Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Aurva included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Aurva
(Ū, Ūrūja). A fierce saint of the line of ṛg Ѳṣi.
Genealogy.
Descending in order from վṣṇ, , ṛg, Cyavana, Aurva.
Cyavana Ѳṣi married Āruṣ�, daughter of Manu. Aurva was her child who was the grandfather of Jamadagni and the great grandfather of ʲśܰ峾.
Birth.
The Preceptors of the ṛg dynasty were the hereditary gurus of the Kings of Hehaya. ṛtīⲹ a famous King of the Hehaya dynasty and father of ٲīܲԲ had his education from a ṛg ṛṣi living in his ś. On competing his education the king paid lavishly and the ṛgs became rich thereafter. ṛtīⲹ died and his sons did not very much like the (ṛgs) becoming rich by the wealth of their ancestors. Knowing this the ṛgs started burying their wealth under the earth. Once a ṣaٰⲹ king forcibly dug out from the house of a ṛg the wealth he had safely buried and from that day onwards the ṣaٰⲹs and the became enemies. The ṛgs were hunted down by the ṣaٰⲹ kings and the frightened by this move left their abode and went and hid in Caves in mountains far away. Among those who thus fled was Āruṣ�, wife of Cyavana. Āruṣ� was pregnant at that time and she hid her 'Garbha' in her thighs while fleeing. A brahmin woman who saw this went and informed the ṣaٰⲹs and they immediately went and caught hold of her. Then the thigh broke and a boy came out of it. Because he was born from the thighs the boy was named Aurva. (Ūrū= Thigh and so, born of a thigh). (Chapter 179, Ādi Parva, Ѳٲ).
The effulgence of Aurva.
Aurva was born with fiery radiance and the sudden effulgence made the ṣaٰⲹ Kings blind. Frightened they craved for pardon and praised him. They got back their eyesight then.
Aurva and Baḍavāgni.
Aurva bore a deep grudge against the ṣaٰⲹs who had massacred his forefathers. Aurva started doing rigorous penance and by the force of his austerities the world started to burn. At that stage the ʾṛs appeared before him and persuaded him to withdraw from his penance. Aurva then told them thus: "ʾṛs, while I was lying in the thigh-womb of my mother I heard hideous groans from outside and they were of our mothers when they saw the heads of our fathers being cut off by the swords of the ṣaٰⲹs. Even from the womb itself I nurtured a fierce hatred towards the ṣaٰⲹs. No helping hand was raised before the pitiable wails of our mothers".
The ʾṛs were astounded at the firmness of the vow of Aurva and horrified at the thought of what would happen if the penance was continued. They pleaded again to cease his austerities and then submitting to their request Aurva withdrew the fire of his penance and forced it down into the sea. It is now believed that this fire taking the shape of a horse-head is still living underneath the sea vomiting heat at all times. This fire is called Baḍavāgni. More about this can be had under the head Baḍavāgni. (Chapter 180, Ādi Parva, Ѳٲ).
Aurva and the birth of Sagara.
ǻ was once ruled by a celebrated King of ṣv dynasty named ܲ. He had as his wife 岹ī a good natured and well behaved woman who was a gem among queens. One day Tālajaṃgha a King of the Hehaya line of rulers who was then the King of ṣmī defeated ܲ in a battle. 岹ī was then pregnant. Jealous co-wives poisoned her; 岹ī did not die but the poison affected the child in the womb.
After the defeat, ܲ and 岹ī went and stayed with Aurva in his ś. For seven years they lived there and then ܲ died. Grief-stricken 岹ī was about to jump into the funeral pyre and end her life when Aurva stopped her from the act pointing out that she was soon to deliver a child. After a few months she delivered a son and Aurva called him 'Sagara' meaning one with 'gara' (poison) in him. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapters 16, 17).
Aurva and the sister of Ҳḍa.
Ҳḍa, son of վԲ, had a sister named Sumati. Upamanyu, a sage, wanted to marry her but neither she nor her relatives liked it. Enraged at this the sage cursed Sumati saying that the brahmin who married her would have his head burst. The marriage of Sumati thus remained a problem for her parents. There was a friend of վԲ, a sannyāsinī, living in a forest and to find a way to escape from the curse վԲ sent Ҳḍa to her. The sannyāsinī advised Ҳḍa to approach Aurva to find a solution for the problem and Aurva was therefore approached for advice.
It was at this time that the people of ǻ came in search of ܲ and 岹ī who had left them years before. When they knew of ܲ’s death they were plunged in sorrow but were glad to know a son of ܲ, Sagara, had grown up to be a successor to ܲ. When Ҳḍa made Aurva acquainted with the pitiable tale of his sister Aurva decreed that Sumati should marry a ṣaٰⲹ instead of a brahmin and thus tide over the curse. He then asked Sagara to marry Sumati and blessed them saying that Sagara would one day become an emperor and perform an ś yāga. Aurva then sent Sagara along with the people to ǻ where Sagara after defeating all his enemies became the emperor of ٲṣa. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapters 18-21).
Sagara’s sons and how Aurva helped in getting them.
Sagara ruled the land for three thousand years. He had besides Sumati another wife, śī. Both of them bore no sons for Sagara. Dejected he entrusted the administration of the state with his ministers and left for the ś of Aurva. Aurva blessed them and prophesied that śī would deliver a son to continue the dynasty and that Sumati would deliver sixty thousand sons of no great use at all. Sagara and his wives, returned to the palace and very soon both his wives became pregnant. In due time śī delivered a son who was named ñᲹ. But Sumati gave birth to a lump of flesh. Greatly pained the King was about to throw it away when Aurva appeared there and stopped him from doing that. He directed him to cut the piece of flesh into sixty thousand pieces and put one piece each in a jar of ghee. Every year one prince would be born from one of them. Thus Sumati got sixty thousand sons. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chapter 92).
Teaching of Aurva.
In the evening of his life Sagara went and stayed in the ś of Aurva. Aurva gave him instructions on many a divine subject. He taught him about the importance of the four śs, the rituals to be practised by the different castes of ṇa, ṣaٰⲹ, ղśⲹ and Śū and many such other things. Finally Aurva gave Sagara ñԲ. (Chapter 8, Aṃśam 3, վṣṇ ʳܰṇa).
Aurvś.
All the ṛṣis together once stayed in the ś of Aurva. ʲśܰ峾 visited the ś one day during that time and paid respects to ṛg, پ, wife of ṛg, Cyavana, son of ṛg and Aurva, son of Cyavana. (ṇḍa ʳܰṇa, Chaptre 63).