Story of Maitrāvaruṇa

Another name for Vasiṣṭha. Agastya also is known by this name. Because they were born as the sons of Mitra and Varuṇa they got this name. How they came to be reborn as the sons of Mitrāvaruṇas is told in Devī Bhāgavata.

There was once a celebrated emperor named Nimi in the Ikṣvāku line of Kings. Nimi was the twelfth son of Ikṣvāku. The agrahāra found near the āśrama of Gautama Maharṣi, called Jayantapura was constructed by Nimi. Once Nimi decided to perform a big yāga and after taking the consent of his father made preparations for the same. He invited such great sages as Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Vāmadeva, Pulastya, Pulaha and Ṛcīka. He then went to their family preceptor Vasiṣṭha and requested him to be the chief priest. But Vasiṣṭha had already promised Indra to conduct a yāga for him and so advised Nimi to postpone his yāga to a later date. But Nimi was unwilling to postpone his yāga and so he performed it with Gautama Maharṣi as the chief priest. It took five hundred years for Nimi to complete the yāga. After five hundred years Vasiṣṭha after completing the yāga of Indra came to see Nimi and found that he had already conducted the yāga without him. Vasiṣṭha was angry and he cursed Nimi saying that Nimi would become bodiless. But powerful Nimi cursed Vasiṣṭha also and separated his soul from his body.

Griefstricken, Vasiṣṭha went to Brahmā and complained to him. Brahmā said, "Oh son, you go and merge with the brilliance of Mitrāvaruṇas and stay there. After some time you will be able to be born without being in a womb; you will then have a memory of the past and you will be very learned and will be worshipped by all".

Vasiṣṭha was pleased to hear that and he circumambulated Brahmā and prostrated before him and then went to the āśrama of Mitrāvaruṇas. He then abandoned his body there and merged with the brilliance of Mitrāvaruṇas. One day Urvaśī with her companions came to the āśrama of Mitrāvaruṇas and attracted by her charm they spent a night with her. Their semen at one time fell into a jar nearby and from it were born two people, Agastya and Vasiṣṭha, (Skandha 6, Devī Bhāgavata).