When Vishwamitra was threatened by Vasishtha for ravaging his hermitage, he said, “Stand there Vasishtha and receive the powerful Agneya weapon I throw towards you.” Vasishtha smiled imperiously and said, “Throw any weapon that you can. Let it face my stick—the Brahmadanda and be burnt to ashes!” Of what is the power of a king when compared to a mere staff of the devotee of the supreme truth? As Vasishtha challenged him, Vishwamitra’s weapon was burnt to ashes.
Vishwamitra sent weapon after weapon—presided over by Varuna, Rudra, Indra and Siva. He also hurled weapons that caused sleep, confusion, yawning, tremendous heat, etc to turn a person to be in an inebriate condition. Anything he aimed at Vasishtha was neutralised and made powerless by the one stick that Vasishtha had. Vishwamitra was tired hurling all his other weapons and he now took the final choice of the destructive Brahmastra, presided over by Lord Brahma himself.
Seeing him get ready to hurl that, the gods and the divine beings were shocked. But, even that Brahmastra which never missed the destruction of its target met with the same fate as his other weapons. From every pore of Vasishtha’s skin came a blazing and smoky fire that engulfed the atmosphere and it seemed as if Yama, the lord of destruction of all beings, was himself standing there.
Seeing this, all the sages and ascetics came before Vasishtha and praised him. They appealed to him to absorb the fire generated in his own person and the Brahmadanda. They extolled his valour of asceticism and said that Vishwamitra’s weapons were no match to his spiritual power. When he was praised in this manner, Vasishtha came forward to withdraw his glory and powers into himself. Vishwamitra came to Vasishtha and said that the power of a warrior was nothing when compared to the might of an ascetic who knows the reality of existence.
Vishwamitra, who was a Kshatriya by birth, resolved that he would undertake great penance and austerities to attain the state of mind of a Brahmana Rishi like Vasishtha. While it was even then commonly believed that such qualities by birth could not be changed in one lifetime, Vishwamitra resolved to accomplish this feat in the present lifetime. Vishwamitra went with his chief queen to the southern direction to continue his austere life. His diet was just fruits and roots, and his penance was very severe.
How did he manage to do that and what were the obstacles he faced? Let’s wait and see soon.
The author is Sevak, Chinmaya Mission, Tiruchi; email: brni.sharanyachaitanya@gmail.com; www.chinmayamission.com