In Hinduism, Agastya (अगस्त्य in devanagari, pronounced as "əgəstyə"; also transliterated as Agathiar, Agasthiar, Agastyar and in other ways) is a legendary Vedic sage or rishi. He is in some ways regarded as the patron saint of much of the south India. Some say that it was the sage Agastya who first brought and popularized the Vedic religion to south India. Agastya and his clan are also credited to have "authored" many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Spirit Brahman. In some reckonings, Agastya is also said to be one of the greatest Seven Sages or Saptarshis. The word is also written as Agasti. Image File history File links Created by me. ... The Brahmic family is a family of abugidas used in South Asia and Southeast Asia. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) DevanāgarÄ« (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ... The adjective Vedic may refer to The Vedas, the oldest preserved Indo-Aryan texts. ... In Hinduism, a Rishi () is a sage and/or seer who heard (cf. ... The Vedas are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures form part of the core of the Brahminical and Vedic traditions within Hinduism and are the inspirational, metaphysical and mythological foundation for later Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra and even Bhakti forms of Hinduism. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... The Rig Veda ऋग्वेद (Sanskrit ṛc praise + veda knowledge) is the earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas. ... Here the underlined vowels carry the Vedic Sanskrit udātta pitch accent. ... SaptaÅ—iÅŸhi or SaptarÅŸi (सप्तर्षि, pronounced as sÉ™ptÉ™rÅžhi) in Sanskrit means the Seven Sages or rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and other Hindu literature. ...

Humbling the Vindhya mountains

Legend says that the Vindhya mountains that separate north and south India from each other once showed a tendency to grow so high as to obstruct the usual trajectory of the sun. This was accompanied by increasing vanity on the part of that mountain range, which demanded that Surya, the sun-God, should circum-ambulate the Vindhyas in the same way as he does Mount Meru [identified by some as being the north pole]. The need arose to subdue, by guile, the Vindhyas, and Agastya was chosen to do that. The Vindhya Range is a range of hills in central India, which geographically separates The Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India. ... The Vindhya Range is a range of hills in central India, which geographically separates The Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India. ... A map of South India, its rivers, regions and water bodies. ... The Vindhya Range is a range of hills in central India, which geographically separates The Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India. ...

Agastya journeyed from north to south, and on the way encountered the now impassible Vindhya mountains. He asked the mountain range to facilitate his passage across to the south. In reverence for so eminent a sage as Agastya, the Vindhya mountains bent low enough to enable the sage and his family to cross over and enter south India. The Vindhya range also promised not to increase in height until Agastya and his family returned to the north. Agastya settled permanently in the south, and the Vindhya range, true to its word, never grew further. Thus, Agastya accomplished by guile something that would have been impossible to accomplish by force. A map of South India, its rivers, regions and water bodies. ...

Agastya and the Tamil language

Agastya was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. After Agastya reached the south, in answer to his prayer for revelation on the classical language of south India, Lord Shiva himself taught the classical Tamil_language to Agastya. Agastya is said to have convened the first Tamil Sangam (convention) and written the Agattiyam or Agastyam, reputedly the first treatise on Tamil grammar. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Tamil is a classical language and one of the major languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. ... The Sangam is a collection of Tamil literature composed between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. ... Tamil is a classical language and one of the major languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. ...

Agastya and Lopāmudrā

As with all other Hindus, it was necessary for Agastya to marry and sire a son, in order to fulfill his duties to the Manus. Once he resolved upon doing this, Agastya pursued an unusual course of action: by his yogic powers, he created a female infant who possessed all the special qualities of character and personality that would be appropriate in the wife of a renunciate. At this time, the noble and virtuous king of Vidarbha (an area in south-central India, just south of the Vindhya mountains), was childless and was undergoing penances and prayers for the gift of a child. Agastya arranged for the child he had created to be born the daughter of that noble king of Vidarbha. The child was named "Lopamudra" by her parents. Upon her coming of age, Agastya approached the king and sought the hand of his daughter. The king was initially chagrined to hear such a suggestion from a renunciate, but found that his daughter, who had early exhibited extraordinary standards of mind and character, was insistant that he should accept the proposal. She was utterly intent upon exchanging the palace of her father the king for the forest-hermitage of Agastya. Lopamudra and Agastya were duly married and lived a life of extrordinary felicity. A Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural systems of Bharat (India) and Nepal. ... Vidarbha is the north-eastern region of Maharashtra state, now forming two divisions (Nagpur and Amravati). ...

Legends about Agastya

One story about Agastya goes that once the demons had taken refuge in the ocean and it was difficult for the gods to vanquish them, so they went to Sage Agastya for help. Then, after hearing the gods, the sage drank the entire ocean water and withheld it within him until the demons were destroyed.

Agastya is said to have "dedicated" all the forest animals to the deity Rudra (later called as Shiva), hence making them fit for eating if killed while hunting. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Another story has it that two demon brothers decided to kill Agastya. One of them was good at changing form and the other knew the Sanjivani mantra which, when invoked can bring back a dead person to life. They hatched a plan that the one who could change form would turn into a goat and be killed and fed to Agastya. After Agastya had eaten the goat, the other would invoke the Sanjivani mantra to bring back his brother to life, who in turn would rend Agastya's stomach and come out thereby killing him. As per the plan, one changed into a goat and the other disguised himself as a Brahmachari who invited Agastya to a meal. Agastya knew before-hand about the plan due to his immense Vedic powers, but he resolved to teach both a lesson. After the meal, Agastya simply rubbed his stomach to digest the meal, while the other demon tried to bring his brother to life in vain. Agastya plainly informed the demon that his brother has been digested. Brahmachari is a sacred word in India. ... The religion of the Vedic civilization is the predecessor of classical Hinduism, usually included in the term. ...

Other facets of Agastya

He is considered as the first and foremost person of Siddha. He is considered the guru of many other Siddhars. He is also called Kurumuni, meaning short (kuru) saint (muni). His contributions were to the field of Medicine (Siddha) and Astrology - especially Nadi Jodhidam. He is said to have lived for over 5000 years, and that one of his medicinal preparations, Boopathi Kuligai, is so powerful that it can even bring the dead back to life. Two of his students and disciples were Therayar and Tholkappiar. Siddha is a form of medical treatment of curing diseases using herbs. ... Siddhars are saints in India, mostly of the Shaivaite denomination in Tamil Nadu, who professed and practised an unorthodox type of Sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. ... Siddha is a form of medical treatment of curing diseases using herbs. ... An astrological chart (or horoscope) - Y2K Chart — This particular chart is calculated for January 1, 2000 at 12:01:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time in New York City, New York, USA. (Longitude: 074W0023 - Latitude: 40N4251), using the tropical zodiac Astrology (from Greek: αστρολογία = άστρον, astron, star + λόγος, logos, word) is... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Tholkappiar was the author of the book Tholkappiyam, a book which contains the grammer usage for tamil. ...

Unity of Vishnu and Shiva

At a Saivite temple named Kutralam, formerly a Vishnu temple, in Tamil Nadu, Agastya, in one legend, was refused entry. He then appeared as a Vaishnavite devotee and is said to have miraculously converted the image to a Shiva linga. A symbolic meaning of this conversion, in one interpretation, is to show that Vishnu and Shiva are different aspects of the one and same God. Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Linga worship (Estate of Cynthia and Harlen Welsh) Lingam or Linga is the Sanskrit word for mark. ...

Agastya In Ayyavazhi

According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi, Agatya was created from the mind of lord Siva inorder to offer boons to Kaliyan (See:Boons offered to Kaliyan). As per the order of Siva, Agastya offered many boons including all worldly knowledge to him. So as per Ayyavazhi, in Kali Yukam all the knowledge, incuding the basic formulea and forms of modern scientific tecnologies came from Agastya to mankind and so tells indirectly that the Tamil land as the center of origin of Human civilisation. Akilathirattu Ammanai அகிலத்திரட்டு அம்மானை (Tamil: akilam (world) + thirattu (collection) + ammanai (ballad)), also called Thiru Edu (venerable book), is the main religious book of the Southern Indian Ayyavazhi faith, officially an offshoot of Hinduism. ... Ayyavazhi அய்யாவழி (Tamil: path of the father), officially a Tamil Hindu sect, is a monistic religion that originated in South India in the mid-19th century. ... Sivan In Ayyavazhi mythology Sivan is one among the Three Great Godheads or Trimurti in Ayyavazhi mythology and is the Tamil name for Siva. ... Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of the primordial manifestation of Kroni according to Akilam, the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book of Ayyavazhi religion. ... Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of Kroni, the primordial Manifestation of Evil according to Akilattirattu Ammanai the Holy book of Ayyavazhi. ... This is the seventh of the Eight Yukams according to Ayyavazhi Mythology ... Tamil may refer to: The Tamil language, which is one of the Dravidian languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent. ...

Certain important Stotrams

• The Lalitha sahasranama, which describes the 1000 names of the mother Goddess (Known commonly as Gowri, Parvati or Durga), was first revealed to the world when Hayagriva, a manifestation of Vishnu, taught the same to Agastya.
• Agastya is said to have composed the Aditya Hridayam, a hymn to Surya, and taught the same to Rama just before the war between Rama and Ravana.

A Sahasranama is a litany of one thousand names of God or Goddess. ... This 14th century statue depicts Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right}. It is housed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In Hinduism, Gowri or Dakshayani is the Goddess of marital felicity and longevity, who is worshipped particularly by ladies to seek the long life of... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In Hinduism, Hayagriva is a minor avatar of Vishnu. ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ... The Aditya Hridayam, is a hymn associated with the Sun or Surya and was recited by the great sage Agastya to Rama on the battlefield before fighting with Ravana. ... In Hinduism, Surya is the chief solar deity, son of Dyaush or Indra. ... Deities of Sri Sri Sita (far right), Rama (center), Lakshmana (far left) and Hanuman (below seated) at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford England Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ... Deities of Sri Sri Sita (far right), Rama (center), Lakshmana (far left) and Hanuman (below seated) at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford England Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ... Ravana, Indian Demon King of Lanka In Hindu mythology, Ravana is one of the principal antagonists of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. ...

See also

• Siddhars
• Thirumoolar
• Bogar
• Kumba Muni
• Avaiyar
• Abithana Chintamani - Encyclopedia of Tamil Literature
• Ayyavazhi mythology

Siddhars are saints in India, mostly of the Shaivaite denomination in Tamil Nadu, who professed and practised an unorthodox type of Sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. ... Thirumoolar also spelt Tirumular or Thirumular is one of the 18 Siddhars. ... Bogar was a legendary South Indian siddhar (herbal healer). ... Avaiyar is a female icon of Tamil literature. ... Abithana Chitamani is an encyclopedia on Tamil Literature written by A. Singaravelu Mudaliar. ... Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the growing South Indian religious faith and offshoot of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. ...

External links

• Project Madurai Home Page