पुलस्त्य
[pulastya] IAST: PULASTYA
One of the प्रजापतिस् .
Birth and marriage
पुलस्त्य is one of the six spiritual sons of ब्रह्मा . पुलस्त्य was born from the कर्ण --ear--of ब्रह्मा . [mh-1-65-1 ] (Bhāgavata) .
पुलस्त्य had a son named दत्तोलि ( दम्भोलि ) of his wife प्रीति . This दत्तोलि in his previous birth was the अगस्त्य of स्वायम्भुव मन्वन्तर . (Chapter 10, Aṃśa 1, Viṣṇu Purāṇa)
पुलस्त्य had a son named विश्रवस् of his wife हविर्भू . (4th Skandha, Bhāgavata) . महाभारत states that पुलस्त्य had two wives named सन्ध्या and प्रतीची . हविर्भू mother of विश्रवस् had another name, मानिनी .
All these statements taken together indicate that पुलस्त्य had four wives named प्रीति , हविर्भू , सन्ध्या and प्रतीची .
The race formed by पुलस्त्य is given below: पुलस्त्य got a son named विश्रवस् of his wife हविर्भू alias मानिनी . विश्रवस् had two wives named कैकसी and देववर्णिनी alias इलबिला . कैकसी had three sons, रावण , कुम्भकर्ण , and विभीषण and a daughter named शूर्पणखा . रावण got of his wife मन्दोदरी three sons, मेघनाद , अतिकाय and अक्षकुमार . कुम्भकर्ण got of his wife वज्रमाला two sons named कुम्भ and निकुम्भ . विभीषण got of his wife सरमा seven sons. विश्रवस् got of his wife इलबिला a son named वैश्रवण alias कुबेर .
Birth of विश्रवस्
In olden times in त्रेतायुग पुलस्त्य महर्षि was doing penance on Mt. मेरु . On a nearby hillock the sage तृणबिन्दु was also doing penance. Celestial maidens, नाग maidens and their lovers came to the आश्रम and by their erotic sports and dances vitiated the precincts of the आश्रम . पुलस्त्य got angry and cursed all the maidens to become pregnant if they entered the आश्रम area. Without knowing this curse मानिनी , daughter of तृणबिन्दु came to that spot and got pregnant of पुलस्त्य . पुलस्त्य then married her and the celebrated महर्षि विश्रवस् was born to her.
How he saved रावण
Once रावण who started on a victory campaign met कार्तवीर्यार्जुन on the shores of नर्मदा . कार्तवीर्यार्जुन chained रावण in the former's prison. पुलस्त्य was grieved much to hear about the plight of his grandson and going to कार्तवीर्यार्जुन and explaining things got the release of रावण . (Chapter 46, Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa)
Other details
पुलस्त्य once blessed पराशर for the writing of पुराणस् . (Chapter 1, Aṃśa 1, Viṣṇu Purāṇa) .
राक्षसस् , वानरस् (monkeys), किन्नरस् , गन्धर्वस् and यक्षस् were born from the intelligent पुलस्त्य . [mh-1-66-7 ] .
He was present for the जन्मोत्सव of अर्जुन . [mh-1-122-52 ] .
पराशर once started to perform a याग to destroy all the राक्षसस् . पुलस्त्य along with other sages went and persuaded him to withdraw from his venture. [mh-1-180-1 ] .
Pulastya was a member of the court of इन्द्र . [mh-2-7-17 ] null .
पुलस्त्य sits in the court of ब्रह्मा and worships him. [mh-1-11-19 ] .
Once पुलस्त्य taught भीष्म the importance and greatness of all the holy places of भारत . From then onwards पुलस्त्य is called the Guru of भीष्म also. [mh-3-82-1 ] .
पुलस्त्य got of his wife गौ a son named कुबेर . [mh-3-274-12 ] .
विश्रवस् was born of half of the body of पुलस्त्य . [mh-1-274-13 ] .
पुलस्त्य was present for the birth day celebrations of सुब्रह्मण्य . [mh-9-45-9 ] .
पुलस्त्य also visited भीष्म lying on his bed of arrows. [mh-12-47-10 ] .
पुलस्त्य was one among the twentyone प्रजापतिस् . (See under Prajāpati) .
पुलस्त्य is included in the group of सप्तर्षिस् called चित्रशिखण्डिन्स् . [mh-12-335-29 ] .
पुलस्त्य is one of the अष्टप्रकृतिस् . [mh-12-340-1 ] .
As synonyms of पुलस्त्य the following terms are used: ब्रह्मर्षि , विप्रयोगी . (Mahābhārata) .
Project अर्थ (Artha): X, yashbonde.com, LinkedIn. See Sources