Sage Yanjavalkya was a Brahmarshi. It was this revered maharshi who, being blessed by Bhagavan Suryanarayana became a seer of Yajurvedic mantras and gave them to the world in the form of Shukla Yajurveda.
Even as a student in the Gurukula Yanjavalkya firmly stuck to the path he considered as the right one. He was the master who guided thousands of persons, from king Janaka to the commonest students, on the path of Enlightenment. He vanquished all the scholars of his times in argument, won the title of Sarvajna and was elevated to the high seat of learning.
1.2 Parents of sage Yanjavalkya
Sage Brahmaratha and Sunanda Devi were the parents of Yajnavalkya. Sunandadevi was the sister of sage Vaisampayana .We refer to sage Vaisampayana in the Vishnu sashasranam- “Vaisampayana Uvacha-Sruta dharmana seshena papanicha sarvasa…â€
Brahmaratha was a devout man who practised what he preached. He was a great scholar and had great faith in religious rites and rituals like Yajna and Yaga. He used to worship Yajneshwara (Agni -the god of fire). Brahmaratha was also called Yajnavalka or Devaratha.
This couple had no children for a long time. So they went on offering prayer to God through many religious vows and fasts that they might be blessed with a son.
The penance bore fruit. A sweet-looking baby son was born to them on the seventh day of the month of Kartik at an auspicious time.
This baby born of Brahmaratha who regularly worshipped the god of fire through yajnas and yagas had divine radiance like Yajneshwara. The baby was named Yajnavalkya.
1.3 Yanjavalkya send to Gurukula
Yajnavalkya grew up. Parents taught alphabets to him. Mother Sunanda Devi used to tell the boy many moral stories. Occasionally she used to give him bits of good advices also. The little boy used to watch with devotion the rituals such as Homa performed by his father while worshipping the god of fire. He also would offer with devotion his salutations to yajneshwara like his parents.
Sometimes he would ask his mother, "Amma, I wish to see the Gods. Is it possible for me to see them?" The mother would say "Yajnavalkya, dear, perhaps anything is possible for you. May it be so. I wish that and bless you."
Sometimes the boy used to put questions to his father also enquiring about Homa and the Gods. The parents were happy about the child's development and divine thinking .
The boy was initiated into Brahmin hood at
the appropriate age . Yajnavalkya received the great Gayatri Mantra from his father. He was to be sent to a Gurukula run by his uncle for further education.
Maharshi Vaishampayana was the disciple of the great sage Vedavyasa. He was a renowned Vedic scholar and an authority on Yajurveda. The uncle and the nephew were very fond and proud of each other. Yajnavalkya was sent to the Gurukula run by this mama for his education after Brahmopadesam.
1.4 In the Gurukula
Yajnavalkya was very sharp and learnt the lessons rapidly. He won the love and admiration of everybody in the Ashram, within a few days. He became the favourite of his mama at the Gurukula by his learning .
He was extraordinarily well versed in the study of Yajurveda. He was engaged in Vedic studies, and was also observing strict celibacy. So his body and mind had acquired a unique divine radiance. Radiant as he was, the boy gained an added lustre like purified gold.
1.5 Displeasure starts with Guru Vaisampayana
Once Brahma arranged the meeting of all sages. It was ordered all sages should attend the meeting positively .It was similar to the present day NCC commander order to cadets. Unfortunately sage Vaisampayana could not attend it due to some urgency. On this thought the sage Vaishampayana fell seriously ill.
Charaka, Adhwarya and other pupils decided to observe a vow in order to cure their guru of his illness. Yajnavalkya came to know of this. He went and stood before his guru. He said, "Revered Sir, what is the use of this simple vow? I think, a more rigorous vow than this is necessary to cure you of this illness. If you would kindly permit, I shall do it and bring relief to you."
These words of Yajnavalkya displeased Vaisampayana . He said curtly: "Charaka and Adhwarya are my senior pupils than you. I wish you had spoken disparagingly of their vow. There is no need of your vow to cure my illness.' Yajnavalkya did not argue. He left the place to attend to his business.
1.6 Holy Water to Cure King's Disease
There was a city called Vardhamanapura near Vaishampayana's ashram. King Supriya was its ruler. Vaishampayana was the king's royal preceptor. Once the king fell seriously ill owing to his immoral life.
Several physicians tried various treatments but to no avail. At last the king approached Vaishampayana for help to get rid of his disease. The master began to perform a homa, offering special prayer and worship at the ashram as prescribed in the scriptures.
Every day after these rituals Tirtha (holy water) was sent to the king. Thus a few days passed. There was some improvement in the condition of the king. Yet the king did not seem to have faith in the efficacy of Tirtha sent by the Guru. So he was taking it half-heartedly.
One day it was Yajnavalkya's turn to go to the palace. He went to the palace and very eagerly and earnestly walked up to the king to give him Tirtha and Prasada. But then the king treated him with indifference. He showed no enthusiasm to receive the Theertham.
Yajnavalkya felt very much offended. "O King," said he, "if you have no faith in these holy things, why should we come all the way from our ashram to give them to you every day? It can better dispensed"
"If you think that the tirtha and prasada have such potency, you may show it to me ," said the king arrogantly. Yajnavalkya, without saying a word, chanted immediately a mantra and sprinkled the holy water on a nearby wooden pole.
1.7 Wooden pole flower and give fruits
Yajnavalkya walked out of the palace without looking back, and went straight to his gurukula. Meanwhile, due to the effect of the sprinkled tirtha, the wooden pole of the palace sprouted. In another few minutes flowers and fruit appeared on it. Seeing this, the king and all his people were stunned. The king's arrogance and scorn were gone.
He immediately sent his messengers to Vaishampayana's ashram. They conveyed the request of the king to the Maharshi that Yajnavalkya might bring again the tirtha and prasada to his palace .They did not tell the story of flowering and giving fruits from wooden pole by spraying of thirtha by Yanjavalkya.
Yajnavalkya as the honest student had reported to Vaisampayana that the king responded with half faith to spraying of thirtha. Getting the news Yanjavalkya should be sent again with thirtha sage Vaisamapayana got upset thinking some thing rotten in the dealings of Yanjavalkya. He felt that Yajnavalkya had would have behaved hastily and sometimes brushed with king too. He got worried how he could set right things.
1.8 'Leave the Ashram at Once’
Vaishampayana called forth Yajnavalkya, "Your behaviour might have annoyed the king. You are likely to be punished too. Go again to the palace and give tirtha and prasada to the king. You may be sometimes pardoned."
But this advice was not acceptable to Yajnavalkya. "I am not prepared to go and give tirtha and prasada to the king who has such disregard towards sages," he told decisively. In addition to this, he also said, "I feel it is not good for anybody to cure the king who is having half faith with usâ€
Hearing these words, the master became angry. His anger grew to an enormous degree as his own nephew insulted him by disobeying his orders. His voice became hoarse.
" By refusing to obey me you have insulted me. You are no longer fit to be my pupil. Go away from here this moment. But mark this, before leaving the ashram you should give back all the Vedic knowledge I have imparted to you so far," ordered the master harshly.
1.9 Yanjavalkya vomits the mantras
In obedience to his mama guru Yajnavalkya vomited all the mantras of Yajurveda he had learnt from the master. As a result of this, he lost the radiance of his body.
Yajnavalkya bowed to his master and left the gurukula with a mind heavy with worries about his future course of action. Yanjavalkya felt he did not done anything wrong. He felt every thing happened for the good and recollected the words of Bhagavat Geetha.
1.10 Education Continued
Yajnavalkya came home. He told his parents in detail about the incident at with mama Vyasmapayana. They became worried.
Yajnavalkya had much faith in the efficacy of gayathri manthra. He used to recite Gayathri manthra every day with faith while performing Sandhya . He had firmly believed that if he sought refuge in Mother Gayatri, the originator of all the Vedas, the path would be clear to him to take the next step.
In accordance with that faith, he began to spend most of the time during day chanting the Gayatri mantra.
His parents began to worry and think about the future plans of their son's education. They decided to sent their son to the ashram of Bashkala, the disciple of sage Paila, to join there as a student. Yajnavalkya learnt Rig Veda from his master there.
Then he learnt Sam Veda at the feet of Acharya Hiranyanabha in the kingdom of Kosala. He learnt Atharva Veda from Acharya Aruni. After this he went to the ashram of sage Uddalaka to learn and get trained in the performance of various religious rites and rituals.
In short Yanjavalkya completed the study of other three Vedas in due course except the broken Yajurveda study with sage Vaisampayana .
1.11 At Uddalaka's Ashram
Sage Uddalaka clearly recognised that Yajnavalkya was a great person who had come to this world with the great mission of holding aloft the divine light of Jnana. He took Yajnavalkya into his gurukula with a heart filled with love and joy.
We have already seen that Yajnavalkya had lost the knowledge of Yajurveda, which he had gained earlier. The pain of it had remained fresh in his heart. He had become almost proficient in Vedic studies, no doubt. But how could the education be complete without a thorough study of Yajurveda?
Therefore he tried to regain the knowledge of Yajurveda, which he had lost. During his stay in the ashram he engaged himself in m ore intense meditation doing more and more Japa of Gayatri mantra, for Gayatri is the mother of the Vedas. He observed severe austerities and rigorous vows.
1.12 Mother Gayatri's Vision and Grace
The special vow that Yajnavalkya had been observing to earn the Grace of Gayatri was fruitful. Goddess Gayatri appeared before him. Yajnavalkya prayed, "O Mother, kindly grant me the knowledge of Yajurveda to complete my Vedic studies.
"Goddess Gayatri smiled and said, "My child Yajnavalkya you have to pray to Sun god to get this wish of yours fulfilled. He will teach you Yajurveda." She then blessed him and disappeared.
As a result of the grace and blessings of goddess Gayatri, Yajnavalkya's body and mind began to throb with a new vitality. He became aware of the presence of various divine powers immanent in subtle form in different parts of the body.
1.13 Yanjavalkya leave Gurukula
As days passed by Yajnavalkya was more and more engaged in religious vows and fasts. Sage Uddalaka observed this change . He informed his parents of the developments of Yanjavalkya .
Parents of Yanjavalkya desired that Yajnavalkya should become a householder to maintain the tradition of the family in all the religious customs and observances, performing yajnas and yagas and other rituals. He should not renounce the family life and take to ascetic life. They decided to celebrate his marriage with a suitable bride.
Uddalaka liked Yanjavalkya and desired with him for some time as his disciple Still he was far-sighted. He realized that it was good for Yajnavalkya to become a householder at the earliest .
The day when Yajnavalkya was to leave the ashram came. Sage Uddalaka, his wife and other pupils with great love and good wishes bade farewell to Yajnavalkya. The acharya advised him "Speak only the truth. Lead a righteous life. Recollect Matha pitha guru deivam. May the guest be treated as God."
1.14 Yanjavalkya marry Katayani
Yajnavalkya consented to marry. It was not because he liked to lead a life of mundane interests such as wife, children and property. In his view marriage is a spiritual process, which helps the fulfilment of an ideal and the attainment of everlasting happiness.
Sage Kadira was a close and intimate friend of Brahmaratha and his family. He had a daughter by name Katyayani. All the elders came to the conclusion that she would be a suitable bride to Yajnavalkya. Katyayani was only a ten-year-old girl then. (Pl note -no horoscope matching was done on those days)
1.15 Mama Vaisampayana wish happy married life to Yanjavalkya
Mama Vaishampayana arrived well in time with mami for the marriage of his maruman Yanjavalkya with Katyayani. The newly wedded couple made obeisance to them and sought their blessings. They had completely forgotten their anger. They gladly blessed the couple saying, "May you have all the best in life. May you be protected always by the grace of all gods and goddesses."
The posting is going lengthy .Further stories I will continue in next posting.
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God
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