Sage Ashtavakra

(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 132 to 135)

• About sage Ashtavakra: Sage Ashtavakra was the son of sage Kahoda. Sage Kahoda was the disciple of sage Uddalaka. Sage Kahoda served his preceptor Uddalaka for a long time and continued his studies under him. Recognising this, sage Uddalaka bestowed his daughter Sujata to sage Kahoda. Sage Uddalaka also had a son named Shwetaketu. When sage Ashtavakra was born, he was of the same age as Shwetaketu.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 132)

• Curse on sage Ashtavakra: When sage Ashtavakra was still inside the womb of his mother, he used to listen to the Vedic recitations of his father Kahoda. He found mistakes in those recitations and told that to his father. His father felt insulted and cursed him that he will be crooked in eight parts. Therefore, sage Ashtavakra was born crooked in eight parts and hence was known as Ashtavakra.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 132)

• Sage Kahoda getting defeated by Bandi and drowned: When Sujata was in the tenth month of pregnancy and was oppressed by lack of wealth, she expressed her anguish to her husband. To obtain wealth, sage Kahoda went to the palace of king Janaka. There he confronted Bandi, a great learned argumentator. Bandi used to challenge brahmanas in arguments and drowned them after defeating them. In the palace of king Janaka, sage Kahoda was defeated in arguments by Bandi and he was drowned (according to the conditions of the argument). Thus sage Ashtavakra lost his father before he was born.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 132)

• Sujata keeping the story of his father secret from sage Ashtavakra: Sage Uddalaka told Sujata to keep the story of sage Kahoda secret from sage Ashtavakra. So when sage Ashtavakra was born, he regarded sage Uddalaka as his father and sage Shwetaketu as his brother.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 132)

• Sage Ashtavakra coming to know about his father: When sage Ashtavakra was twelve years old, he one day sat on the lap of sage Uddalaka. Sage Shwetaketu dragged him down saying that he is not his father. Sage Ashtavakra in great grief went to his mother and asked about his father. His mother out of fear of curse told everything about sage Kahoda.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 132)

• Sage Ashtavakra going to the sacrifice of king Janaka; gate-keepers stopping him: Then sage Ashtavakra taking sage Shwetaketu with him went to the sacrifice of king Janaka. The gate-keepers stopped him saying that Bandi had ordered that only learned brahmanas can enter the sacrifice and not boys.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 133)

• Sage Ashtavakra gaining entry by displaying his learning to king Janaka: Then sage Ashtavakra met king Janaka and told him that he has come to defeat Bandi. King Janaka was not convinced at first and tested him with various difficult riddle-like questions. Sage Ashtavakra replied to them in such a manner that the king became convinced that he possessed divine energy. King Janaka allowed him to enter the sacrifice.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 133)

• Sage Ashtavakra defeating Bandi in arguments: There sage Ashtavakra challenged Bandi. Bandi at first ridiculed him but sage Ashtavakra drew him into a challenge of display of skills. The display of skills continued for sometime and a time came when Bandi had to stop and Ashtavakra completed the remaining Sloka. Bandi was thus defeated.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 134)

• Sage Ashtavakra securing the release of brahmanas and drowning Bandi: When Bandi was defeated, king Janaka put Bandi at the disposal of sage Ashtavakra. Sage Ashtavakra ordered that Bandi be drowned as he had drowned the brahmanas after defeating them. Bandi was actually the son of Varuna. For him, drowning was like entering the abode of Varuna. Bandi released all the brahmanas whom he had confined within the abode of Varuna, and then himself entered the abode of Varuna.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 134)

• Sage Kahoda healing the crookedness of sage Ashtavakra: Sage Ashtavakra returned to his hermitage with his father and worshipped him. His father in the presence of his mother told him to enter river Samanga. When sage Ashtavakra entered river Samanga, his crookedness was healed. The river became known as Samanga (meaning even limbs) due to this. The river is also known as Madhuvila. It is in the region of Kardamila.
(Mahabharata - Vana Parva - Tirtha Yatra Parva - 134 to 135)

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