Rishis of Ancient India

The word rishi according to the Nirukta means the rays of the sun and these are said to be seven in number. By an extension of meaning the term came to be applied to the rishis, the seers; just as the sun’s rays spread everywhere and disclose the existence of all things, the seer or the rishis are able to perceive everything.¹ Sayana connects the word rishi with drsh (to see) and says that the Veda, which was beyond the scope of sense-perception, was revealed first to the sages through the favour of God. As the sages were the first ‘to see’ the Veda, they are called rishis.² The Rigvedic hymns were composed mainly by rishis like Grtsamada, Vishwamitra, Vamadeva, Atri, Bhradvaja, Vasistha and Kanva and their family members.³ The only factor that distinguished the rishis from the general citizens were their special poetic gift, their ability to see things beyond what the general people were able to see. As such, the word rishis in Vedic tradition came to mean ‘one who can see’.⁴ Therefore, a rishi was an inspired poet or sage to whom the hymns of the Vedas were revealed.⁵

Followers of Nivrttidharma and Pravrttidharma

The Mahabharata presents two sets of seven rishis said to have expounded two kinds of values. One set of seven rishis, viz., Sana, Sanatasujata, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatakumara, Kapila and Sanatana are said to be the spiritual sons of Brahma, who follow the religion of renunciation (nivrtti dharma). They are the foremost of all persons conversant with Yoga and have profound knowledge of Samkhya philosophy. They are the teachers of the scriptures on duty and it is they who introduced the dharma of liberation.⁶

The other seven rishis namely, Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasistha, known conjointly as Citrashikhandins are said to be the preceptors of the Veda and the followers of the world-affirming dharma (pravrtti dharma).⁷ The sages who followed the pravrttidharma were called agnihotrins and were householders. They re-establish the shrinking dharma in every age by the powers of their penance, learning and established usages. They are said to perish at the time of dissolution because of their worldly activities.⁸

Categories of Rishis

There were three categories of sages, namely Brahmarishis, Devarishis and Rajarishis. Also, five classes of sages were enumerated, like the mind-born sons of Brahma, Maharishis, Rishis, Rishikas and Mantravadins. It is not clear whether the group of seven sages formed a separate class. Most probably they were the same as the mind-born sons of Brahma also referred to as Prajapatis. They are also mentioned as Maharishis and probably were the same as Brahmarishis who were the first in the three categories of sages mentioned above.⁹

Brahmarishis

The Brahmarishis were concerned mostly with divine knowledge, deep learning and ethical conduct. They enrich the store of knowledge in order to enhance the spiritual well- being of the people. They were highly proficient in the doctrine of Brahman.¹⁰ It is stated that only in the five gotras, namely, Kashyapa, Vasishtha, Bhrgu, Angiras and Atri are the Brahmarishis born. It is for their knowledge of the Vedas, their birth and tapas that they are well-known. They are superior to Devarishis and Rajarishis.¹¹

Devarishis

The Devarishis were those who had reached the god’s status by their knowledge and establishing communion with the Divine Being.¹² They were inferior to Brahmarishis but were superior to Rajarishis. The descendants of Dharma, Pulastya, Kratu, Pulaha, Prabhasa and Kashyapa were known as Devarishis. Their ultimate goal was the Devaloka. Nara, Narayana, Parvata and Narada, etc., are mentioned as Devarishis.¹³

Rajarishis

The kings who composed hymns were regarded as Rajarishis or Rajanyaarishis.¹⁴ They are mostly born in the vamsas or families of Manava and Aida. Their ultimate goal is Indraloka. Among the Rajarishis were kings like Janamejaya, Anga, Somadhi, Jahnu, Divodasa, Yayati, Kartavirya Arjuna, Janaka, etc.¹⁵

Saptarishis

In the Shatapata Brahmana there is reference to Saptarishis or seven rishis also called Prajapatis (mind-born sons of Brahma) and they were Gotama, Bharadwaja, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and Atri. The names of the Saptarishis given in the Mahabharata are Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya and Vasishta.¹⁶

Gotrarishis

All Brahmins are supposed to be descended from Brahma and legend says that when Brahma made a sacrifice, seven Brahma rishis emerged from it and they were Bhrigu, Angiras, Marici, Atri, Pulaha, Pulastya and Vasishtha. Pulaha gave birth to Rakshasas and Pulastya to Pishachas while Vasishtha died and appears as a descendant of Marici. Thus, all existing Brahmanas are the descendants of the first four rishis. From the first four rishis appear eight rishis known as gotrakaras or family finders and they are Jamadagni (a descendant of Bhrigu), Bharadvaja and Gotama (descendants of Angiras), Kashyapa, Vasishtha and Agastya (descendants of Marici), Atri and Vishwamitra (descendants of Atri).¹⁷

Subsequent to the formation of the above eight families ten more families came into existence. They consist of those Brahmanas who once followed the profession of Kshtriyas (warriors) became again Brahmanas and followed either Bhrigu or Angiras. They were Vitahavya, Mitrayu, Shunaka, Vena, Rathitara, Mudgala, Vishnurviddha, Harita, Kanva and Sankriti.¹⁸

The formation of the Gotra lineage of the Brahmanas after the Vedic rishis establishes the fact that the later Brahmanas became the representatives of the rishis of by-gone days. The inheritance of the rishi tradition seems to be also one of the factors which made the Brahmanas the intellectual leaders of the society.¹⁹

Paramarishis

The Paramarishis were experts in sacrifice and promulgators of the Padmavidhi in sacrifice. Sanatkumara is the chief of the Paramarishis and they are said to reside in Prayaga.²⁰

Shrutarishis

The Shrutarishis hear the highest and hence the title. They are so called because they know the path of knowledge by penance etc., as described in the Upanishads.²¹

Viprarishis

The Viprarishis were those Brahmanas who were engaged in discharging proper duties as enjoined upon by the law-givers. In earlier times they used to recite Kathas and Gathas and came to belong to the Samavedic branch.²²

Representatives of the Vedic thought

The rishis who represented the Vedic current of thought, sponsored the Indra-cult, recited prayers, performed homas and lived a full social life of a householder. The rishi-hood was not a monopoly of any particular class or sect. Many of the Rig Vedic rishis were poets, priests and warriors combined. Nor rishi-hood restricted to the male sex and several rishikas like Vishvavara, Ghosha, etc., distinguished themselves by their writings. The rishis played a very significant role in the religious, social, political and literary history of ancient India.²³

The characteristics of rishis who represented the glorious past and were closely connected with the ritualistic culture, changed considerably on account of the impact of the Muni-Shramana tradition and more positively by the presence of the Upanishadic trend.²⁴

Reference

1. T.A.Gopinatha Rao – Elements of Hindu Iconography, vol-2, part 2, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd, Delhi, p.564
2. V.G.Rahurkar – The Seers of the RGVeda, University of Poona, 1964, p. xiii
3. C.Kunhan Raja – Vedas: A Cultural Study, Andhra University, Waltair, 1957, pp: 44-47
4. Ibid, p. 41
5. John Dowson – A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature, London, 1897, p. 268
6. Govind Prasad Upadhyay – Brahmanas in Ancient India, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd, 1979, pp: 66,67
7. Ibid
8. S.G.Kantawala – A Note on Rsis, Journal of the Oriental Institute, Vol-vii, 1957-58, Baroda, p. 62
9. D.R.Patil – Cultural History from the Vayu Purana, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Poona, 1946, pp:21,22
10. Govind Prasad Upadhyay – Op.Cit, p. 132
11. D.R.Patil – Op.Cit, p.22
12. Govind Prasad Upadhyay – Op.Cit, p. 132
13. D.R.Patil – Op.Cit, p.22
14. Govind Prasad Upadhyay – Op.Cit, p.5
15. D.R.Patil – Op.Cit, p.22
16. John Dowson – Op.Cit, p. 268
17. P. Chentsal Rao – The Principles of Pravara and Gotra, Mysore, 1900, p.ii
18. Ibid, p. iii
19. Govind Prasad Upadhyay – Op.Cit, p. 5
20. S.G.Kantawala – Op.Cit, p.65
21. Ibid, p.66
22. Govind Prasad Upadhyay – Op.Cit, p. 132
23. V.G.Rahurkar – Op.Cit, pp: xv,xvi
24. Govind Prasad Upadhyay – Op.Cit, pp: 131, 132