Legends and beliefs about...... Sage Agastyar.

Legends and beliefs about...... Sage Agastyar.............Every  Human Being expected to

know about this GREAT SAGE.

SAGE AGASTHYAR

14th of February 7673.......Sage Agastya was said to have been born about 4573 years prior to the commencement of Kali Yuga at a place in Gujarat, in the early hours of Tuesday, 14th of February 7673 BC.

AGASTYA GAYATRI.........

Aum Agasteeswaraya Vidmahe

Podigai Samcharaaya Deemahi

Tanno Gnaanaguru Prachodayaat.

Meaning......

Salutations to Sage Agasteeswar..

Oh! Sage Give me higher intellect

from your eternal abode at Pothigai** Hills

Let the Guru of wisdom illuminate my mind

** In Papanaasam

AGATHIYAR'S MOOLA MANTRA

Agathiyar lists out the benefits gained by chanting this mantra. Here is the translation of the portion of the Nadi related to this revelation.

For the purpose of gaining joy in the family and mankind on the whole,

I reveal a magnificent moola mantra of mine, to be chanted daily..........

Mankind will gain if chanted,.......All shall gain good health and all other gains,

Victory without hurdles shall one meet,.......Miracles and Joy will come your way,

Thus I reveal.........

Aum Shreem Greem Sadguru Paada Kamalae

Janma Karma Paapa Shaap Vimochanaa
Sakala Runa Roga Mrityu Ahankaara Dur-vimochanaa
Sarva Deva Sakala Siddha Tejas Roopae
Maha Jyana Vidhae Kumbha Sambhoota Brahma Nishtaya
Dravida Divya Grantha Kaarakaaya
Lopamudrambika Sahita Bhagwaan Sri Agasthya Guru-swaminae Namah”.

The meaning of this mantra is the one who has understood the vast concept of creation (srushti); life (sthiti) and destruction (laya); I am bowing to the Lotus feet of Guru. Due to my birth sins and curses, I am experiencing many obstacles, which can be cured only through You; all the negatives present in my life – loans; diseases; death; ego – can be removed through You; you are the one who has shown light to many knowledgeable people and Siddha Purusha’s, and posses the entire seed of knowledge; the one who has taken birth through pitch (kumbha); having Brahma knowledge; creator of Dravidian language; the one who wishes for the welfare of human beings and gives and will keep on giving guidance through the holy leaves; I am worshiping you alongwith mother Lopamudra Devi, Lord Agasthya, show us your grace and bless us.

You need to recite this mantra daily in the morning and the evening, at least for 10 minutes. At certain times, if you are not able to recite the mantra with concentration; you need not worry. Few people get the siddhi in few months and rest in few years. There is nothing wrong in it. Realising Agasthya Muni at your own pace is good. By following this system, depending on the deeds done by you, Agasthya Muni will give you darshan in any form,at any place.

How Sage Agastya was Born.........

Once Indra, the king of Gods, asked Agni, the fire God, and Vayu, the wind God, to go and kill all the demons. Agni and Vayu were very powerful and killed most of the demons but the rest hid in the ocean. So they returned and told Indra that they could not kill the rest of the demons.

Indra was very angry. He ordered Agni and Vayu "Even if you have to Indra's curse Agni and Vayu churn the ocean, you must get those demons out and kill them.

Agni and vayu said that they didn't want to churn the ocean as there were other creatures living in it and they would also have to suffer because of the demons.

Indra was not convinced and said, "The ocean has given shelter to the wicked and should suffer for that. But you two are trying to evade your duty by disobeying me. I curse you to be born as humans on earth. Thereafter....... Agni was born as Sage Agastya while Vayu took birth as Sage Vashishtha.

Agastya is also believed to be the author of Agastya Samhita. The word is also written as Agasti and Agathiyar. Agastya is also the Indian astronomical name of the star of Canopus, is said to be the 'cleanser of waters', since its rising coincides with the calming of the waters of the Indian Ocean. He was son of Pulasthya, son of Brahma.

Siddhar were spiritual adepts who possessed the ashta siddhis, or the eight supernatural powers. Sage Agathiyar is considered the Guru of all Siddhars, and the Siddha medicine system is believed to have been handed over to him by Lord Muruga, son of the Hindu God Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. Siddhars are the followers of Lord Shiva. Agathiyar is the first Siddhar. His disciples and other siddhars contributed thousands of texts on Siddhar literature, including medicine and form the propounders of the system in this world.

He is considered as the Father of Tamil literature and compiled the first Tamil grammar called Agathiyam. He is regarded to have lived around 500 BCE. Sage Agastya is often considered the father of traditional Indian Medicine among many other streams of knowledge. In his book, he is believed to have given the description of, and instructions for, the creation of medicines for many types of fevers, cancer, treatments for impotence, abdominal problems, brain and eye problems, bone problems, etc.

Among the various legends associated with him is that of the Vindhya mountains. According to a story in the Shri Rama-Charitra-Manasa, at one time, Mount Vindhyachala was continually growing in size due to taunting comments by the Sage Narada. So as to temper the vanity of the mountains, Sage Agastya and his family travelled to South India, via the Mount Vindhyachal. On their way, when the Vindhyas saw Sage Agastya, he bowed with respect and reverence, upon which Sage Agastya, jokingly asked if he would stay bowed and subdued with respect until the sage returned. The Vindhyas were truly benevolent and promised to not grow until the seer's return from the South. After passing through the mountain, sage Agastya told his wife that they would never again cross over to the North side of mount Vindhyas.

Agastya's legacy is associated with the Chengannur Temple in Kerala in South India, considered to be first built by Agasthya Muni, where he sat in meditation. Here Siva-Parvathy’s idols are worshiped in the same temple. One half of the temple is dedicated to Lord Siva and the other half behind Siva is dedicated to Goddess Parvathy. It is believed that They are available to Their devotees for worship, as husband and wife here. Interestingly it is believed that even today the idol of Parvathy has menstrual flow, though not regular. But if the priest observes blood (claimed to be tested true menstrual blood) in the 'odayaada' during 'nirmalya pooja', Parvathy's idol is removed and kept in a sanctum opposite to the temple within the premises and after a festival 'tripoottaraatu' (7 days) Her idol is placed back into the temple. The festival is celebrated only if Her menses occurs.

Another story has it that two demon brothers, Ilvala and Vathapi, used to kill Brahmins as a revenge in a special manner.Ilvala had once requested a Brahmin to bless him for getting a son as powerful as Indra, the king of Gods. The Brahmin refused the request right away. That made the demon angry. He wanted to take revenge on all Brahmins because one of them refused to grant him his wish.

He had a younger brother by name Vatapi. Being demons, the two had special powers. They came up with a plan to take revenge on Brahmins. Ilvala would turn his brother into a goat, [in other version of the legend, Vatapi turns in to a ripe mango]. He would invite any passer-by, especially Brahmins, for a grand feast at his house. He would cut his brother, turned goat, into pieces and cook a delicacy with it. He would offer the guest this special meat dish. After meal he would call his brother out, “Vatapi”. His brother would respond from the belly of the visitor and come out alive in one piece. In the process the guest would be killed. The two demons, later, would enjoy a curry made of human flesh. All the valuables in the possession of the visitor would go into their treasure.

Ilvala was so good at cooking that the smell of the food started attracting Brahmins around. They queued to have a taste of it.Anyone who went inside the eating place never came back and the brothers were intelligent enough to only allow one Brahmin to enter and eat at a time. Thus the numbers of Brahmins began to reduce. One day, Agastya happened to pass through. By the plan, as usual, one changed into a goat and the other disguised himself as a Brahmachari who invited Agastya to a meal. Agastya knew beforehand about the plan due to his immense Vedic powers, he resolves to teach both a lesson. After the meal, Agastya simply rubbed his stomach saying Vathapi JeerNo bhava; literally may Vathapi be digested, while the other demon tries to bring his brother to life, but in vain. Agastya plainly informed the demon that his brother has been digested and could no longer be brought back to life, and eventually bringing their treachery to end.

Very ancient period before Agastya, in the period of "Abhisheka pandian", by the grace of Lord Shiva, "Sundharanandhar" (avatar of Lord Shiva) is a first Siddhar in world. This incident (Thiruvilaiyadal) was held in Madurai, where Sundharanandhar, being an avatar of Lord Shiva, explained to the people about meaning of "Siddhas" and also explained human body is control by "Pancha boodham". Agastya is considered as the first and foremost Siddha. He is considered the Guru of many other Siddhas. He is also called Kurumuni, meaning short (kuru) saint (muni). He made contributions to the field of Medicine and Astrology - especially Nadi astrology. to have lived for over 5000 years, and that one of his medicinal preparations, Boopathi Kuligai, is so powerful that it can even bring the dead back to life. Two of his students and disciples were Therayar and Tholkappiar.

During the war between the Devas and the trio of Malyavaan, Sumaali and Maali (Ravana's maternal grandfathers), Agastya, at the request of Vishnu, drank up the seven oceans when the asuras hid themselves in the ocean.At a Saivite temple named Kutralam, formerly a Vishnu temple, in Tamil Nadu, Agastya, in one legend, was refused entry. He then appeared as a Vaishnavite devotee and is said to have miraculously converted the image to a Shiva linga. A symbolic meaning of this conversion is to show that Vishnu and Shiva are different aspects of the one and same God.The Notable differences between the Northern (Indo Aryan ) and Southern(Dravidian-Tamil) traditions relating to the Agastya legend is given in the form of a table in the book "Agastya Legend and the Indus Civilization".However these so-called differences do not contradict each other even the leader claim.

Agastya was met by Rama north of Nashik (in modern India) several years before the break up of the Yadu clan from Dwaraka. He confides to Rama in the Uttara Kanda that he travelled south but did not venture much farther because of Ravana. Ravana was his brother's (Vishravas) son. He destroyed Rakshasas but did not want to destroy Ravana (obliquely his son). Also knowing that Ravana could not be destroyed till his time as a result of Shiva's boon to Ravana and that he was destined to be destroyed by Rama (because of the boon of Vishnu to his guards cursed by the Sanat Kumaras), he stayed his hand. The remnants of Yadu clan could have well taken him for their guide.

Agastya is also celebrated as the third greatest exponent of the Tamil language after Shiva and Muruga.The fact of Agastya's leadership of Velir clan rules out the possibility that he was even in origin an Indo-Aryan speaker. The Velir-Velar-Velalar groups constituted the ruling and the land-owning classes in the Tamil country since the beginning of recorded history and betray no trace whatever of an indo-Aryan linguistic ancestry. From what we now know of the linguistic prehistory of India,it is more plausible to assume that the Yadavas were the Aryanised descendants of an original Non-Aryan people that to consider the Tamil Velir as the later offshoot of the indo-Aryan speaking Yadavas.

The Agastya legend itself can be re-interpreted as Non-Aryan and Dravidian even in origin and pertaining to the Pre-Vedic Proto-historical period in the North.However this assumption of Yadavas being aryanised non-aryans is at loggerheads with the descriptions of their origins with Yadu, the ancestor of Krishna; whose history is also well documented in the Srimad Bhagavata and other Sanskrit sources.

Agastya........The Sage who created......KAVERI......

According to legend, the sage Agastya is an incarnation of Agni Agni and Vayu had been cursed by Indra for insubordination to be born as mortals. Vayu was born as Vasishta (this account is different from the popular one where Vasishta is a wish-born son of Brahma). According to this curse, Agastya was born as the son of MitraVaruna Rishi (this is different from the dual Mitra-Varuna mentioned in the Rig Veda) and the Apsara Urvashi. Among the many epithets of Agastya are Kumbha Sambhava (born in a pot) and MitraVaruni (son of MitraVaruna). From an early age he displayed an aptitude for the scriptures and spirituality.

The marriage of Lord Shiva to Uma, the daughter of the king of mountains Himavan was going to be conducted at Kailasa. All the people in the world and all the creatures began to flock to the north. The earth was in danger of toppling over, as the weights of North and South were not in balance. Upon beholding this the Lord said, "This cannot be allowed to happen. We need a suitable weight to counterbalance this northern tilt. Only Agastya can do this job." He then summoned Agastya and bade him to go to south and use his yogic powers to balance the earth. Agastya was pleased with this signal honor, but was also saddened, because then he won't be able to witness this divine marriage. Perceiving the thoughts in the Rishi's mind, Shiva granted him a boon that himself and Uma will appear before Agastya, whenever the latter happened to think of them. Pleased, Agastya began his southward jour

The Vindhya mountains were the natural separators between the North and the South. They were jealous of the fame of the mighty Himalayas and began to grow and grow in an attempt to become taller than them. This fact was known to Agastya. When he arrived at the Vindhya mountains, he asked it to stop growing for a while, so that he could go South and then return. If the mountain did not stop growing, he would find it very difficult to climb it on his return journey. The mountain consented to this request and stopped growing. Alas, it was tricked, as Agastya never crossed it again to go North, for he established his permanent abode in the south. The Vindhya mountain could not break its promise and therefore had to content to be shorter than the Himalayas.

He married Lopamudra, the daughter of the king of Vidharba. He also had another wife named Kaveri, who was the daughter of a sage named Kavera. To end a severe famine in the south, Kaveri was transformed into a river of the same name, which flows to this day through the south. She is also called the southern Ganga.

It is believed that when Agasthya carried water from Ganges in his water pot for performing Siva puja, Ganesha in the form of a crow tipped and spilled water from the pot. The water from the pot is believed to have turned in to RIVER KAVERI..

He is also famous for his curses. He cursed Nahusha who had insulted him, to be born as a giant python. Bheema was instrumental in releasing Nahusha from the curse. He had also cursed a king named Indradhyumna to be born as an elephant, for the King busy with his prayer, was late in receiving the sage. Later Lord Vishnu release the elephant (who was called Gajendra), from this curse.

During the battle between Rama and Ravana described in the Ramayana, Rama had become disheartened at the monumental task ahead of him. The sage Agastya then appeared before him and instructed him in the use of Aditya Hridayam, a hymn praising Surya. Heartened by this prayer, Rama fought with renewed vigor and ultimately won the war by killing the Asura Ravana.

One of Agasthya's medicinal preparation..Bhoopathi Kuligai was so powerful that it could even bring the dead back to,life.

Padma purana also narrates an incident when Agasthya drank up the entire ocean to reveal the demons (Kalakeyas) hiding at the bottom of the ocean to Devas and save the universe. For this deed Brahma granted the boon to Agasthya that his hermitage would be the mist sacred place among all the places that can wash away any sin.

In Ramayana, Rama praises Agasthya as the one who can do things that even God finds Impossible. It also mentions tha Agasthya taught Aditya Hrudayam to Rama.

Agastha has also contributed to Tamil literature, Siddha tradition of medicine, Nadi Astrology, Yoga kaya kalpa (Anti-Aging Therapy),Martial arts and Architecture.

History reveals for the first time the parental heritage of the sage. Sage Agastya was said to have been born about 4573 years prior to the commencement of Kali Yuga at a place in Gujarat, in the early hours of Tuesday, 14th of February 7673 BC.

Belonging to the early Aryan race, his father Bhargava was well learned while his mother Indumathi was from Punjab. They were both devotees of the Pasupatha order of the sage Rishabha Muni.

Agastya then had his early education in Gujarat. As his thirst for knowledge in particular on philosophy, yoga, medicine, and astronomy was immense he traveled all over Kashmir, Tibet, China, Nepal and Kailas in Manchuria. Mount Kailas was deemed to be in Manchuria those days.

He became a disciple of sage Nandi and Dhanvantri. He then traveled towards the south to Cambodia and Malaya. In Cambodia he established the very first of his many educational institutions for the propagation of philosophy and science.

After establishing a similar institution and hospital in Malaya he crossed the sea to the continent of Kumari Kandam. During Agathiyar’s time Kumari Kandam occupied a vast area extending from the present day Sri Lanka to the Antarctic. This continent was ruled by Ravana, a great devotee of Lord Siva. King Ravana gave away a portion of his kingdom to Agathiyar to establish more institutions.

The foremost of these institutions in this region was known as Arunodaya Giri or Meozone. Here Agathiyar practiced yoga and taught it to his large following of disciples. He then went back north to Malaya where he was betrothed to the king’s daughter. He then ruled the kingdom of Vijayapuri.

Agastya returned to Kumari Kandam where he met Lord Murugan in the form of sage Kandan or Supramaniar at Trikona Malai, present day Trincomali. At the hill station called Kadari Kama or Kadhirgama, Lord Murugan imparted spiritual knowledge to Agathiyar.

In his meditation he could see into the future; see impending calamities. As a result he moved to the North Pole considering it to be a save place. This period of his move to the Arctic was said to coincide with the end of the Dwapara Yuga placed at about 6580 BC.

Just as he had seen of an impending calamity and had decided to move north, a tremendous explosion in the planet Mars sents a piece of debris towards earth. This impact caused a great deluge on the earth. Significant portions of Kumari Kandam submerged into the Indian Ocean. Continental drift resulted in the present day arrangement of this region.

On returning to Mancuria after the great flood Kailas was no more but instead the Himalayan mountain range had emerged in North India. Amidst all this geographical changes ,sage Agathiyar went seeking for a place that would not be affected by future calamities.

He located a mountain range in South India. This is the present day Courtalam. This spot is said to be the safest place and free from any future catastrophes. Here Agathiyar met Lord Siva and Uma in the form of Dhashina Murthi and Shenbaga Devi. This spot where the meeting took place between Dhashina Murthi, Shenbaga Devi, Lord Murugan and Agastya was Mahadeva Giri. This meeting also signified the commencement of Kali Yuga.

J.KANNAN, M.Com, FIATA

"WE DON'T THINK TO BREATHE

 WE BREATHE TO THINK"