Mythological Superheroes: 4. Agastiar

In this post, let’s look at Agastiar. Agastiar (‘Agathiar‘ in Tamil) is a revered sage who lived in the Vedic ages and is one of the 7 foremost sages (‘Saptha Rishis‘) of Hinduism. He was not merely a sage, but also a renowned author/grammarian in many languages, vanquisher of demons, proponent of Shaivism, foremost of Siddhas, contributor to medicine and martial arts as well. References to Agastiar appear in numerous Itihaasas and Puranas, Tamil sangam literature and even in Thailand, Nepal and other South Asian countries. 

Origins

Agastiar is said to have originated from a pot (Kumbha) as a descendant of Lord Brahma. Hence he is also referred to as Kalasaja, Kumbhaja or Kumbhayoni (meaning ‘coming out a pot’). Due to his short stature, he is also referred to as ‘Kurumuni’ (meaning ‘Short sage’) in Tamil. Agastiar led an ascetic life, educated himself, becoming a celebrated sage. Though he was not born to Brahmin parents, he is deemed one because of his learning. (This is another example of how anyone can embrace Brahminism through change in lifestyle). Agastiar is the author of many Sanskrit texts such as the Agastia Gita (Varaha Purana), Agastia Samhita (Skanda Purana) etc. Agastiar also has composed Aditya Hridayam, a hymn on Sun God (Surya), and taught the same to Rama just before the war between Rama and Ravana.

Marriage and destruction of Vatapi

Once when Agastiar walking through a forest, he came across a tree where many sages were hanging upside down. Upon inquiry he found out that they were his forefathers and since he hadn’t married and produced a son, they are doomed to this fate. Agastiar felt it was his duty to redeem his ancestors and set out to get married. In the kingdom of Vidarbha, he found princess Lopamudra and asked her hand for marriage. With the king’s approval, Lopamudra became the wife of Agastiar. After the wedding, Agastiar realized that he needed money to provide his wife with basic comforts. He then set out to a kingdom to request for money. The king showed his treasury and account book which showed that the king had no profit since all his tax collection was spent on the welfare of his people. This happened again in several kingdoms. (goes on to show how just the king of ancient times were!).

Agastiar found out there were two demon brothers named Ilvala and Vatapi who had amassed a lot of wealth. They killed many rishis and kings by inviting them into their house for a meal. Vatapi had a boon by which he could transform into food. Ilvala then served Vatapi to the guest. When the guest had eaten, Illvala called Vatapi to ‘come out’. Vatapi came alive by tearing through the stomach of the guest, killing him and acquiring his wealth. Hearing this, Agastiar went to the place of the two demons voluntarily. As usual Ilvala invited him to eat and put Vatapi in front of him who ate him. Then Agastiar, rubbing his belly, said “Vatapi, Jeerno bhava (Vatapi, remain digested)”. No matter how many times Ilvala called his brother, Vatapi stayed dead. Realizing his mistake, Ilvala begged for mercy and handed out all his wealth to Agastiar. The sage then distributed it to all the kings and took a small portion with him to satisfy his wife. They lived happily for a while and once she borne him a son, his ancestors were redeemed and Agastiar returned to his ascetic ways.

Stalling of Vindhya mountain and birth of river Cauvery

Once Mount Vindhya became vain and felt that the sun should not travel from East to West through it. So it started to continually grow in size to block the Sun. The Gods became worried and approached Agastiar for help. At the same time, the wedding of Lord Shiva with Parvathi was about to take place in Mount Kailaash. As the entire population of Devas and Rishis gathered in the North, the earth on that side started tilting downwards. In order to balance the weight, Lord Shiva asked Agastiar to go to the Southern side. Agastiar agreed and decided to travel to South India through mount Vindhya. On the way, Sage Agastiar requested the mountain not to grow any further, until his return. Mount Vindhya humbly agreed. It is believed that till date Sage Agastiar has never left South India thus keeping the mountain in check.

Agastiar however, was disheartened that he could not witness Lord Shiva’s wedding. Sensing this, Lord Shiva granted him divine sight so that he would still be able to see the wedding from his place. Also, he filled Agasthiar’s kamandalam (spouted pot) with water from his matted locks, mentioning that a river will flow wherever the pot overturns. Agastiar carried the pot and reached South India. At that time due to a demon’s handiwork, the whole place suffered from lack of water. In order to bring fertility to that region, Lord Ganesha took the form of a crow and toppled Agastiar’s spouted pot. Thus river Cauvery was born and has been the lifeline of the region ever since . Agastiar noticed this and saw a small boy (Lord Ganesha again transformed into a boy) and started chasing him. When he attempted to beat him on the forehead with his knuckles, Lord Ganesha revealed his true form. Agastiar realized his mistake and started striking his own forehead with his knuckles. The habit of worshiping Lord Ganesha in this fashion originated that day.

Agastiar’s contribution to Tamil Society

Agastiar is considered the father of Tamil language and the compiler of the first Tamil work on grammar, called Agattiyam. This is believed to be unveiled in the first Tamil sangam (congregation) about 4000 years ago. The work Tirumantiram describes Agastiar as an ascetic sage, who came from the North and settled in the Southern Pothigai mountains. He is described as the one who perfected and loved both Sanskrit and Tamil languages, amassing knowledge in both, thus becoming a symbol of integration, harmony and learning. He is probably the only person who is celebrated by Sanskrit scholars as well as Tamil enthusiasts.

Agastiar also specialized in other fields such as alchemy, medicine and spirituality. He is considered as the first and foremost Siddha (‘sidh’ means “to accomplish or succeed”). Siddha medicine system is believed to have been handed over to him by Lord Muruga, the son of Lord Shiva. He made key contributions to the field of Medicine and Astrology – especially Naadi astrology. Agastiar is also regarded as the founder and patron saint of Silambam and Varmam. Silambam is a martial art form of South India originating from 400 BCE. Varmam is an ancient science of healing using varmam points (pressure points) for varied diseases.

Today, we need more such scholars like Sage Agastiar who can serve as a bridge between languages and landscapes to maintain peace and harmony.

To know more about our other superheroes, click below:

Mythological Superheroes