Agastya

Agastya was a revered Vedic sage of

Hinduism.[1] In the Indian tradition, he is a
noted recluse and an influential scholar
in diverse languages of the Indian
subcontinent. He and his wife
Lopamudra are the celebrated authors of
hymns 1.165 to 1.191 in the Sanskrit text
Rigveda and other Vedic literature.[1][2][3]
 Agastya

Agastya or Agathiyar (One of the main Tamil

siddhar among 18 Siddhars)

In-universe information

Title Ancient Tamil

Siddhar, Natural
 Medicinal Scientist,
Siddha
Family Pulastya (father)
Manini (mother)
Vishrava (brother)

Spouse Lopamudra

Children Drdhasyu

This article contains Indic text.

Without proper rendering support, you
may see question marks or boxes,
misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts
instead of Indic text.

He is the son of Pulastya and brother of

Vishrava, making Ravana and his siblings
his niece and nephews.
In Valmiki Ramayan, it is stated that
Asuras hid inside the ocean so that the
Devas couldn’t harm them. The Devas
requested Rishi Agastya for help, and he
drank the entire ocean using his austerity
and mystic powers. The Devas killed the
Asuras, and asked the sage to return the
ocean’s water. The water was returned by
river Ganga post penance of Bhagirath.

In some scriptures, it is stated that

during Lord Shiva’s marriage, everyone in
the universe went to witness the event in
the Himalayas, in the North. Bhūmi Devi
or the Earth Goddess was not able to
bear this misbalance and prayed to Lord
Shiva for help, who then told Agastya to
go to the south end. Rishi Agastya went
to the south and the earth’s balance was
restored. On one side there was the
entire universe and on the other side was
Agastya, whose austerity power and aura
balanced the earth!

Agastya appears in numerous itihasas

and puranas including the major
Ramayana and Mahabharata.[3][4] He is
one of the seven or eight most revered
rishis (the Saptarishi) in the Vedic texts,[5]
and is revered as one of the Tamil
Siddhar in the Shaivism tradition, who
invented an early grammar of the Tamil
language, Agattiyam, playing a
pioneering role in the development of
Tampraparniyan medicine and spirituality
at Saiva centres in proto-era Sri Lanka
and South India. He is also revered in the
Puranic literature of Shaktism and
Vaishnavism.[6] He is the one who was
created by Siva to offer boons to Kaliyan.
He is one of the Indian sages found in
ancient sculpture and reliefs in Hindu
temples of South Asia, and Southeast
Asia such as in the early medieval era
Shaiva temples on Java Indonesia. He is
the principal figure and Guru in the
ancient Javanese language text
Agastyaparva, whose 11th century
version survives.[7][8]
Agastya is traditionally attributed to be
the author of many Sanskrit texts such
as the Agastya Gita found in Varaha
Purana, Agastya Samhita found
embedded in Skanda Purana, and the
Dvaidha-Nirnaya Tantra text.[3] He is also
referred to as Mana, Kalasaja, Kumbhaja,
Kumbhayoni and Maitravaruni after his
mythical origins.[7][9][10]

Etymology and
nomenclature
Sage Agastya in seated posture

The etymological origin of Agastya has

several theories. One theory states that
the root is Aj or Anj, which connotes
"brighten, effulgent one" and links
Agastya to "one who brightens" in
darkness, and Agastya is traditionally the
Indian name for Canopus, the second
most brilliantly shining star found in
South Asian skies, next to Sirius.[11] A
third theory links it to Indo-European
origins, through the Iranian word gasta
which means "sin, foul", and a-gasta
would mean "not sin, not foul".[12] The
fourth theory, based on folk etymology in
verse 2.11 of the Ramayana states that
Agastya is from aga (unmoving or
mountain) and gam (move), and together
these roots connote "one who is mover-
of-mountains", or "mover-of-the-
unmoving".[13] The word is also written as
Agasti and Agathiyar.[14][15]

Biography
Maharishi Agastya and Lopāmudrā

Agastya is the named author of several

hymns of the Rigveda. These hymns do
not provide his biography.[1][16] The
origins of Agastya - Pulastya, one of the
Rig Vedic Saptarishis is his father. His
miraculous rebirth follows a yajna being
done by gods Varuna and Mitra, where
the celestial apsara Urvashi appears.[17]
They are overwhelmed by her
extraordinary sexuality, and ejaculate.
Their semen falls into a mud pitcher,
which is the womb in which the fetus of
Agastya grows. He is born from this jar,
along with his twin sage Vashistha in
some mythologies.[18] This mythology
gives him the name kumbhayoni, which
literally means "he whose womb was a
mud pot".[17][19]

Agastya is a Brahmin who leads an

ascetic life, educates himself, becoming
a celebrated sage. His unknown origins
have led to speculative proposals that
the Vedic-era Agastya may have been a
migrant whose ideas influenced the
south.[20][21][22]

According to inconsistent legends in the

Puranic and the epics, the ascetic sage
Agastya proposed to Lopamudra, a
princess born in the kingdom of
Vidharbha. Her parents were unwilling to
bless the engagement, concerned that
she would be unable to live the austere
lifestyle of Agastya in the forest.
However, the legends state that
Lopamudra accepted him as her
husband, saying that Agastya has the
wealth of ascetic living, her own youth
will fade with seasons, and it is his virtue
that makes him the right person.
Therewith, Lopamudra becomes the wife
of Agastya.[23] In other versions,
Lopamudra marries Agastya, but after
the wedding, she demands that Agastya
provide her with basic comforts before
she will consummate the marriage, a
demand that ends up forcing Agastya to
return to society and earn wealth.[24]

Agastya and Lopamudra have a son

named Drdhasyu, sometimes called
Idhmavaha. He is described in the
Mahabharata as a boy who learns the
Vedas listening to his parents while he is
in the womb, and is born into the world
reciting the hymns.[25]

Agastya ashram …

Agastya had a hermitage (ashram), but

the ancient and medieval era Indian texts
provide inconsistent stories and location
for this ashram. Two legends place it in
Northwest Maharashtra, on the banks of
the river Godavari, near Nashik in small
towns named Agastyapuri and Akole.
Other putative sites mentioned in
Northern and Eastern Indian sources is
near Sangli in Ainwadi (Agastinagar) (Tal-
khanapur) village (Western ghats at
Maharashtra), or near Kannauj (Uttar
Pradesh), or in Agastyamuni village near
Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand), or Satpura
Range (Madhya Pradesh). In Southern
sources and the North Indian Devi-
Bhagavata Purana, his ashram is based in
Tamil Nadu, variously placed in
Tirunelveli, Pothiyal hills, or Thanjavur.[26]
Facing east, he penanced upon a rock at
Kanyakumari immediately after the
beginning of Kaliyuga. It is also
considered that his final resting place is
in Agastyarkoodam in
Thiruvananthapuram.

Textual sources

Vedas …

Agastya is mentioned in all the four

Vedas of Hinduism, and is a character in
the Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads,
epics, and many Puranas.[10] He is the
author of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 of the
Rigveda (~1200 BCE).[1][16] He ran a
Vedic school (gurukul), as evidenced by
hymn 1.179 of the Rigveda which credits
its author to be his wife Lopamudra and
his students.[10] He was a respected sage
in the Vedic era, as many other hymns of
the Rigveda composed by other sages
refer to Agastya. The hymns composed
by Agastya are known for verbal play and
similes, puzzles and puns, and striking
imagery embedded within his spiritual
message.[27]

Agastya vedic verses

With thee, O Indra, are most bounteous

riches
that further every one who lives uprightly.
Now may these Maruts show us loving-
kindness,
Gods who of old were ever prompt to help
 us.
    —1.169.5,
    Transl: Ralph T.H. Griffith[28]

May we know refreshment,

and a community having lively waters.
    —1.165.15, 1.166.15, 1.167.11, etc.
    Transl: Stephanie Jamison, Joel
Brereton;[27] Sanskrit original : एषा यासी
त वे वयां व ामेषं वृजनं जीरदानुम् ॥१५॥

—Rigveda

His Vedic poetry is particularly notable

for two themes.[27] In one set of hymns,
Agastya describes a conflict between
two armies led by gods Indra and Maruts,
which scholars such as G. S. Ghurye
have interpreted as an allegory of a
conflict between Arya (Indra) and Dasa
(Rudra).[21][29] Agastya successfully
reconciles their conflict, makes an
offering wherein he prays for
understanding and loving-kindness
between the two. Twenty one out of the
twenty seven hymns he composed in
Mandala 1 of the Rigveda have his
signature ending, wherein he appeals,
"may each community know refreshment
(food) and lively waters".[27] These ideas
have led him to be considered as a
protector of both the Arya and the
Dasa.[30] However, some scholars
interpret the same hymns to be an
allegory for any two conflicting
ideologies or lifestyles, because Agastya
never uses the words Arya or Dasa, and
only uses the phrase ubhau varnav
(literally, "both colors").[21][31][32] The
theme and idea of "mutual
understanding" as a means for lasting
reconciliation, along with Agastya's
name, reappears in section 1.2.2 of the
Aitareya Aranyaka of Hinduism.[33]

The second theme, famous in the

literature of Hinduism, is a discussion
between his wife Lopamudra and him
about the human tension between the
monastic solitary pursuit of spirituality,
versus the responsibility of a
householder's life and raising a family.
Agastya argues that there are many ways
to happiness and liberation, while
Lopamudra presents her arguments
about the nature of life, time and the
possibility of both. She successfully
seduces Agastya, in the simile filled
Rigvedic hymn 1.179.[27][34]

Agastya is mentioned in both the oldest

and the youngest layers of the Rigveda
(c. 1500–1200 BCE), such as in hymn 33
of mandala 7, which is older than
mandala 1.[35] He is also mentioned in
other three Vedas and the Vedanga
literature such as in verses 5.13–14 of
the Nirukta.[10][35] Agastya and his ideas
are cited in numerous other Vedic texts,
such as section 7.5.5 of Taittiriya
Samhita, 10.11 of Kathaka Samhita, 2.1 of
Maitrayani Samhita, 5.16 of Aitareya
Brahmana, 2.7.11 of Taittiriya Brahmana,
and 21.14 of Pancavimsati Brahmana.[13]

Ramayana …

A 12th-century statue of Agastya from Bihar.

Sage Agastya is mentioned in the Hindu
epic Ramayana in several chapters with
his hermitage described to be on the
banks of river Godavari.[36]

In the Ramayana, Agastya and

Lopamudra are described as living in
Dandaka forest, on the southern slopes
of Vindhya mountains. Rama praises
Agastya as the one who can do what
gods find impossible. He is described by
Rama as the sage who asked Vindhya
mountains to lower themselves so that
Sun, Moon and living beings could easily
pass over it. He is also described as the
sage who used his Dharma powers to kill
demons Vatapi and Ilwala after they had
jointly misled and destroyed 9,000
men.[4]

Agastya, according to the Ramayana, is a

unique sage, who is short and heavy in
build, but by living in the south he
balances the powers of Shiva and the
weight of Kailasha and Mount Meru.[37]
Agastya and his wife meet Rama, Sita
and Lakshmana. He gives them a divine
bow and arrow, describes the evil nature
of Ravana and, according to William
Buck, B. A. van Nooten and Shirley Triest,
bids them goodbye with the advice,
"Rama, demons do not love men,
therefore men must love each
other".[13][38]
Mahabharata …

The story of Agastya is mirrored in the

second major Hindu epic Mahabharata.
However, instead of Rama, the story is
told as a conversation between
Yudhishthira and Lomasa starting with
section 96 of Book 3, the Vana Parva (the
Book of Forest).[39]

Maharishi Agastya drinking the whole sea

He is described in the epic as a sage with

enormous powers of ingestion and
digestion.[17] Agastya, once again, stops
the Vindhya mountains from growing and
lowers them and he kills the demons
Vatapi and Ilvala much the same
mythical way as in the Ramayana. The
Vana Parva also describes the story of
Lopamudra and Agastya getting engaged
and married. It also contains the mythical
story of a war between Indra and Vritra,
where all the demons hide in the sea,
gods requesting Agastya for help, who
then goes and drinks up the ocean
thereby revealing all the demons to the
gods.[39]

Puranas …
The Puranic literature of Hinduism has
numerous stories about Agastya, more
elaborate, more fantastical and
inconsistent than the mythologies found
in Vedic and Epics literature of India.[3]
For example, chapter 61 of the Matsya
Purana, chapter 22 of Padma Purana, and
seven other Maha Puranas tell the entire
biography of Agastya.[13][35] Some list
him as one of the Saptarishi (seven great
rishi), while in others he is one of the
eight or twelve extraordinary sages of the
Hindu traditions.[40] The names and
details are not consistent across the
different Puranas, nor in different
manuscript versions of the same Purana.
He is variously listed along with Angiras,
Atri, Bhrigu, Bhargava, Bharadvaja,
Visvamitra, Vasistha, Kashyapa,
Gautama, Jamadagni and others.[41]

Agastya is reverentially mentioned in the

Puranas of all major Hindu traditions:
Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism.
Many of the Puranas include lengthy and
detailed accounts of the descendants of
Agastya and other Saptarishis.[13][41]

Tamil texts …
Agathiyar, Tamil Nadu

In Tamil traditions, Agastya is considered

as the father of the Tamil language and
the compiler of the first Tamil grammar,
called Agattiyam or Akattiyam.[42][43][21]
Agastya has been a culture hero in Tamil
traditions and appears in numerous
Tamil texts.[44]

There are similarities and differences

between the Northern and Southern
(Tamil) traditions about Agastya.
According to Iravatham Mahadevan,[21]
both traditions state that Agastya
migrated from north to south. The Tamil
text Purananuru, dated to about the start
of the common era, or possibly about
2nd century CE, in verse 201 mentions
Agastya along with many people
migrating south.[21][45]

In the northern legends, Agastya's role in

spreading Vedic tradition and Sanskrit is
emphasized,[46] while in southern
traditions his role in spreading irrigation,
agriculture and augmenting the Tamil
language is emphasized.[21] In the north,
his ancestry is unknown with mythical
legends limiting themselves to saying
that Agastya was born from a mud
pitcher. In southern traditions, his
descent from a pitcher is a common
reference, but two alternate southern
legends place him as the Caṅkam
(Sangam) polity and is said to have led
the migration of eighteen Velir tribes
from Dvārakā to the south.[47][48]

The northern traditional stories, states

Mahadevan, are "nothing more than a
collection of incredible fables and
myths", while the southern versions "ring
much truer and appear to be a down to
earth account of a historical event".[21]
Others disagree. According to K.N.
Sivaraja Pillai, for example, there is
nothing in the early Sangam literature or
any Tamil texts prior to about the mid 1st
millennium CE that mentions
Agastya.[49][50] The earliest mention of
the role of Agastya in Tamil language,
according to Richard Weiss, can be
traced to the Iraiyanar Akapporul by 8th
century Nakkirar. However, in medieval
era stories of the Tamil tradition, Agastya
pioneered the first sangam period that
lasted 4,440 years, and took part in the
second sangam period that lasted
another 3,700 years.[51]

The Tirumantiram describes Agastya as

an ascetic sage, who came from the
north and settled in the southern Pothigai
mountains because Shiva asked him to.
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, instead of being
opposed to either.[52] According to the
Skanda Purana, the whole world visited
the Himalayas when Shiva was about to
wed Parvati. This caused the earth to tip
to one side. Shiva then requested
Agastya to go to the southern region to
restore the equilibrium. Thus, Agastya
migrated south at Shiva's behest.[53]

Siddhar …
Reverence at the Agastya shrine atop the peak of
Agastya mala, with garlands of fruits and flowers.

Agastya, in Tamil Hindu traditions, is

considered as the first and foremost
Siddhar (Tamil: cittar, Sanskrit: siddha). A
siddhar is derived from the Sanskrit
verbal root sidh which means "to
accomplish or succeed". As the first
Siddhar, Agastya is deemed as the first
master, accomplished, the sage who
perfected his knowledge of the natural
and spiritual worlds. This Tamil concept
has parallels to Tibetan mahasiddhas, Sri
Lankan Buddhist, and Nath Hindu yogi
traditions of north India.[54]

Lobamudra sameda Agasthiyar Temple, A.

Vallalapatti, Madurai

Agastya, along with Tirumular, is

considered a siddhar in both
philosophical and practical domains,
unlike most other siddhar who are
revered for their special domain of
knowledge. Agastya is also unique for
the reverence he has received in historic
texts all over the Indian subcontinent.[54]

According to Venkatraman, the Siddhar-

related literature about Agastya is late
medieval to early modern era. In
particular, all medicine and health-related
Tamil text, that include Agastya as the
Siddhar, have been composed in and
after the 15th-century. According to
Hartmut Scharfe, the oldest medicine
siddhar Tamil text mentioning Agastya
were composed no earlier than the 16th
century.[2]

His named is spelled as Agathiyar or

Agasthiyar in some Tamil texts,[55] and
some consider the writer of the medical
texts to be a different person.[56]

According to Kamil Zvelebil, the sage

Agastya, Akattiyan the Siddha, and
Akatthiyar, the author of Akattiyam, were
three or possibly four different persons
of different eras, who over time became
fused into one single person in the Tamil
tradition.[57]

Buddhist texts …

Several Buddhist texts mention Agastya.

Just like early Buddhist texts such as
Kalapa, Katantra and Candra-vyakarana
adapting Panini, and Asvaghosa
adopting the more ancient Sanskrit
poetic methodology as he praises the
Buddha, Agastya appears in 1st
millennium CE Buddhist texts. In Tamil
texts, for example, Akattiyan is described
as the sage who learnt Tamil and
Sanskrit grammar and poetics from
Avalokitan (another name for Buddha-to-
be Avalokiteśvara).[58][59]

The left Indonesian statue shows Agastya with

Shiva's trident, as a divine sage of Shaivism.
Agastya iconography is common in southeast Asian
[60][61]
temples.[60][61]

According to Anne E. Monius, the

Manimekalai and Viracoliyam are two of
many South Indian texts that co-opt
Agastya and make him a student of the
Buddha-to-be.[58]

Agastya elsewhere appears in other

historic Buddhist mythologies, such as
the Jataka tales. For example, the
Buddhist text Jataka-mala by Aryasura,
about the Buddha's previous lives,
includes Agastya as the seventh
chapter.[62] The Agastya-Jataka story is
carved as a relief in the Borobudur, the
world's largest early medieval era
Mahayana Buddhist temple.[63]

Javanese and southeast Asian

texts
…

Agastya is one of the most important

figures in a number of medieval era
Southeast Asian inscriptions, temple
reliefs and arts. He was particularly
popular in Java Indonesia, till Islam
started to spread throughout the islands
of Indonesia. He is also found in
Cambodia, Vietnam and other regions.
The earliest mentions of Agastya is
traceable to about the mid 1st
millennium CE, but the 11th-century
Javanese language text Agastya-parva is
a remarkable combination of philosophy,
mythology and genealogy attributed to
sage Agastya.[7][64]

The Agastya-parva includes Sanskrit

verse (shlokas) embedded within the
Javanese language. The text is
structured as a conversation between a
Guru (teacher, Agastya) and a Sisya
(student, Agastya's son Drdhasyu).[65]
The style is a mixture of didactic,
philosophical and theological treatise,
covering diverse range of topics much
like Hindu Puranas. The chapters of the
Javanese text include the Indian theory
of cyclic existence, rebirth and samsara,
creation of the world by the churning of
the ocean (samudra manthan), theories
of the Samkhya and the Vedanta school
of Hindu philosophy, major sections on
god Shiva and Shaivism, some
discussion of Tantra, a manual like
summary of ceremonies associated with
the rites of passage and others.[65]

While the similarities between the

Agastya-parva text and classical Indian
ideas are obvious, according to Jan
Gonda, the Indian counterpart of this text
in Sanskrit or Tamil languages have not
been found in Indonesia or in India.[66]
Similarly other Agastya-related
Indonesian texts, dated to be from the
10th to 12th centuries, discuss ideas
from multiple sub-schools of Shaivism
such as theistic Shaivasiddhanta and
monistic Agamic Pashupata, and these
texts declare these theologies to be of
equal merit and value.[66]

Agastya on south side of the 9th-century Javanese

Sambisari temple unearthed from volcanic mud.

Agastya is common in medieval era

Shiva temples of southeast Asia, such as
the stone temples in Java (candi). Along
with the iconography of Shiva, Uma,
Nandi and Ganesha who face particular
cardinal directions, these temples
include sculpture, image or relief of
Agastya carved into the southern face.[67]
The Shiva shrine in the largest Hindu
temple complex in southeast Asia,
Prambanan, features four cellae in its
interior. This central shrine within
Prambanan group of temples dedicates
its southern cella to Agastya.[68]

The Dinoyo inscription, dated to 760 CE,

is primarily dedicated to Agastya. The
inscription states that his older wooden
image was remade in stone, thereby
suggesting that the reverence for
Agastya iconography in southeast Asia
was prevalent in an older period.[69][70] In
Cambodia, the 9th-century king
Indravarman, who is remembered for
sponsoring and the building of a large
number of historic temples and related
artworks, is declared in the texts of this
period to be a descendant of sage
Agastya.[71][72]

Agastya Samhita …

The Agastya Samhita, sometimes called

the Sankara Samhita is a section
embedded in Skanda Purana.[3] It was
probably composed in late medieval era,
but before the 12th-century.[73] It exists in
many versions, and is structured as a
dialogue between Skanda and Agastya.
Scholars such as Moriz Winternitz state
that the authenticity of the surviving
version of this document is doubtful
because Shaiva celebrities such as
Skanda and Agastya teach Vaishnavism
ideas and the bhakti (devotional worship)
of Rama, mixed in with a tourist guide
about Shiva temples in Varanasi and
other parts of India.[74][75]

Agastimata …

Agastya is attributed to be the author of

Agastimata, a pre-10th century treatise
about gems and diamonds, with chapters
on the origins, qualities, testing and
making jewellery from them.[73][76][77]
Several other Sanskrit texts on gems and
lapidary are also credited to Agastya in
the Indian traditions.[78]

Others …

Other mentions of Agastya include:

Bṛhaddevatā in section 5.134.[13]

The Lalita sahasranama of Shaktism
tradition of Hinduism, which describes
the 1000 names of the goddess Lalita
is a part of the Brahmanda Purana. It is
presented as a teaching from
Hayagriya (an avatar of Viṣṇu) to
Agastya.[79]
Agastya is credited as the creator of
the Āditya Hṛdayam (literally, "heart of
the sun"), a hymn to Sūrya he told
Rama to recite, so that he may win
against Ravana. Scholars such as
John Muir questioned this hymn since
the need for a such a hymn by Rama
implies doubts about his divine
nature.[80]
Lakshmi Stotram and Saraswati
Stotram.[81]
The Tamil text Pattuppattu states
Agastya to be master of icai (music,
song).[82]
 Kalidasa, in his Raghuvaṃśa (6.61)
states that Agastya officiated the
horse sacrifice of a Pandya king of
Madurai.[83]
One of the authors of Nadi Shastra /
Nadi astrology

Legacy

Temples …

Sri Agasthiyar Temple in Tamil Nadu:

1. Sri Agasthiyar Temple, Agasthiyar Falls

(Kalyana Theertham), Papanasam,
Thirunelveli.

2. Sri Lobamudra Samedha Agasthiyar

Temple, Arulmigu Chidambara Vinayagar
Thirukoil, A. Vellalapatti, Madurai - Near
to Alagarkovil (7 km).

Agastya statues or reliefs feature in

numerous early medieval temples of
north India, south India and southeast
Asia. The Dasavatara temple in Deogarh
(Uttar Pradesh, near Madhya Pradesh
border) features a 6th-century Gupta
Empire era Agastya carving.[84] In
Karnataka similarly, he is reverentially
shown in several 7th-century temples
such as the Mallikarjuna temple in
Mahakuta and the Parvati temple in
Sandur. He is a part of many Chalukya
era Shaivism temples in the Indian
subcontinent peninsula.[84][85][86]
The artistic iconography of South Asian
and Southeast Asian temples show
common themes such as he holding a
pitcher, but also differences. For
example, Agastya is featured inside or
outside of the temple walls and
sometimes as guardian at the entrance
(dvarapala), with or without a potbelly,
with or without a receding hairline, with
or without a dagger and sword.[84] Rock
cut temples and caves, such as the 8th
century Pandya rock temples group,
show Agastya.[84]

Literature …
The shrine to Agastya at the Pothigai hill
source of the river is mentioned in both
Ilango Adigal's Silappatikaram and
Chithalai Chathanar's Manimekhalai
epics.[87]

Similarly, the Sanskrit plays

Anargharāghava and Rajasekhara's
Bālarāmāyaṇa of the ninth century refer
to a shrine of Agastya on or near Adam's
Peak (Sri Pada), the tallest mountain in
Sri Lanka (ancient Tamraparni), from
whence the river Gona Nadi/Kala Oya
flows into the Gulf of Mannar's Puttalam
Lagoon.[88]

Martial arts …
Maharishi Agastya is regarded as the
founder and patron saint of silambam
and varmam -an ancient science of
healing using varmam points for varied
diseases and southern kalaripayat.[89]
Shiva's son Murugan is said to have
taught the art to Sage Agastya who then
wrote treatises on it and passed it on to
other siddhar.[90][91]

See also
Siddhars
Tirumular
Tamil Thai

References
1. Wendy Doniger (1981). The Rig Veda:
An Anthology : One Hundred and
Eight Hymns, Selected, Translated
and Annotated . Penguin Books.
pp. 167 –168. ISBN 978-0-14-
044402-5.
2. Richard S Weiss 2009, p. 49–51.
3. Roshen Dalal 2010, pp. 7–8.
4. William Buck 2000, p. 138–139.
5. Alf Hiltebeitel 2011, p. 285–286.
. Ludo Rocher 1986, pp. 166–167,
212–213, 233.
7. Jan Gonda 1975, pp. 12–14.
. Ludo Rocher 1986, p. 78.
 9. Michael Witzel (1992). J. C.
Heesterman; et al. (eds.). Ritual,
State, and History in South Asia:
Essays in Honour of J.C.
Heesterman . BRILL Academic.
pp. 822 footnote 105. ISBN 90-04-
09467-9.
10. Roshen Dalal 2014, p. 187,376.
11. Alf Hiltebeitel 2011, pp. 407.
12. Edwin Bryant and Laurie Patton
(2005), The Indo-Aryan Controversy,
Routledge, ISBN 0-700-71462-6,
pages 252–253
13. Alain Daniélou 1991, p. 322–323 with
footnotes 5 and 6.
14. David Shulman 2016, p. 17,25-30:
"agasti, Tamil, akatti, "West Indian
pea-tree", presumably the origin of
the name of the Vedic sage Agastya"
15. Indian History , Tata McGraw-Hill,
p. 240
1 . Stephanie W. Jamison & Joel P.
Brereton 2014, pp. 1674–1675.
17. J. A. B. van Buitenen 1981, p. 187–
188.
1 . Hananya Goodman (2012). Between
Jerusalem and Benares:
Comparative Studies in Judaism and
Hinduism . State University of New
York Press. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-
1-4384-0437-0.
19. David Shulman 2014, p. 65.
20. K. R. Rajagopalan (1957), "Agastya –
his non-Aryan Origin", Tamil Culture,
Volume VI, Number 4 (Oct. 1957),
pages 286-293
21. Iravatham Mahadevan (1986)
Agastya Legend and the Indus
Civilization by க ைரயாள  :
ஐராவத மகாேதவ
க ைரயாள பணி : Retired
I.A.S, his studies pertaining to the
Indus Civilization க ைர
ப ரி  : Indus Valley Signs -
ச ெவளி ற க
ஆ வத எ  : 030 - December
1986 ப க க Archived 28 July
 2011 at the Wayback Machine pages
29 (see 24-37 for context), Journal of
Tamil studies
22. Arvind Sharma (2011). Hinduism as
a Missionary Religion . State
University of New York Press.
pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-1-4384-3211-3.
23. Lopamudra The Mahabharata,
translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
(1883 -1896), Book 3: Vana Parva:
Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section XCVII.
24. Arti Dhand (2009). Woman as Fire,
Woman as Sage: Sexual Ideology in
the Mahabharata . State University of
New York Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-
7914-7140-1.
25. Laurie Patton 2014, p. 34.
2 . Roshen Dalal 2010, p. 294.
27. Stephanie W. Jamison & Joel P.
Brereton 2014, pp. 359–360.
2 . Ralph T.H. Griffith, Rigveda , Mandala
1, Hymn 169, Wikisource; Sanskrit
original : वे राय इ तोशतमाः णेतारः
क य च तायोः । ते षु णो म तो मृळय तु ये
मा पुरा गातूय तीव दे वाः ॥५॥
29. Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1977).
Indian Acculturation: Agastya and
Skanda . Popular Prakashan. pp. 19–
20.
30. Arvind Sharma (2000). Classical
Hindu Thought: An Introduction .
 Oxford University Press. p. 135.
ISBN 978-0-19-564441-8.
31. G.C. Pande (1990). Foundations of
Indian Culture, Volume 2 . Motilal
Banarsidass. pp. 184–186.
ISBN 978-81-208-0712-9.
32. Kamil Zvelebil 1992, p. 239.
33. Max Muller, Aitareya Aranyaka , The
Upanishads: Part I, Oxford University
Press, page 170
34. Laurie Patton 2014, p. 27–30.
35. Laurie Patton 1996, p. 413.
3 . Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam
(ed.). India through the ages.
Publication Division, Ministry of
 Information and Broadcasting,
Government of India. p. 62.
37. William Buck 2000, p. 139–140.
3 . William Buck 2000, p. 140–142.
39. J. A. B. van Buitenen 1981, p. 409–
411.
40. Alain Daniélou 1991, p. 3317–323.
41. Laurie Patton 1996, p. 408–414.
42. Richard S Weiss 2009, p. 50–51, 81–
82.
43. Klaus Klostermaier (2003), A Concise
Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Oxford:
Oneworld Publications, ISBN 1-
85168-175-2, page 17
44. David Shulman 2016, p. 30–31, 38–
40.
45. Alf Hiltebeitel (2009). Rethinking
India's Oral and Classical Epics .
University of Chicago Press.
pp. 463–464. ISBN 978-0-226-34055-
5.
4 . Alf Hiltebeitel 2011, p. 294.
47. Journal of Tamil Studies, Issues 29-
32. International Institute of Tamil
Studies. 1986.
4 . Romila Thapar (1978). Ancient Indian
Social History: Some Interpretations.
Orient Blackswan. p. 224.
49. K.N. Sivaraja Pillai, Agastya in the
Tamil Land , University of Madras,
 pages 15-16
50. David Shulman 2016, p. 26–27.
51. Richard S Weiss 2009, p. 81–82.
52. Richard S Weiss 2009, p. 82.
53. Swami Parmeshwaranand.
Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas.
Sarup & Sons, 2001 - Puranas - 1432
pages. p. 9.
54. Richard S Weiss 2009, p. 47–48.
55. Vē. Irā Mātavan̲ (1984). Siddha
medical manuscripts in Tamil .
International Institute of Tamil
Studies. p. 28.
5 . P Karthigayan (2016). History of
Medical and Spiritual Sciences of
Siddhas of Tamil Nadu . Notion
 Press. p. 438. ISBN 978-93-5206-
552-3.
57. Kamil Zvelebil 1992, p. 237-238 with
note 2.
5 . Anne E. Monius 2001, pp. 133–135.
59. John Clifford Holt (1991). Buddha in
the Crown: Avalokitesvara in the
Buddhist Traditions of Sri Lanka .
Oxford University Press. pp. 68–69.
ISBN 978-0-19-536246-6.
0. Ann R. Kinney; Marijke J. Klokke;
Lydia Kieven (2003). Worshiping Siva
and Buddha: The Temple Art of East
Java . University of Hawaii Press.
pp. 21–25. ISBN 978-0-8248-2779-3.
1. Peter Sharrock; Ian C. Glover;
Elizabeth A. Bacus (2008).
Interpreting Southeast Asia's Past:
Monument, Image and Text .
National University of Singapore
Press. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-9971-
69-405-0.
2. Āryaśūra; Peter Khoroche
(Translator) (2006). Once the Buddha
Was a Monkey: Arya Sura's
"Jatakamala" . University of Chicago
Press. pp. 39–46. ISBN 978-0-226-
78215-7.
3. Helena A. van Bemmel (1994).
Dvarapalas in Indonesia: Temple
Guardians and Acculturation . CRC
 Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-90-5410-155-
0.
4. Anne E. Monius 2001, pp. 113–114,
207–208.
5. Jan Gonda 1975, p. 14.
. Jan Gonda 1975, p. 15.
7. Peter Sharrock; Ian C. Glover;
Elizabeth A. Bacus (2008).
Interpreting Southeast Asia's Past:
Monument, Image and Text .
National University of Singapore
Press. pp. 104–109. ISBN 978-9971-
69-405-0.
. Keat Gin Ooi (2004). Southeast Asia:
A Historical Encyclopedia, from
Angkor Wat to East Timor . ABC-
 CLIO. pp. 1101–1102. ISBN 978-1-
57607-770-2.
9. Nicholas Tarling (1992). The
Cambridge History of Southeast
Asia: Volume 1, From Early Times to
c. 1800 . Cambridge University
Press. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-521-
35505-6.
70. Veronique Degroot; Marijke J. Klokke
(2013). Materializing Southeast
Asia's Past: Selected Papers from the
12th International Conference of the
European Association of Southeast
Asian Archaeologists . National
University of Singapore Press.
 pp. 116 note 1. ISBN 978-9971-69-
655-9.
71. Jean Ph. Vogel (1947). India
antiqua . Brill Archive. pp. 45–46.
72. Lesya Poerbatjaraka (1926). Agastya
in den archipel . Universiteit te
Leiden (Republished by BRILL).
pp. 1–5. OCLC 5841432 .
73. Sures Chandra Banerji (1989). A
Companion to Sanskrit Literature .
Motilal Banarsidass. p. 121.
ISBN 978-81-208-0063-2.
74. Moriz Winternitz; V. Srinivasa Sarma
(1996). A History of Indian
Literature . Motilal Banarsidass.
 pp. 545–546. ISBN 978-81-208-0264-
3.
75. Ludo Rocher 1986, pp. 234–237,
228–229.
7 . Mohsen Manutchehr-Danai (2009).
Dictionary of Gems and Gemology.
Berlin: Springer. p. 10. ISBN 978-3-
540-72795-8.
77. Louis Finot (1896). Les lapidaires
indiens (in Sanskrit and French).
Champion. pp. 77 –139.
7 . Louis Finot (1896). Les lapidaires
indiens (in Sanskrit and French).
Champion. pp. xiv–xv with footnotes.
79. Roshen Dalal 2010, p. 221.
0. John Muir (1873). Original Sanskrit
Texts on the Origin and History of the
People of India . Trübner. p. 473 .
1. Theodor Aufrecht (1892). Florentine
Sanskrit Manuscripts . G. Kreysing.
p. 152.
2. Kamil Zvelebil 1992, p. 245.
3. David Shulman 2016, p. 26.
4. Helena A. van Bemmel (1994).
Dvarapalas in Indonesia: Temple
Guardians and Acculturation . CRC
Press. pp. 35–37, 41–44, 60.
ISBN 978-90-5410-155-0.
5. Douglas E. Barrett (1976). The
dancing Siva in early south Indian
 art . Oxford University Press. p. 15.
ISBN 0856721328.
. James C. Harle (1995). Temple
Gateways in South India: The
Architecture and Iconography of the
Cidambaram Gopuras . Munshiram
Manoharlal. p. 135. ISBN 978-81-215-
0666-3.
7. Ameresh Datta. Sahitya Akademi,
1987 - Indic literature. Encyclopaedia
of Indian Literature: A-Devo. pp 115
. Mendis, G.C. (2006). "The ancient
period". Early History of Ceylon
(Reprint ed.). Asian Educational
Services. p. 386. ISBN 81-206-0209-
9.
 9. Zarrilli, Phillip B. (1998). When the
Body Becomes All Eyes: Paradigms,
Discourses and Practices of Power in
Kalarippayattu, a South Indian
Martial Art. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
90. Luijendijk, D.H. (2005) Kalarippayat:
India's Ancient Martial Art, Paladin
Press
91. Zarrilli 1992

Bibliography …

Alf Hiltebeitel (2011). Reading the Fifth

Veda: Studies on the Mahābhārata - Essays
by Alf Hiltebeitel . Brill Academic. ISBN 90-
04-18566-6.
Alain Daniélou (1991). The Myths and Gods
of India: The Classic Work on Hindu
Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen
Series . Inner Traditions. ISBN 978-0-89281-
354-4.
Anne E. Monius (2001). Imagining a Place
for Buddhism: Literary Culture and Religious
Community in Tamil-Speaking South India .
Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-
803206-9.
David Shulman (2014). Tamil Temple Myths:
Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South
Indian Saiva Tradition . Princeton University
Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-5692-3.
David Shulman (2016). Tamil . Harvard
University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-674-
05992-4.
J. A. B. van Buitenen (1981). The
Mahabharata, Volume 2: Book 2: The Book
of Assembly; Book 3: The Book of the
Forest . University of Chicago Press.
ISBN 978-0-226-84664-4.
Jan Gonda (1975). Handbook of Oriental
Studies. Section 3 Southeast Asia, Religions,
Religionen . Brill Academic. ISBN 90-04-
04330-6.
Kamil Zvelebil (1992). Companion Studies
to the History of Tamil Literature . BRILL
Academic. ISBN 90-04-09365-6.
Laurie Patton (2014). Julia Leslie (ed.).
Myth and Mythmaking: Continuous Evolution
in Indian Tradition . Taylor & Francis.
ISBN 978-1-136-77888-9.
Laurie Patton (1996). Myth as Argument:
The Br̥haddevatā as Canonical
Commentary . Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-
3-11-013805-4.
Ludo Rocher (1986). The Purāṇas . Otto
Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-
02522-5.
Richard S Weiss (2009). Recipes for
Immortality: Healing, Religion, and
Community in South India . Oxford
University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-971500-8.
Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An
Alphabetical Guide . Penguin Books.
ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
Roshen Dalal (2014). The Vedas: An
Introduction to Hinduism's Sacred Texts .
Penguin Books. ISBN 978-81-8475-763-7.
Stephanie W. Jamison; Joel P. Brereton
(2014). The Rigveda . Oxford University
Press. ISBN 978-0-19-937018-4.
 William Buck (2000). Ramayana . University
of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22703-
3.

Further reading
T. Burrow (1958). "Sanskrit and Pre-
Aryan Tribes and Languages,"The
Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission
Institute of Culture (Reprinted in
collected papers on Dravidian
Linguistics, Annamalai
University,1968.)
Murray Barnson Emeneau.
1954Linguistic Prehistory of India,"
Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society vol.98
P.282(Reprinted in Collected
Papers,Annamalai University,1967.)
Murray Barnson Emeneau 1956"India
As aLinguistic Area,"
Language,Vol.32,P. 3(Reprinted in
Collected Papers,1967).
G. S. Ghurye (1977). Indian
Acculturation : Agastya and Skanda ,
Popular Prakashan, Bombay.
A. B. Keith and A. A. MacDonnell
(1912). "A Vedic Index of Names and
Subjects" (2 Vols.,Reprint 1967)
F. E. Pargiter (1922). Ancient India
Historical Tradition(Reprint 1962)
Raghava Iyengar,M.1913 Velir Varalaru
(in Tamil),3rd ed. 1964.
R. Raghava Iyengar,R.1941 Tamil
Varalaru (in Tamil),Annamalai,
University(Reprint 1978 )
Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend
(ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna
Dhallapiccola
Sanskrit-English Dictionary (ISBN 0-19-
864308-X) by Sir Monier Monier-
Williams
The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahabharata
A new verse translation by W.J.
Johnson
The Epic Tale of Mahabharatam
Dharma Bharathi, 2007, Karnataka,
India – Carried a series of articles on
Agastya Samhita and its contents.
 Agastya, Amar Chitra Katha

In the Pothigai hills near

Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli district of
Tamil Nadu there still is a water fall and
an entire hillock named after Agasthya. It
is called Agasthiyar falls, and Agasthiyar
Hills. It even has a very recluse small
temple at the hill slope where he is the
presiding deity along with his wife
Lopamudra.ppl do not stay back after
sunset at this place as he is supposed to
visit in the dark hours.

External links
 Wikimedia Commons has media
related to Agastya.

Folklore and Astronomy: Agastya a

sage and a star
Agasti Ashram Akole, Maharashtra
website

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Agastya&oldid=977039083"

Last edited 4 days ago by Rasnaboy

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

otherwise noted.