Agriculture and Animal husbandry in the Puranas
by Purboshri Borpuzari | 2019 | 74,328 words
This page relates ‘Myth of Vishvamitra’ of the study on agriculture and animal husbandry in the Puranas—a category of Sanskrit literature describing the culture and heritage of ancient Indian society. Besides detailing animal care, the six chapters of this essay also documents various Puranic agricultural science: ploughing, sowing, soil-types/fertility tests, transplantation, manuring, irrigation/water-management, tanks, rainfall–Sun dependence, horticulture, plus crop lists (e.g., Vrihi, Yava, Godhuma) and festivals/rites.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 6 - The Myth of Viśvāmitra
In the Ṛgveda, there is an indication that a dog was sacrificed for getting rain.[1] Sāyaṇa remarks this as—
‘anayā vāmadevaḥ svakīyaṃ dāridryaṃ sūcayannidrasyotkarṣamāha/vāmadevo’haṃ avartyā jīvanopāyarāhityena śunaḥ śunakasaṃbandhīni āntrāṇi purītanti pece apacam/deveṣu dyotamāneṣu vahnayādiṣu madhye indrādanyaṃ marḍitāraṃ sukhayitāraṃ na vivide na lebhe/kiṃca jāyāṃ svakīyāṃ bhāryāṃ amahīyamānām aślāghanīyāṃ apaśyam adrākṣam/adha athānantaraṃ śyenaḥ śyenavacchīghragāmīndraḥ me mahyaṃ madhu madhuropetamudakam ā jabhāra ājahāra//’[2]
This concept of the Ṛgveda is also reflected in the myth of Viśvāmitra, recorded in the Brahma Purāṇa.[3] According to the Brahma Purāṇa, there was a great famine, extremely dreadful to the subjects. Viśvāmitra asked his disciples to bring something to eat. They wandered and saw a dead dog and told it to Viśvāmitra. Then Viśvāmitra told them to cut the dog’s flesh, to clean it with water, to cook it and offer it into the fire. After offering it to the sages, manes, and to the guests and the elderly persons they would eat it.[4] When the offering was prepared, Indra taking the form of a vulture carried away the boiling pan which was filled with the dog’s flesh and replaced it by a pan full of honey for Viśvāmitra. But Viśvāmitra did not want to have the honey-vessel for himself.
He became angry and scolded Indra, who instantly called the clouds and released rain, by which people were happy—
tato bhītaḥ sahasrākṣo meghānāhūya tatkṣaṇāt/
vavarṣa cāmṛtaṃ vāri hyamṛtenārpitāḥ prajāḥ//[5]
As rain is necessary for agriculture so this myth may be connected with the same. If there is rain then only agriculture thrives.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid.
[3]:
Brahma Purāṇa , 2.23.6ff
[4]:
[5]:
Ibid., 2.23.23b-24a