History of Indian Medicine, containing Notices, Biographical and Bibliographical, of the Ayurvedic Physicians and their Works on Medicine v2.c19.s1: Vaśiṣṭha
History of Indian Medicine, containing Notices, Biographical and Bibliographical, of the Āyurvedic Physicians and their Works on Medicine v2.c19.s1
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Vaśiṣṭha
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A famous Vedic Ṛṣi to whom many hymns are ascribed. He is classed among the ten Prajāpatis and the seven Maharṣis and is said to have been a mind-born son of Brahmā (Manu) or, according to another account, a son of Mitra and Varuṇa by Urvaśī (R. V. vii, 33, 1). There was a special rivalry between him and the sage Viśvāmitra who wanted to take away Nandini " the cow of plenty " by force from the hermitage of Vaśiṣṭha. He appears to be the family priest of King Sudāsa (Aitareya Brāhmaṇa and R. V.) or to his son Kalmāṣpāda (Mbh.), and to Ikṣāku and his descendants (Viṣṇu Purāṇa). Muir says : " Vasistha according to all accounts must have been possessed of a vitality altogether superhuman " for the name is " used not to denote merely a person belonging to a family so called but to represent the founder of the family himself as taking part in the transactions of many successive ages." Vaśiṣṭha is a gotra name and hence arose the confusion, for all his descendants are styled as Vaśiṣṭha.
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King Kalmāṣpāda, son of Sudāsa, while hunting in a forest, met Śaktri, the eldest son of the sage Vaśiṣṭha, and struck him with a whip as he stood on his way. Śaktri cursed him to be a man-eating Rākhasa, and Viśvamitra ordered a man-eater to enter the body of the king. Once he offered human flesh to a Brāhmaṇa, Mitrasala by name, who also cursed him to the same effect. The king then ate Śaktri and the hundred sons of Vaśiṣṭha who, however, took pity on him and restored him to his natural condition after twelve years. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa the story is told somewhat differently. He killed a tiger, but another tiger, who disappeared, assumed the form of Vasiṣṭha, the priest, in a sacrifice performed by the King. Later, he assumed the form of a cook and served a dish of human flesh to the sage Vasiṣṭha. Thereupon the sage cursed the king, but afterwards knowing him to be innocent, limited the period of curse to twelve years. The angry king being prevented by his wife Madayanti from uttering a counter-curse upon the sage, threw the water on his feet which consequently became spotted (Kalmāṣpāda). After the term, he assumed his natural form and his wife became pregnant and gave birth to Aśmaka by an operation of Cæserian section performed by herself with a stone.
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Vasiṣṭha’s wife was Ūrjā, one of the daughters of Dakṣa. She gave birth to his seven sons. In the Rāmāyaṇa and Bhāgavat Purāṇa, however, Arundhatī is said to be his wife. His descendants are known as Vāsiṣṭha and Vāṣkalas.
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King Nimi of the Ikṣvāku race requested him to officiate as his priest in a sacrifice. But as he already promised Indra to act as a priest, he consented to be his priest after the sacrifice of Indra was over. Nimi engaged Gautama to be his priest. Vasiṣṭha came back as he promised, became angry, and cursed the king to lose his body. Nimi uttered his curse and the energy of the sage entered into the vigour of Mitra and Varuṇa who were his fathers as their seed fell at the sight of the divine Urvaśī.
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Vasiṣṭha once tried to enter the house of his father Varuṇa for food by night as he tasted no food for three days. The house-dog barked as he entered and he put the dog to sleep by a hymn (Ṛv., iv. 121) which is recommended to be recited by burglars.
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His name appears in the list of the sages mentioned in Caraka Saṃhitā, I.1, who wanted to learn the science of medicine.
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Books : I; A Law Book is ascribed to him. In the Vaśiṣṭha Dharmaśāstra we find
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योनिप्रभवः पुरुषो मातापितृ-निमित्तकः। P. 44.
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“The man is formed from blood (or ovum of woman) and semen (of man); the father and mother are accidental causes.”
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2. He is the reputed author of Vaśiṣṭha Saṃhitā, a treatise on medicine.
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It is quoted in Trimalla Bhatta’s Yoga Taraṅginī. MSS., I. O. 2705, 2706. fol. 6a.
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In the Ṛg Veda many hymns are attributed to Vaśiṣṭha : we quote a few hymns below :
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Ṛv. vii, 18, 4 5 21 } : Relates the connection between Vaśiṣṭha to and Sudāsa. 25 }
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33. 1 : Let not the Vaśiṣṭhyas be far off to help me.
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2 : They have brought here Indra across the Vaisanta from the Soma offerings.
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3 : Indra delivered Sudāsa through the prayer of the Vaśiṣṭhyas
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4 : Vaśiṣṭhyas infused energy into Indra.
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5 : Indra, praised by Vaśiṣṭha, helped the Tritsus.
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6 : Vaśiṣṭha marched in front, and the Tritsus were deployed.
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7 : Vaśiṣṭhas know the three deities.
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8 : Vaśiṣṭha’s hymns are bright as the sun, deep as ocean, and swift as wind.
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9 : Vaśiṣṭhas sat down by the Apsaras.
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10 : Thy birth is twofold : (1) when Mitra and Varuṇa saw thee quitting the flame of lightning. (2) When Agastya brought thee to the people.
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11 : Vasiṣṭha, the son of Mitra and Varuṇa, born from the soul of Urvaśī.
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12 : He was born of the Apsaras.
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13 : Mitra and Varuṇa dropped their seed into the jar. Thus arose Māna (Agastya), and also Ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha.
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83. 1 to } : Vasiṣṭha, the priest of King Sudāsa, helped him to gain the victory in the battle of the ten kings. Both Vasiṣṭha and Sudāsa belonged to the tribe of the Tṛtsus. 8
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86, 4 : Refers to Varuṇa's anger against Vasiṣṭha who entreats to be forgiven.
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87, 4 : Vasiṣṭha received a revelation from Varuṇa.
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88, 3, 1 : He embarked on the boat with Varuṇa.
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2 : Varuṇa took him into the boat ; he made him a Ṛṣi, an utterer of hymn.
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3 : Where is that friendship between us.
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4 : If I have committed any offence, I pray Varuṇa to grant us protection.
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104 : Overwhelmed with grief for the death of his hundred sons when killed by the sons of Sudasa, Vasiṣṭha contradicts the allegations that he was a Yātudhāna : ‘ May I die this day, if I be a Yātudhāna, or if I have destroyed any man's life ; and may Indra and Agni smite the liars who speak against me.’
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The following formula is ascribed to sage Vasiṣṭha :
1. Haritakī Avaleha by Vasiṣṭha......G. N., Vol. I. p. 146.
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1. Vasiṣṭha Haritakī Avaleha.
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वासिष्ठहरीतक्यावलेहः ।
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यवाढकं सप्त जलाढकानि हरीतकीनां च शतं गुडस्य ।
दन्त्यग्रगन्धाचिरिविल्वमूलं भल्लातकाडापि च पक्वविल्वम् ॥
उभे हरिद्रे गजपिप्पली च मूलानि पत्राणि च चित्रकस्य ।
पिप्पल्यपामागंमथात्मगुप्ता सर्वाणि कुर्यात्पलसंमितानि ॥
लोहे समादाय पचेत्कटाहे द्विपञ्चमूलं च यवप्रमाणम् ।
सहप्रसिद्धाय यवान्विदित्वा शनैः प्रयत्नादवतारयेच्च ॥
निःस्त्राव्य तेनैव जलेन सम्यक् सार्धं पुरायस्य शतं गुडस्य ।
भूयो गुडस्यामथ तत्र दद्याद्धरीतकीनां च सहस्रमन्यत् ॥
प्रस्थं पुरायस्य घृतस्य चैव नवस्य तैलस्य च तावदेव ।
श्रोते मधु क्षौद्रसमं च दद्यात्पलानि चाष्टावथ पिप्पलीनाम् ॥
पथ्ये सलिले त्वथ भक्ष्यमाणे सर्वा रुजो नाशयतो हि मासात् ।
मासद्वयेनैव च नेत्ररोगान्निहन्ति गात्रं लभते च चक्षुः ॥
मासेस्त्रिभिर्नाशयतो हि कुष्ठं विशोर्षतां चाङ्गुलिनासिकानाम् ।
भगन्दरंप्पदवातगुल्ममर्गास्थयो मासचतुष्टयेन ॥
केशान्घनाञ्छितदोषनीलाग्न् पञ्चभिर्वै करोति मासैः ।
सहस्रगां च तथोपयुज्य वलं लभेदुत्तमकुञ्जरस्य ॥
खरं मयूरस्य जवं हयस्य शरच्छशाङ्कस्य तथैव कान्तिम् ।
सौभाग्यमेधास्मृतिसत्वतेजःशोभान्वितः पद्मसमागमश्च ॥
जीवेत्समानां च सहस्रमथ्ययोगकालादिति सिद्धवाक्यम् ।
न चात्रपानेऽध्वनि मैथुने वा नरेण किंचित्परिहार्यमस्तिन् ॥
समीक्ष्य कस्तंु रसायननां चकार योगं भगवान्वसिष्ठः ॥
Cites (7)
- Ṛgvedasaṃhitā — Sanskrit
- Carakasaṃhitā — Agniveśa (Āyurveda) & Caraka, Sanskrit
- Bhāgavatapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Aitareyabrāhmaṇa — Mahidāsa Aitareya, Sanskrit
- Mahābhārata — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Viṣṇupurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Vālmīkirāmāyaṇa — Vālmīki, Sanskrit