| Shaunaka | |
|---|---|
 Shaunaka recites the Mahabharata, a Mughal painting | |
| Affiliation | Rishi |
| Texts | Rigveda,Mahabharata |
Shaunaka (Sanskrit:शौनक,IAST:śaunaka) is the name applied to teachers, and to aShakha of theAtharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebratedSanskrit grammarian, author of theṚgveda-Prātiśākhya, theBṛhaddevatā, theCaraṇa-vyūha, sixAnukramaṇīs (indices) to theRigveda, and theVidhāna of the Rigveda. He is the teacher ofKatyayana andAshvalayana and is said to have combined the Bashkala and Shakala Shakhas of the Rigveda. In theMahabarata, he is identified as the son of Ruru and Pramadvara, and in theBhagavata Purana, he is identified as the grandson ofGritsamada and son of Sunaka, who belongs to theBhrigu dynasty.[1][2]
According to theVishnu Purana, Shaunaka was the son of Gritsamada and invented the system of the four levels of human life. Sūta mahamuni narrated mythological stories to a group of sages headed by Shaunaka maha muni.
According to Vishnumitra of Champa town, the commentator ofUvaṭa's commentary ofṚgveda-Prātiśākhya,Ṛgveda-Prātiśākhya is attributed to Shaunaka who taught it to others in a satra-yajna (a 12-day very large scale collectiveyajna) held inNaimisha.[3][4]
The Ṛgvidhāna, aVidhāna text on the use of Rigvedic mantras, is also attributed to Shaunaka.[5] The Vidhana which he wrote helped simplify the rites and rituals written in theShrauta and Gruhyashastras (scriptures).[2]
Shaunaka had a prominent role in the epicMahābhārata. The epic Mahābhārata was narrated to Shaunaka by a storyteller namedUgrasrava Sauti during a conclave of sages headed by Shaunaka in a forest named Naimisha. Shaunaka also consoledYudhishthira on the nature of suffering after the latter was exiled.[6]
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