Rājarṣi

By Swami Harshananda

Rājarṣi literally means ‘a sagely king’.

Rājarṣi Definition[edit]

A rājarṣi is a king who has risen to the state and stature of a ṛṣi or a sage. He is a person of spiritual wisdom. He has attained that state by dint of severe tapas or austerity.

Qualities for Appellation Rājarṣi[edit]

In ancient India, as a result of the education received in the gurukulas,^[1] even the princes were trained to become men of spiritual wisdom. Certain kinds of vidyās^[2] like the Pañcāgni Vidyā were the special prerogatives of these rājarṣis. Pañcāgni Vidyā means the ‘the knowledge of the five fires’.^[3] were the special prerogatives of these rājarṣis.

Rājarṣis in History[edit]

Some of these rājarṣis were:

References[edit]

↑ Gurukulas were the forest academies run by well-known sages.
↑ Vidyās are the meditations.
↑ Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.4-9

The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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[1] Gurukulas were the forest academies run by well-known sages.

[2] Vidyās are the meditations.

[3] Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.4-9

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