Sage Agasthya
Sage Agasthya was a very powerful saint and had performed so
many remarkable feats. He was very short and highly talented. Once Saint
Agsthya while going through a forest saw many of his forefathers hanging head down from trees and went and asked them
why they were hanging upside down?
They told him “son we are your fore fathers and are doing
this as you have not married and produced a heir who would have given us food
and performed our last rites. If you marry
and produce a heir then we could escape this condition.”
Agasthya then decided to marry. He went to the kingdom of ‘Vidarba’
whose king was his friend. The ‘Vidarba ‘king was not having any children and
did so many penances to get some children but none has helped him and was in
deep sorrow.
Agasthya came to him and agreed to help him to have a daughter to him by his divine power but
made a condition that the girl should be given to him in marriage. The king of ‘Vidarba’ agreed to this condition and Saint Agasthya gave him the boon to
become the father of a very beautiful daughter.
The queen became pregnant and in due course delivered an
extremely beautiful girl and this girl was named as Lobamudra. The girl grew up and attained the
age of marriage. Agasthya came to the king and asked her hand in marriage to
him. Even though the King was unwilling to marry the so beautiful girl to this
ugly Saint Agasthya but could not refuse his demand remembering his supreme
power and also his help in getting him his daughter born.
Lobamudra on her part
consoled her father and agreed to marry
him. King married her to Agasthya as per all the norms and practices. Agasthya
asked her to remove all her expensive ornaments, dress etc and come in simple
dress suitable for a life of a poor Brahmin. Lobamudra agreed to his command
and did as she was told and followed him
to the forest.
She did all his daily chores perfectly and earned his love
and affection. One day Agasthya was impressed by her devotion and love and called her to come
and share his love and become the mother of his child.
But Lobamudra told him that she is bound to make him happy
and bear a child to him but he also should satisfy her one desire or interest.
Saint agreed and asked her what was her desire? She said when she comes to
share his bed she should wear all the jewelleries and costly and expensive dresses she once wore
or liked.
Agasthya told her that being a poor Brahmin he does not have
the means and ways to buy them. But Lobamudra told him that being a very
powerful saint and influential sage he could go and ask the kings for these
gifts.
Agsthya told her if he did what she told him to do then he
would lose his power of penances which he did all these years. But she asked him
humbly for these gifts.
Agasthya went to a king and asked him for the gifts. The
king opened his treasury and showed him that what he collected from the people went for the welfare of the
people and hence he do not have anything to spare. Then Agasthya went to
another king and there also the same thing happened. Which showed that those kings were ruling just for the
welfare of the people and not for themselves unlike the present day rulers.
Finally Agasthya came to a ‘rakshasa ‘ who was very rich and had
amassed wealth beyond anybody else. His name was’ Ilvalan’ and had a brother
called ‘Vathabi’. These brothers had a terrible hatred towards all Brahmins and
used to invite the Brahmins for a feast. There the elder brother Ilvalan used
to kill his brother and cook him and serve the food to the invited Brahmin.
Once the Brahmin had eaten the food Ilvalan
would call “Vathabi come out.” And the Vathabi would cut open the stomach of
the Brahmin and come out and both brothers would eat the Brahmin.
When Agasthya came to them, Ilvalan as usual killed Vathabi and fed a
feast to Agasthya. Once Agasthya ate the food, Ilvalan called out “Vathabi come out.”
But knowing their way of treachery
Agasthya put his hand on his stomach and said “Vathabi on digestion”, there by digesting
him instantly.
Ilvalan went on calling for his brother but Agasthya told
him that Vathabi was digested. Ilvalan understood the greatness of
Agasthya and gave him all the riches and
other things the sage has asked.
He brought these gifts to Lobamudra. He waited for Lobamudra to commence his married life but was shocked to see her coming in dimple dress. Agasthiya asked her why she did not wear any of the jewels & dresses she wanted. She replied that she demanded those gifts just to test his love for her. Very much pleased Agasthiya asked her whether
she wanted ten sons of fame or one son who could defeat ten warriors? Lobamudra
wanted one great son only and got the same in due course.
