A maharṣi. Honoured even by the Devas he lived in his आश्रम on the heights of Mount विन्ध्य . One of those days जटायु and his elder brother सम्पाति , under a bet, flew up to the Sun's sphere. In his attempt to shield जटायु , who flew with great speed and neared the Sun's sphere, from the scorching heat of the Sun, सम्पाति 's wings got burned and he fell down on the heights of विन्ध्य where he lay unconscious for six days.

निशाकर maharṣi heard सम्पाति crying and he saved the bird, which lived there for many years as the maharṣi's slave. The maharṣi, who could foresee things told सम्पाति about श्री राम 's incarnation which was to happen in the future. He entered समाधि after finally telling सम्पाति that monkeys would go there then in search of सीता , that सम्पाति would point out to them where सीता was and that on that day his wings would automatically reappear and his legs would become strong. Afterwards for eight thousand years सम्पाति led a solitary life in the आश्रम . It was during this period that monkeys, in the course of their search for सीता got information about her from सम्पाति . (Kamba Rāmāyaṇa • Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Kiṣkindhā Kāṇḍa, Canto 60) .

A great muni, who attained स्वर्ग after passing through many lives. His story is given below:--

There was a great ascetic and erudite scholar in all branches of knowledge called कोशकार , son of मुनि मुद्गल . कोशकार 's wife was धर्मिष्ठा , daughter of वात्स्यायन . To them was born a son, an idiot and a deaf and dumb child, whom they forsook at the gates of the mother's house. At the same time an evil-minded राक्षस woman called शूर्पाक्षी , who was in the habit of lifting children came there with a lean child. She replaced धर्मिष्ठा 's child with the lean one and returned with it to the शालोभरपर्वत where her blind husband asked her what she had brought for his food. She told him about the changelling child with her when he said as follows "Return the child at once to where it was found. The child's father is a great man of knowledge and wisdom and when he hears about your action, he will curse us. So, return the child and bring the child of some one else." As soon as she heard these words of her husband she rose up in the sky in great alarm.

Hearing the cries of the राक्षस child left at their gates धर्मिष्ठा and her husband came out, and the child which, in its colour and shape resembled their child exactly, कोशकार said thus: "Oh! धर्मिष्ठा ! this must be some ghost. Some one is lying here in the same form as our child to hoodwink and cheat us." Saying so he tied the child to the ground by chanting मन्त्रस् with दर्भ grass in his hands.

At the same time शूर्पाक्षी came there in invisible form. She threw धर्मिष्ठा 's child from a distance into the courtyard. कोशकार took his child. But all the attempts of the राक्षसी to lift her child from the ground failed. The grief-stricken राक्षसी reported the matter to her husband.

As soon as शूर्पाक्षी left the place the magnanimous कोशकार handed over the राक्षस child to his wife. He brought up his own child by feeding it on cow's milk, curd, juice of sugar-cane etc. Both the children grew up to seven years of age. The राक्षस boy was named दिवाकर and the other child निशाकर . Both the children were invested with the sacred thread in due course of time. दिवाकर learned the वेदस् , but निशाकर did not, and he was despised by all. His father pushed him into a neglected well and covered its mouth with stone.

निशाकर lived in the well for many years. The fruits of a cluster of plants in the well served as his food. Some ten years afterwards when निशाकर 's mother found the mouth of the well closed with a big stone she asked as to who did so, and from the well came the answer, "Mother, it was father who covered this well with that stone." Alarmed at this the mother asked who was within the well, and she was answered, "Your son, निशाकर ." Then she argued that her son was named दिवाकर and that she had no son called निशाकर . But, निशाकर told her about his past life and what had happened to him during the present life, upon which the mother rolled away the stone and निशाकर came out of the well and prostrated before his mother. He then went home with his mother. Questioned as to how and why these things happened by कोशकार his son निशाकर described his previous life as follows:--

Father, you would please hear about the reason why I became dumb and idiotic. In my previous life I was born in a noble family, my father being called वृषाकपि and mother माला . My father taught me all the शास्त्रस् and the वेदस् . I became conceited over my unique learning and erudition and began doing evil acts. Conceit led to avarice, and I lost all my scholarship. I became indiscreet. Having thus become a fool, I began committing sins. I had to hang myself to death on account of my association with others' women and stealing others' money. I, therefore, fell into the रौरव hell. After a thousand years some sin remained attached to me as a result of which I was born as a tiger, and a King trapped and took me to his city When I was caged शास्त्रस् about धर्म , अर्थ and काम came up in my mind.

One day the King went out wearing only one piece of cloth and with a club in his hands. Then his wife अजिता , a unique beauty came to me, and because of my taste in my previous life sexual desire arose in my heart. I told her about my feelings. She also felt like me. So, she unchained me and I approached her in great passion and seeing me thus the King's servants tied me to a पेएपल् tree and thrashed me to death.

My soul again returned to hell. After a thousand years I was born as a white ass in the house of a brahmin named अग्निवेश्य , who had many wives. Then all knowledge and wisdom were reflected in my mind. My duty was to carry the brahmin women on my back. One day the brahmin's wife विमति of नवराष्ट्र started for her father's home mounted on my back. Half-way home she dismounted and went to a stream to bathe. The exquisite beauty of that lady with wet clothes upset me, and I ran up to her on the stream, pushed her into the water and myself fell upon her. Then a person came and tried to tie me down. I escaped from his grips and ran southwards. While thus running the saddle slipped into my mouth and I fell down. And, within six days I died thinking about her. Thus I fell again into hell. My next birth was as a parrot. A hunter caged me in the forest and he sold me to a वैश्य merchant, who put me up in the women's quarters. The young women fed me on rice and fruits. One day the wife of the वैश्य merchant hugged me to her breast and petted me. Her touch kindled in me sexual feelings and I embraced her with my wings. In my hurry about the affair I slipped down and got crushed between the doors. Thus I fell again into hell.

Afterwards I was born as an ox in a camp of a चण्डाल . One day he yoked me to his cart and started for the forest in it with his wife. On the way she sang a song, and mentally excited by it I looked back. At once I slipped my feet, fell down and died. Again I returned to hell.

After another one hundred years I was born as your (Kośakārad) son in this house. All facts about my previous lives linger in my memory and now I am free from evils and am a virtuous person. I am going to the forest for तपस् . Let the good boy, दिवाकर live here as house-holder. निशाकर thus did तपस् for many years and attained वैकुण्ठ (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 91) .

There is no definite evidence in the पुराणस् to establish that the निशाकर , the protector of सम्पाति and the निशाकर mentioned above were the same person.