(Lord Brahma conceded the demand of deities. Taking deities along with him, Lord Brahma went to the Tapovan where Vishwamitra was doing the penance and said these pleasing words:
“Welcome to you, oh Brahmarshi. We are very much impressed with your penance. With your arduous penance, you have earned the status of a Brahmin. I have come here along with the deities and will bless you with longevity. You will have your desire fully realised. Oh modest, good luck to you. You can happily return to your original home.”
Rama, hearing the words of Lord Brahma, Mahamuni Vishwamitra saluted Lord Brahma and all the deities by prostrating in front of them and said these words with mirth:
“Brahmadeva, if I have certainly become a Brahmin, apart from having secured longevity, then let the origin of all knowledge Omkara3, Vedas, along with their sections and subsections, and Vashatkara, the facilitator of all sacrifices, enter my body in a personified form. Oh deities, let Vasishtha, son of Brahma, who is an outstanding exponent of Vedas and Sub Vedas and an epitome of Brahmajnana, the ultimate truth and knowledge,also pronounce what you have said. Vasishtha should also concede that I am a Brahmarshi. If at all this ultimate desire of mine gets realised through you, then, I will certainly feel that I have achieved the glory. After meeting these demands of mine, you can rturn to your respective worlds.”
In order to honor the prayer of Vishwamitra, the deities went to Vasishtha and requested him. Pleased with the appeal of deities, meditation-possessed, unparalleled Vasishtha went near Vishwamitra, offered friendship and as told by the deities, he called Vishwamitra as ‘Brahmarshi’:
Brahmarshistvam na sandEhaha sarvam samaptsyatE tava|
ItyuktvA dEvatAshchApi sarvA jagmuryathAgatam||24||
“Vishwamitra, you have become a Brahmarshi, There can be least doubt about this. The Omkara-Vashtakaras and Vedas and Subvadas will be with you in a personified form in the same way they do with any Brahmarshi.” Deities agreed with Vasishtha, took his orders and returned to their respective worlds.
Raghava, in this manner, after securing the highest status of a Brahmin through very arduous efforts, Vishwamitra felicitated Vasishtha, who is the greatest of all those engaged in penance, as per the set protocol.
Later, having attained the desired status, Vishwamitra continued to do penance and visited various places. (According to one school of thought, the deities renamed Raja Kaushika as Vishwamitra at the time of awarding him Brahmarshi status. There was a discussion among the deities as to what name should the new sage be given. It was decided by the deities that Raja Kaushika had set a new bench mark for attaining Brahmin’s status with his arduous penance. He had become a friend, Mitra, of the Universe, Vishwa, by ridding himself off all vices and natural traits and hence they named him as Vishwamitra.)
Having been declared Vishwamitra, the Brahmarshi, by Lord Brahma, deities and Vasishtha, the sage travelled through several places and pilgrim centres, forests and mountains. He had given a new definition to Brahmin’s status and the hard way it is attained. The transformation from a most fierce, ferocious and feared king Kaushika to the state of Brahmarshi was arduous and incomparable, Shatananda concluded. Thrilled serenely by the narration, Janaka told Vishwamitra:
“Great sage, I am really blessed with your arrival with the distinguished heirs of Kakutstha dynasty, Rama and Lakshmana, here. By gracing this occasion of a holy sacrifice here, you have sanctified this palace, this kingdom and all my subjects. You have sanctified me with your arrival at this auspicious hour. I have no words to really and truly express my gratitude to you, now. Hearing the details of your long and strenuous, determined and dedicated penance through our Royal Preceptor Shatananda, I must confess that you are peerless in everything, be it penance, power, conviction, concentration and what not. You are the personification of penance and embodiment of spiritual life. No one will ever get bored hearing your history. As it is now approaching dusk and we all need to perform the Sandhyavandana, let us all meet again on the morrow. Great Vishwamitra, I seek your permission to take leave for now.”
Vishwamitra complimented Janaka for all his kind words and patient hearing and for sparing time to be with him for so long before parting. Janaka and his entire family came round Vishwamitra thrice and saluted him with devotion and took leave of them. Vishwamitra retired to his cottage.
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