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Every
mantra of the four Vedās numbering twenty thousand or more was
revealed to a human being called as a rişhi or rişhika
when he/she was in a superconscient state. In the Rigveda,
Sāmaveda and Atharvaveda, the names of the rişhis or
rişhikās associated with the mantrās in the sūkta or
hymn are listed in the heading along with the names of the metres
associated with the mantrās and also the names of the associated
cosmic powers, God (devi) or Goddess (devī).
It is not
correct to state that rişhis composed the mantra. RV
(1.164.39) declares that "the riks abide in the immutable
supreme ether (parame vyoman) where are seated all the Gods (deva)".
The rişhi or rişhikā received the revelation of wisdom
from this plane and transcribed it into verses or mantrās with
appropriate words and metres. The process of transformation of the
revelation into the verse is mentioned in many mantrās of Rig
Veda. "They chanted the mantrās carved out of the heart RV
(1.67.2)"; "O seers, the hymn-composer (mantra kŗtam ŗşhe)
Kashyapa manifested (udvardhayan) the revelation (giraĥ)
into the lauds (stomaiĥ), RV (9.114.2)". See also the
section on mantra for more details.
We may
recall that Rig Veda Samhita has ten mandalās. Of them, the
mantrās of six mandalās are associated with six great rişhis
and their disciples: Mandala 2 with seer Ghŗtsamada, mandala 3
with the seer Vishvāmitra, mandala 4 with the seer Vāmadeva,
mandala 5 with the seer Atri, mandala 6 with the seer Bhāradvāja
and mandala 7 with the seer Vasişhţha. Garga Bhāradvāja is a seer
of sixth mandala whose daughter is the famous Gārgi.
The sūktās in the remaining four mandalās are composed by
several rişhis or rişhikās. The 191 sūktās of
first mandala are composed by rişhis or rişhikās
numbering roughly a hundred.
The first ten suktās are associated with the name of
rişhi Madhuchhandas, disciple of the great seer Vishvāmitra.
The eleventh sūkta is associated with Jeta, a disciple of
Madhuchhandas.
Some of the names of the rişhis associated with first
mandala are Romashā Brahmavādinī, Shunahshepa Ajigarti, Gotama
Rahūgaņa, Agastya Maitrāvaruņaĥ, Dīrghatamas Auchitya, Praskaņva
Kāņva, Kutsa Angirasa, Medhātithi Kāņva, Parāshara Shāktyaĥ,
Paruchchhepa Daivodāsiĥ known for his use of the long metre
atyaşhţi with 68 syllables and others. Typically the name of
the rişhi along with his lineage is mentioned. For instance
the seer Gotama belonged to the school of Rahūgaņa. Associated
with the mandala 8 are Manur Vaivasvata, Medhatitiĥ Kāņva,
Jamadagni Bhārgava, Pragatha Ghaura Kāņvaĥ, Matsyaĥ Sāmmadaĥ,
Apālā Ātreyī, Sukakşha Āngīrasa etc. Associated with mandala 9 are
Hiraņyastūpa Āngīrasa (whose name appears in mandala one also),
Avatsāra Kāshyapaĥ, Shatam Vaikhānasaĥ, Renur Vaishvāmitra,
Kakşhivān Dairghatamasa (who appears in mandala one also). The
tenth mandala begins with the mantra of Trita Aptya; Some other
rişhis or rişhikās there are Yamī Vaivasvatī, Aditi
Dākşhāyinī, Vāg Ambhriņī, Savitrī Sūryā (rişhikā), Bhudaĥ
Saumyaĥ, Mudgala Bhārmyashvaĥ, Yajnaĥ Prājāpatyaĥ, Prajāpati
Parameşhţhī, Paulomī Shachī, Sarparājňī etc. The last hymn of the
Rig Veda is by Samvanana Āngirasaĥ delineating universal harmony.
We do not mention Sāmaveda separately since most of mantrās are in
Rigveda and the same rişhis follow.
The entire
Shukla Yajurveda was revealed to the seer Yājňavalkya.
Recall that the famous Vyāsa divided the single collection of
mantrās into four Samhitās. The persons who carried out the
compilation are Paila (Rigveda), Vaishampāyana (Yajurveda),
Jaimini (Sāmaveda) and Sumantu (Atharvaveda). Note that Vyāsa and
these other four persons did not have revelations of mantra. They
are all compilers. Hence they are kāndarşhis.
Note that the Krişhņa Yajurveda has both rik mantrās and yajur
mantrās. Every rik mantra has a metre, whereas the yajus is
a rhythmic prose passage not bound by a metre. Krişhņa Yajurveda
has about 700 mantrās from Rig Veda Samhita and their names are
well known. The seers of the other mantrās from Krişhņa Yajurveda
are not known with any degree of finality. Conjectures are there.
The sages mentioned with Krişhņa Yajurveda are Vaishampāyana,
Tittiri, Ātreya, Yāska etc., are all kāndarşhis.
The name of a rişhi indicates a psychological quality.
Gotama means 'most radiant', Gavisthira means 'steadfast in the
light'. Bharadvāja means 'those who are full of plenitude (vāja)'.
Atri means 'traveler or a destroyer of foes', Vasişhţha is 'one
who is most oplent', Vishvāmitra is 'one who is friend of all etc.
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