| Kashyap | |
|---|---|
| Member ofSaptarishi | |
 Statue of Kashyapa inAndhra Pradesh, India | |
| Devanagari | कश्यप |
| Affiliation | Maharishis |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Spouse | Aditi,Diti,Kadru,Danu,Arishta,Surasa,Surabhi,Vinata,Tamra,Krodhavasha,Ira,Yamini,Kastha, Timi,Patangi,Sarama,Vishwa andMuni |
| Children | Adityas,Rudras,Vasus,Daityas,Maruts,Danavas,Nāgas,Manasa,Iravati,Gandharvas,Aruna,Garuda,Apsaras, etc. |
Kashyapa (Sanskrit:कश्यप,IAST:Kaśyapa) is a reveredVedicsage ofHinduism.[1] He is one of theSaptarishis, the seven ancient sages of theRigveda. Kashyapa is the most ancient and veneratedrishi, along with the other Saptarishis, listed in the colophon verse in theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad.[2]
Kashyapa is an ancient name, referring to many different personalities in the ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts.[3][4]
Kashyapa means "turtle" in Sanskrit.[5] According toMichael Witzel, it is related toAvestankasiiapa,Sogdiankyšph, Kurdishkûsî, New Persiankašaf,kaš(a)p which mean "tortoise", after whichKashaf Rūd (a river in Turkmenistan and Khorasan) is named.[6] Other relations include toTokarian Bkaccāp ("brainpan"),[7]Tokarian Akāccap ("turtle", "tortoise").[8][9]Frits Staal agrees that Kaśyapa means 'tortoise', but believes that it is a non-Indo-Europeanword.[10]
Kashyapa is credited with composing a few hymns in the Rigveda, mainly in Mandala IX. He and his family of students are mainly composers of hymns forSoma Pavamāna ("self-purifying Soma"), which represents a single moment in theSoma sacrifice.[11][12]
He is mentioned in verse 2.2.4 of theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad, along withAtri,Vashistha,Vishvamitra,Jamadagni,Bharadwaja andGautama.[13][14] Kashyapa is also mentioned as the earliestrishi incolophon verse 6.5.3 ofBrihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the oldest Upanishadic scriptures of Hinduism.[2]
Kashyapa is mentioned in other Vedas and numerous other Vedic texts. For example, in one of several cosmology-related hymns ofAtharvaveda (~1000 BCE), Kashyapa is mentioned in the allegory-filled Book XIX:
Undisturbed am I, undisturbed is my soul,
undisturbed mine eye, undisturbed mine ear,
undisturbed is mine in-breathing, undisturbed mine out-breathing,
undisturbed my diffusive breath, undisturbed the whole of me.
Thereafter rose Desire in the beginning, Desire the primal seed and germ of Spirit,
O Kama dwelling with the lofty Kama, give growth of riches to the sacrificer, (...)
Prolific, thousand eyed, and undecaying, a horse with seven reins Time bears us onward,
Sages inspired with holy knowledge mount him, his chariot wheels are all the worlds of creatures.
Kala [Time] created yonder heaven, and Kala made these realms of earth,
By Kala, stirred to motion, both what is and what shall be, expand, (...)
Kala created living things and first of all Prajapati,
From Kala self-madeKasyapa, from Kala Holy Fire was born.
His name appears in Patanjali's ancientbhasya on verse 1.2.64 ofPāṇini.[17] His name is very common in the Epic and Purana literature.[18]
In Buddhist Pali canonical texts such asDigha Nikaya, Tevijja Sutta describes a discussion between the Buddha and Vedic scholars of his time. TheBuddha names tenrishis, calls them "early sages" and makers of ancient verses that have been collected and chanted in his era, and among those ten rishi is Kassapa (the Pali spelling of Kashyapa in Sanskrit).[19][note 1]
According to Christopher Snedden, the name Kashmir is a shortened form of "Kashyapa Mira", or the "lake of the sage Kashyapa". Alternatively, it may come from a Kashmiri or Sanskrit term that means "to dry up water". It could also have been derived from the term "Kashyapa Meru", which means the sacred mountains of Kashyapa.[20]
In ancient texts of Greece, linked to the expedition ofAlexander, this land has been called "Kasperia",[20] possibly a contraction of "Kasyapamira".[21] The word "Kaspapyros" appears in Greek geographerHekataois text, and as "Kaspatyros" inHerodotus who states that Skylax the Karyandian began in Kaspatyros to trace the path of Indus river from the mountains to where it drained in the sea. Kaspatyros may be same as Kaspa-pyrus or Kashyapa-pura (city of Kashyapa) in other texts.[21]
Kashyapa is mentioned in numerous Hindu texts such as thePuranas and the Hindu Epics. The stories related to Kashyapa in different texts are widely inconsistent, and many are considered allegorical.[18][4] For example, in theRamayana, he is married to the eight daughters ofDaksha, while in theMahabharata andVishnu Purana he is described as married to thirteen daughters. Some of the names of the thirteen daughters Kashyapa married in the Hindu textVishnu Purana are different from the list found inMahabharata.[18] Some texts describe Kashyapa as the son of Marichi, ancestor of solar dynasty, a contemporary with Uttamapada the second king of Brahmavarta and who married daughters of Daksha Prajapati the son of Brahma, others mention about him marrying daughters of Daksha Prajapati the last king of Brahmavarta, 15 in male descent from Uttamapada. It may be supposed that there have existed several persons named Kashyapa all of whom are usually confounded.[4]
In somePuranas, Kashyapa is said to have drained the Kashmir valley to make it inhabitable. Some interpret this legend to parallel the legend of BuddhistManjushri drainingNepal andTibet, wherein the "draining" is an allegory for teaching ideas and doctrines, removing stagnant waters of ignorance and extending learning and civilization into the valley.[22] The Sindh cityMultan (now in Pakistan), also called Mulasthana, has been interpreted alternatively asKashyapapura in some stories after Kashyap.[23] Yet another interpretation has been to associate Kashyapa as River Indus in the Sindh region. However, these interpretations and the links of Multan as Kashyapapura to Kashmir have been questioned.[24]
According to the ancient legends, Kashyapa reclaimed that land from a vast lake, his school was based there, and the land was named after him.[25]
ThePuranas and the Epics of Indian tradition mention Kashyapa and his genealogy numerous times.[26] In theVishnu Purana, Kashyap marries thirteen daughters ofDaksha:Aditi,Diti,Kadru,Danu, Arishta,Surasa,Surabhi,Vinata, Tamra,Krodhavasha,Ira, Vishva andMuni,[18][27][28] while in theMahabharata, the names of these 13 wives are Aditi, Diti, Kala, Danayus, Danu, Simhika, Krodha, Pritha, Visva, Vinata, Kapila, Muni and Kadru.[29] There are various interpretations. ScholarVettam Mani, after analysing the epics and Puranas, concluded that Kashyapa may have married 21 women (13 of which were Daksha's daughters) — Aditi, Diti, Danu, Arishta, Surasha, Khasha, Surabhi, Vinata, Tamra, Krodhavasha, Ira, Kadru, Muni, Puloma, Kalaka, Nata, Danayus, Simhika, Pradha, Visva and Kapila.[29]
Kashyapa, in theVishnu Purana andVayu Purana, is credited with fathering theDevas,Danavas,Yakshas,Daityas and all living creatures with various daughters ofDaksha. He married Aditi, with whom he fathered theAdityas, and in two inconsistent versionsVamana, anavatar of Vishnu, is the child of Aditi and Kashyapa.[30] In these religious texts, Kashyapa is the brother-in-law ofDharma and Adharma, both of whom are also described as married to other daughters ofDaksha.[31]
Kashyapa also incarnated asVasudeva, the father ofKrishna due to a curse thatBrahma unleashed upon him. Once, the sage performed a yajna (a Vedic ritual) in his hermitage in order to offer oblations to the Devas for the welfare of the beings in the world. To perform the ritual, Kashyapa required offerings such as milk, ghee etc., for which he sought the help ofVaruna. When Varuna manifested before him, Kashyapa requested him for a boon of limitless offerings to perform the yajna successfully. Varuna offered him a holycow which would provide him with limitless offerings. He then told the sage that the holy cow would be taken back once the yajna was over. The yajna went on for several days, and with the presence of the holy cow, the sage never faced any obstacles.
Realizing the miraculous power of the cow, he was overcome with greed and desired to own the cow forever. He did not return the cow to Varuna even after the yajna was over. Varuna appeared in front of Kashyapa and told him that the cow was given to him as a boon, only for the yajna, and now that the yajna was over, it had to be returned as it belonged to the heaven. Kashyapa refused to part with the cow and told Varuna that whatever is offered to aBrahmana should never be sought back, and whoever does that would turn out to be a sinner.
Hence, Varuna sought the help of Brahma who appeared before the sage and told him to get rid of his greed which is capable of destroying all his virtues. Nevertheless, Kashyapa remained firm in his resolve, which enraged Brahma who cursed him, saying that he would be born on earth again as acowherd. Kashyapa repented for his mistake and pleaded Brahma to forgive him. Brahma also realized that he had cursed him in a haste, and told him that he would still be born as a cowherd in theYadava clan, andVishnu would be born as his son. This was how Kashyapa was born as Vasudeva and became the father ofKrishna.[32]
Kashyapa is revered in the Hindu tradition, and numerous legends and texts composed in the medieval era are reverentially attributed to him in various Hindu traditions. Some treatises named after him or attributed to him include:
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