Sage Chayavana – Rishi Chyavan – Chyavana Maharshi

Sage Chayavana was born to Sage Bhrigu and Puloma. Sage Chayavana is counted among great saints who contributed significantly in the history of Hinduism. His thoughts and beliefs were adopted and respected by everyone. He re-defined Astrology and introduced many other aspects to it. His texts and books helped knowing astrology and life in a better way.

Sage Chyavana Birth Strory

Puloma was Saint Bhrigu’s wife. When she was preganant, a demon named Pulom fell in love with her and tried to take her with him. In this rift, Puloma’s child got slipped from her womb. The child looked the demon with anger which converted him into ashes. Puloma carried the baby and returned to the ashram. He became famous as Chyavana because he slipped out from the womb of his mother.

Significant incidents of Sage Chyanvana’s Life

Chyavana and Sukanya

Sage Chyavana was a great sage. He possessed all the qualities of becoming a great saint since childhood. As per the legend, he married Arushi and got a son from her named Aurva. According to an other legend, he got married to Sukanya, daughter of King Sharyati.

Chyavana meditated in a penance for a long time. As the years passed by he got covered with petals, branches and ant hill that looked like a heap of sand.

One day, King Saryati visited the place with his daughter, Sukanya. While she was wandering around, she saw two bulbs flashing inside the anthill. She got attracted to the lustre and pierced them with a sharp instrument. A stream of blood started pouring out of his half closed eyes. Chyavana got furious and cursed the entire army of the King Saryati with a stoppage of urine and necessary functions of the body.  When the king found out the cause of infliction, he became sad and pleaded the saint for its removal. Sage Chyavana asked King Saryati to offer his daughter in marriage as a penance for the sin committed.This way Sukanya got married to Saint Chyavana.

Sage Chayavana and Ashwins

Sukanya was a loyal and a faithful wife. She had fully dedicated herself in the service of her spouse,. One day Ashwanikumars, a celestial physicians visited the ashram of Saint Chyavana. Sukanya honoured and worshipped them as befitting guests. Seeing her devotion towards her husband, they blessed Chyavana with a gift of youth. Saint Chyavana promised Ashwanikumars, that he would make them drink the divine nectar offered in yagna, to which they were not eligible. Ashwinikumars were very happy and blessed both of them before leaving.

King Saryati came to know of the miraculous transformation in Sage Chyavana and visited him. The sage welcomed the king and asked him to take up a yagna. He offered some portion of soma of Yagna to Ashwanikumars. But, the celestial god Indra manifested himself there and objected.

Saint Chyavana ignored the objection and went ahead to fulfill his promise. Indra got angry and lifted his right arm to strike the sage with his Vajra weapon. Chyavana was able to defeat the Vajra with his strength. He created a demon, named Mada to Kill Indra. As the demon advanced towards Indra, he realized the strength of the great sage and pleaded him an apology.  He also assured that Ashwanikumars would be treated on par with all other gods and will get their due share in the Soma of every yagna. Hearing this, Saint Chyavana got calm and destroyed the self-made demon into ashes.

Chayavana and Kushika

Once Saint Chyavana decided to destroy the clan of King Kushika. He visited the king in the form of a guest and stayed there for 21 days to test the king.The king and his wife received the sage with great devotion and worshipped him with full dedication till the last day. After being served for 21 days, he was pleased by their devotion and rewarded them by creating a magical palace of gold and predicting the birth of their grandson endued with great energy, Vishwamitra, who would attain to the status of a Brahmana.

Books written by Sage Chayavana

Saint Chyavana composed many books and scriptures. His composition “Chyavana Smriti” depicts various facts and their significance in life. He wrote about the importance of cows and the ways through which one can get relief from his bad sins. His another composition, “Bhaskar Samhita” talks about the significance of Sun worship and divine healing by using a “Jeevandant Tantra”. Many great kind have involved his belief and decisions in their religious works.