Jamadagni - V.V.B
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Srinivasa Bala Bharati -120 (Children Series) JAMADAGNI - V.V.B. Rama Rao JAMADAGNI Telugu Version Pudi Venkata Ramaiah English Translation V.V.B. Rama Rao Published by Executive Officer Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Tirupati. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, 2013 Tirupati Srinivasa Bala Bharati -120 FOREWORD (Children Series) The minds of little children we are rearing with love and affection JAMADAGNI are pure. They reflect the qualities of culture we present before them. They keep those qualities we teach them and show them throughout Telugu Version their lives. The more virtuous and noble their qualities, the more would Pudi Venkata Ramaiah they be able to transform and maintain the nation’s culture. The need to foster noble qualities right from their tender age is important and immense. However educated and however famous they may rise to, English Translation without noble and proper qualities in them, real culture would slowly V.V.B. Rama Rao degenerate engulfing our nation in darkness. Our effort in these publications is to make children know the stories Editor-in-Chief of sages and seers, our Maharshis. The main object is to place before Prof. Ravva Sri Hari their plastic minds the high ideals and achievements of our sages and seers. T.T.D. Religious Publications Series No. 975 It is with this intention that Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams brought ©All Rights Reserved the series of small booklets Bala Bharati. Many grown ups also have First Edition : 2013 been saying that though called Bala Bharati, the slender books are found illuminating to the elders also. When elders read these and make their young ones read and understand them, our efforts would bear Copies : fruit. I am grateful to the Editor-in-Chief and to those scholars and Price : employees who have worked to produce the series. Published by L.V. Subrahmanyam, I.A.S. In the Service of the Lord Executive Officer Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Tirupati. Executive Officer, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Tirupati. Printed at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Press Tirupati. FOREWORD WELCOME Our Bharat has acquired renoun for great culture, moralistic and To-day’s children are to-marrow’s citizens. They need at tender dharmic ideals even before other countries in other continents could age apt acquintance with the life-histories of celebrated persons so open their eyes to any cultural greatness. Every one born in this land of that they get opportunity to lead their lives in an exemplary way. They ours has been fighting against evil and violation of dharma, the holy law will come to know that great things such as Indian culture, basic tenants of life and living-thus making our lives fruitful and meaningful. Every of life and moral teachings are abundantly available in the life- one has been acquiring Punya (merit) and nearing God. The presence experiences of great men. It is observed that there is no scope to teach of great minds and sacred souls is our valuable source of Joy. If we such subjects in school curriculam. understand their ideals, the effect would be very great. Every boy and Observing such circumstances the Publication Division of Tirumala girl believing and saying that this is our culture and this is our tradition Tirupati Devastanams has published about hundred booklets in Telugu would dedicate himself or herself to the service of mother land. about the lifes of famous sages and great men written by various authors In fact there have been many great sages and seers, holy men and under the editorship of Dr. B. Raghunathacharyulu under “Balabharati women born and grown up have laying foundations of our culture and Series”. The response over these books is tremendous and it has given traditions. They helped the pure flow of splendid living to us all. How impetus to publish them in other languages also. To begin with some of fortunate we are! We have behind us a great and sublime history and the books are now brought out with English and Hindi rendering by culture. If those great sages and seers; holy and sacred men and women T.T.D. For the benefit of boys and girls and the interested public. were not born and inspired us, how could this culture and tradition These booklets primarily intended to the growing children and have come to us? Knowing about and understanding those great minds also generally intended to the elders to study and narrate the stories to is an education that gives us valuable knowledge and deep wisdom. their children, will go a long way to sublimate the aspirations of the Their lives and achievements would throw light and illumine us and our children to greater heights. coming generations to forge ahead in glory. It is with this intention that Bala Bharati Series has come up bringing R. SRI HARI before you the lives and achievements of great sages and seers. Editor-In-Chief Now is your chance to know about them and grow. T.T.D. Children! Come! Come forward to read and learn. Our hearty welcome to you all. S.B. Raghunathacharya Cheif Editor Great incarnations assume human form with sublime intentions. As they choose to take incarnations in a particular place or a particular time, they choose their parents too. The Supreme Being in ten incarnations (we call them dasaavataaras) has saved innumerable people. In his sixth incarnation also he has selected his father and mother. Consequently there came about a combination of the radiance of the Brahmin and Kshatriya qualities that contributed of the welfare of the worlds. Bhagawan Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, roared like a warrior and killed evil kings and rulers not just once but twenty-one times and is acclaimed by all. Who could be the father of such a valiant one? The one having mastered Dhanurveda (the art of archery) and horrified the sun himself, the one who with his power of tapas (intense contemplatial) has created Kamadhenu (the celestial wish-fulfilling cow) is the one named Jamadagni. He is the very name of valour, kindness and patience. Renuka was his wife’s name. The patience, tolerance, dynamism, holiness and purity of Maharshi Jamadagni have to be our ideals now. Only by following his ideals we can have the opportunity to give the world such an incarnated divinity JAMADAGNI Our heritage: Our sages and seers are called Maharshis. They are revered as right worshipful. They inspired and promoted spiritual values. They preached Dharma, the ideal way of living according to holy law. They paved the way to mukti, salvation. In this regard they gave alms to the entire mankind. Making truth, non-violence and rectitude their base, they paved the way of rectitude and righteousness. They spent their lives in forests eating only tubers and such simple food. They spent all their time in Tapas (intense and deep contemplation, dhyana). They dedicated a part of their Punya (merit) to all. They gave away their powers and intelligence to the kings in the land. They helped them perform fire rituals (yagnas and yagas) besides performing such rituals themselves. They wrote scriptures (sacred writings) besides legends, history, sciences and commentaries and explanations of the Vedas and Upanishads. Through these, the sages and seers said the foundation for moral and spiritual values. They advocated dharma chintana (thinking of dharma) (the sacred law of behaviour and action), noble qualities and righteous thinking. This has been their effort down the ages. For this reason gotras are linked-even today with Maharshis. There are several gotras with the names of these sages and saints. Kasyapa gotra, Bharadwaja gotra, Atreya gotra and Kaundinya gotra are a few of these signifying the genealogies of Rishis. 2 3 Violating even the divine being or God dhyana and contemplation) committed to truth. He also to establish or refurbish the sacred law (Dharma): knew dhanurveda (the veda related to archery) Our Maharshis laid down dharma, a law and a way completely. All the four Vedas are in his hand, of life and action in a manner that it could not be changed idiomatically as gooseberries in his palms. or violated. But the Maharshis sometimes went against Give your daughter in marriage: even god and even cursed divines, heavenly ones. Being In those days king Gaadhi was the ruler. He belonged in such a sublime condition they inspired faith in man. to Jahnu Vamsa. It is also called Kushika Vamsa. One Sri MahaVishnu had to take birth as Rishis twice as day Ruchika Maharshi went to king Gaadhi. Satyavati, Vamana and Parasurama. Their renown is eternal. The his daughter was an extraordinary beauty. The Maharshi stars glowing in the sky as Saptarshi Mandala are was enamoured of Satyawati and wanted to marry her. symbols of the greatness of our renowned Maharshis. Then he spoke to the king. Who are Saptarshis? “Maharaja! I am impressed by your daughter’s The most renowned among the Maharshis are beauty. I wish to marry her. My heart,mind and intellect got Vasishtha, Atri, Gautama, Kasyapa, Bharadwaja, fixed on her. Have kindness on me and give her to me in Jamadagni and Vishwamitra. Each of these has a marriage.” wonderful history. All these Maharshis belonged to Vaiwaswata Manu. Manu is the law giver and ruler. At the The rishi’s words caused anger, surprise and fear in time of each Manu there used to be ten sages and seers the king. Surprise because the rishi was a poor Brahmin. as officers of law and dharma. The Saptarshis are among fear that, if he refused, he might be cursed; anger that these. such a man should ask for a princess. He thought for a while and cleverly said.