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Parashara (Sanskrit: पराशर; IAST: ) was a maharishi and the author of many ancient Hindu texts. He is accredited as the author of the first Puranas, the Vishnu Purana, before his son Vyasa wrote it in its present form. He was the grandson of the sage Vasishtha and the son of the sage Shakti. There are several texts which give reference to Parashara as an author/speaker. The various texts attributed to him are given in reference to Parashara being the speaker to his student.
Parashara was raised by his grandfather Vasishtha because he lost his father at an early age. His father, Shakti, was on a journey and came across an angry Rakshasa (demon) who had once been a king but was turned into a demon feeding on human flesh as a curse from Vasishtha. The demon devoured Parashara's father. In the Vishnu Purana, Parashara speaks about his anger from this:Wilson, H. H. The Vishnu Purana: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition.
I had heard that my father had been devoured by a Rākṣasa employed by Vishwamitra: violent anger seized me and I commenced a sacrifice for the destruction of the Rākṣasas: hundreds of them were reduced to ashes by the rite, when, as they were about to be entirely exterminated, my grandfather Vasishtha said to me: Enough, my child; let thy wrath be appeased: the Rākṣasas are not culpable: thy father's death was the work of destiny. Anger is the passion of fools; it becometh not a wise man. By whom, it may be asked, is anyone killed? Every man reaps the consequences of his own acts. Anger, my son, is the destruction of all that man obtains by arduous exertions, of fame, and of devout austerities; and prevents the attainment of heaven or of emancipation. The chief sages always shun wrath: be not subject to its influence, my child. Let no more of these unoffending spirits of darkness be consumed. Mercy is the might of the righteous.
Parashara once halted for a night in a little hamlet on the banks of the river Yamuna. He was put up in the house of the fisherman-chieftain Dasharaj. When dawn broke, the chief asked his daughter, Matsyagandha, whose name means "one with the smell of fish", to ferry the sage to his next destination. When in the ferry, Parashara who was also a pioneer in the field of vedic astrology, noticed the position of the stars and concluded that an auspicious time had begun in which the Lord had to descend onto this world,and asked her to fulfill his desire of helping the Lord descend by giving a son to her. Matsyagandha refused fearing the other people and sages who were standing on the bank of river at the other side.
He then created an island within the river by his mystic potency and asked her to land the boat there. On reaching the other side, the sage once again chanted the mantra to make her pregnant, but she declared that her body stank and Parashara granted her the boon that the finest fragrance may emit from her person. She was thereafter known as Satyavati (pure fragrance). Matsyagandha was transformed (by the powers of the sage) into Yojanagandha ("she whose fragrance can be smelled from across a yojana"). She now smelled of musk, and so was called Kasturi-Gandhi ("musk-fragrant"). Then, she insisted that the act of getting a child was not appropriate in broad daylight, as her father and others would see them from the other bank; they should wait till night. The sage, with his powers, shrouded the entire area in fog. Then, Parashara embraced her and by his mystic power, she became pregnant with Vyasa, who was dark-complexioned and hence was called by the name Krishna (black) and also the name Dwaipayana, meaning 'island-born'. Later, Parashara took him with himself and trained him in vedic studies. He later compiled the classic Vedic literatures of India, and so is called Vyasa who is the 17th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Later, Satyavati returned to her father's house and in due course, married Shantanu.
In Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata, Parashara told Yudhisthira that he prayed to Shiva. His desire was to obtain a son with great ascetic merit, endued with superior energy, earn world-wide fame, and arrange the Vedas. Shiva appeared and granted him his wishes and in addition, he told him that his son Krishna will be one of the Saptarshis of Savarni manvantara, be immortal by being freed of diseases, and he will be friend of Indra.
Parashara was known as the "limping sage". He had his leg wounded during an attack on his āśrama. When a ṛṣi dies he merges back into an element or an archetype. When Sage Parashara was walking through a dense forest he and his students were attacked by wolves. He was unable to get away in his old age with a lame leg and he left this world merging into the wolves.Munshi, K. M. The Book of VedaVyaasa: The Master.
The Monument of Parashara Muni is available at Junha - Panhala fort in Tal Kavathe Mahankal Sangli district of Maharashtra. A cave supposed to be of Parāśāra Muni is present at the fort.
Parashar Lake is a freshwater lake located at an elevation of 2,730 metres (8,960 ft) in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. On the bank of this lake there is a three storied Pagoda temple dedicated to the sage Parashara. It is believed that sage Parashara meditated here.
devo na yaḥ savitā satyamanmā kratvā nipāti vṛjanāni viṣvā
purupraṣasto amatirna satya ātmeva Sevo didhiṣāyyo bhūt
He who is like the divine Sun, who knows the truth (of all things), preserves by his actions (his votaries) in all encounters; like nature, he is unchangeable and, like soul, is the source of all happiness: he is ever to be cherished.Rgveda 1.73.2 Translation by H.H.Wilson
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