Saptrishi

Saptrishi

Today on this auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima here i bring in another beautiful chapter from our scriptures… The Saptrishis!

Saptarishi are known as the seven mind-born sons of Brahma, to be present through the Four Great Ages, to uplift the human race to best of their capabilities and enlighten the planet in its entirety.
They are considered as the first disciples of the Adi Yogi or Shiva, who preached them all the secrets of human existence and dimensions of Yog. They were assigned to maintain the balance on earth and serve as the representative of Brahma. They keep changing every Manvantar and at the end of each Manvantar, new Saptarishis take the responsibility from the old ones.

Called as the scientists of Hinduism, the rishis of ancient India were the scribes of the Vedas. They developed the spiritual science of Hinduism, Sanatana Dharma, as their way of ensuring the constant renewal and progress of India’s spiritual tradition and culture. Sanatana Dharma permeates every aspect of Hindu culture, from religion to the arts and the sciences. Woven within its Vedic texts lie all of the essential concepts of quantum physics and other modern scientific discoveries.

They can be known only through their words in the Vedas as they have left no chronicle of their achievements or images that might have survived the course of time. After having lived in human bodies for thousands of years on Earth, they decided to operate from different realm.
One could easily dismiss their existence as pure myth, but they appeared in different parts of the world under different names.They are mentioned in myths and legends of Egypt, Babylon, Sumer, China, ancient Greece, and India.All Indian Brahmins trace their lineage from one of these Rishis or their descendants .

In ancient Indian astronomy the constellation of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is called saptarishi, with the seven stars representing seven rishis, namely Vashistha, Marichi, Pulastya, Pulaha, Atri, Angiras and Kratu .

The names of the current Saptarishis are:

Kashyap, Atri, Vasisth,Vishvamitra, Gautam, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja

Briefly mentioning them all..

Kashyapa:
It is said that Kashmir had got its name from Kashyapa Rishi. From Atharvaveda to Patanjali to Purana literature, his name is mentioned at several occasions.

Atri:
There is Atri Mandala in the Rig Veda because of his immense contribution towards Hinduism. Atri is known for composing enormous amount of hymns for several Hindu deities. He also finds mention in Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Vasishtha:
He is the chief author of Mandala 7 of Rigveda and he is called first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankara.

Vishvamitra:
The most significant contribution of the sage Vishvamitra is the Gayatri Mantra. An interesting fact is that only 24 sages have understood the complete meaning of Gayatri Mantra till date, including Vishvamitra.

Gautama:
Maharshi Gautama finds wide mentions in Jainism and Buddhism. Even in Rig Veda, several hymns cites him.

Jamadagni:
Father of Parashuram (sixth incarnation of Vishnu) this sage was blessed with unique feature that he not only had impeccable knowledge about scriptures but was also well-versed in weaponry.

Bharadwaja:
A renowned scholar, economist and an eminent physician, whose works are praised even today. He has played a major role in Puranas and Rig Veda. Also called
as the ‘Father of Ayurveda’

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