringeri is the place today holds religious values based on Rishyasringa. Lord Shiva temple in the town is said to be worshiped by Rishyashringa. In the modern days also the Jagadguru of Sringeri Sharada Peetam performs pooja at Kigga Sri Rushasringeswara temple for rain or to reduce rain.
Sringeri
The town of Sringeri in
KarnatakaKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
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
AdvaitinAdvaita Vedanta is a sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and . Advaita is a monistic system of thought...
philosopherHindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit schools of thought, or darshanas , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures, and three schools, which do not accept the Vedas as supreme...
,
Adi ShankaraAdi Shankara ; , also known as ' and ', was an Indian philosopher who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, a sub-school of Vedanta. His teachings are based on the unity of the soul and Brahman, in which Brahman is viewed as without attributes...
, founded the
Sringeri Sharada Peetham Sringeri Sharada Peetham is one of the important Advaita maţhas. It is located in Sringeri. It is claimed that it is the first of the four original maţhas said to have been established by Adi Shankara.-Location:...
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