VISHWAMITRA BEGINS PENANCE YET AFAIN

(Sage Vishwamitra had to lose the entire power of penance he had done in the past to create a parallel heaven to Trishanku and therefore, he begins penance yet again to achieve his dream of attaining the status of a Brahmarshi. The episode of Ambareesha Maharaja is also a part of this Chapter 61 in Balakanda of Sri Valmeeki Ramayana. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

VishwAmitrO mahAtmATha prasThitAnveekshya tAnruSheen|

AbraveennarashArdUla sarvAmstAnvanavAsinaha||1||

MahAnviGhnaha pravruttO(a)yam dakshiNAmAsThitO disham|

DishamanyAm prapaTsyAmastatra tapsyAmahE tapaha||2||

PashchimAyAm vishAlAyAm puShkarEShu mahAtmanaha|

SuKham tapashchariShyAmO varam tadDhi tapOvanam||3||

YEvamuktwA mahAtEjAha puShkarEShu mahAmunihi|

Tapa ugram durADharSham tEpE mUlaPhalAshanaha||4||

YEtasminnEva kAlE tu AyODhyADhipatirnrupaha|

AmbareeSha iti KhyAtO yaShTum samupachakramE||5||

“Rama, after all the guest Rishis departed, great Vishwamitra told the ascetics, who were there in the Tapovana:

“Great sages, I came to this Tapovana1 in the southern region to do penance and attain the status of Brahmarshi. But, in this direction not only did I face many obstructions for penance but also lost a lot of positive and divine energy I had so far earned through penance. Let us go to the west, where there are many dense Tapovanas, besides serene and sublime ponds and streams that never dry and do the penance there.”

All the Rishis agreed with what Vishwamitra, said. Vishwamitra, along with other Rishis, travelled in the western direction, reached the sprawling Tapovana near a Pushkara Teertha and settled down to do a very severe penance that was impossible for others to replicate, living on roots, vegetables and fruits.

Raghava, at that point of time, the then king of Ayodhya, Ambareesha, began performing a sacrifice. Indra abducted the sacrificial horse that Ambareesha had chosen. With the horse having been lost, the priest told the King:

“King, the horse has been stolen due to your apathy and negligence. If the sacrificial prey is lost due to negligence, the sin of incompletion of sacrifice will destroy the person undertaking the sacrifice. It is not that there is no solution for the loss of sacrificial animal. There is a way out for the loss of sacrificial animal. You may immediately go, before the start of the sacrifice, and bring a human being for the sacrifice. Offering a human being2 as the sacrificial prey for the loss of animal is the ultimate solution. Alternatively, you should quickly find out the lost horse and bring it here.”

Rama, most intelligent Ambareesha took thousands of cows and he wanted to exchange them for a human pray for the sacrifice and went in search of such a person. He travelled across several countries, met and spoke to several people. He roamed about in many cities, towns and villages, forest and other places. He went round towns, cities, villages, forests, dales and meadows and several other places. He visited several hermitages too. Finally, he met Rucheeka3, a Maharshi, who was living with his wife and children in a pilgrim centre called Bhruguthunga.