Upamanyu
By Swami Harshananda
Upamanyu as per Mahābhārata[edit]
Upamanyu was a disciple of the sage Dhaumya. He was entrusted with the task of taking care of his guru’s cows. Once he felt very hungry and had nothing to eat. He ate the leaves of a poisonous shrub which made him lose his eye-sight. Not knowing the way to return, he fell into a dry well. There, he prayed to the twin deities, the Aśvins and regained his eyesight.[1]
Upamanyu as per Liñgapurāṇa[edit]
The Liñgapurāna[2] gives the story of another Upamanyu, the son of the sage Vyāghrapāda. As a little boy, he pestered his mother for milk. Due to extreme poverty, the mother gave him some water mixed with a little flour since there was no milk. The boy refused to drink it. As advised by the mother, he prayed to Siva and got the ruler over the ocean of milk. He composed Śivasahasranāma.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore