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A sage mentioned in the Rigveda. He was also known as Kuruda as per Rigveda Mandala 1 Anuvaka 16 Sukta 112. He was the son of a rajarishi named Vrishagir. Once the Ashwinis’ vehicle – the donkey, approached Rijrashwa in the form of a female wolf. He took hundred goats that didn’t belong to him and fed it. Vrishagir was angered by this and cursed Rijrashwa to become blind. He thus became known as Kuruda. He prayed to Agni and regained his sight as per Rigveda Mandala 1 Anuvaka 17 Sukta 116.

A king mentioned in the Rigveda. He once surrounded the city of a king named Vangrida with Indra’s help as per Rigveda Mandala 1 Anuvaka 10 Sukta 53.

A puruvanshi king.

Antecedents: Vishnu – Brahma- Atri – Chandra – Budha – Pururavas – Ayus – Nahusha – Yayati – Puru – Janamejaya – Prachinvan – Namasyu – Veetabhaya – Shundu – Bahuvidha – Samyati – Rahovadi –Raudrashwa – Richeyu.

Richeyu was born to Raudrashwa and Mishrakesi. Mishrakesi was a devastri as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 94 verse 10. Richeyu was also known as Anavrishti and Anagbhanu. His son was Matinara as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 94 verses 11-13.

The grandson of Bharata and the son of Dyumnu as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 94 verse 24.

One of the 12 adityas as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 1 verse 42.

Also known as Ajigartha. A famous sage.

Antecedents: Vishnu – Brahma – Bhrigu – Chyavana – Ourva – Richika.

Richika was the father of Jamadagni and the grandfather of Parashurama.

The chandravanshi king Gadhi had a daughter named Satyavati. Richika desired to marry her. The king agreed provided the sage gave him a thousand black-eared horses. Richika prayed to Varuna and Varuna produced the thousand horses for him from the ocean. Richika married Satyavati and they stayed in the forest as per Bhagavata Navamaskanda.

Once Satyavati approached Richika and asked for a son. She also wished that her mother would deliver a son. Richika conducted a yajna and gave two balls of rice to Satyavati indicating which one she should eat and which one her mother should. This was because Satyavati’s ball of rice had brahmatejas and her mother’s had Kshatratejas. But while consumption they were interchanged. Both Satyavati and her mother became pregnant. Once when Richika saw Satyavati in a raudrabhava, he realised what had happened. Both Satyavati and her mother eventually delivered. Satyavati called her son Jamadagni and her mother named her son – Satyavati’s brother – Vishwamitra, as per Brahmandapurana Chapter 57.

Richika had 3 more sons later – the eldest was Shunapuchha, the second was Shunashefa and the youngest Shunolangula.

Once the king Ambarish conducted a yajna, but Indra stole the sacrificial cow. Since that was not a good omen, the chief sage asked the king to either find the calf or replace it with a human. The cow could not be found. The king found Richika in his hermitage with his three sons and for a lakh cows bought Shunashefa. While returning with Shunashefa, the king rested in Pushkar. There, Shunashefa found his uncle Vishwamitra and told him what had happened. Shunashefa wanted the king’s requirement met, but didn’t want to die either. Vishwamitra agreed to save him. He called Madhushyanta and his other sons and told them that one of them should turn into the sacrificial cow and save Shunashefa. But all of them refused. Vishwamitra cursed that all of them would live for a thousand years surviving only on dog meat. He then called Shunashefa and said that if he prayed to the gods while he was being sacrificed, they would help him. Shunashefa accompanied Ambarish to the sacrificial altar where he was made to wear the ceremonial clothes. Shunashefa prayed to the gods, Indra appeared and blessed him with long life. Indra also gave Ambarish the benefits he would have accrued from the yajna as per Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 62.

Once Vishwakarma made 2 bows. Shiva took one to annihilate Tripura and it was called Shaivachapa. The other was given to Vishnu and was called Vaishnavachapa. The devas wanted a test of strength between Vishnu and Shiva, and for that they goaded Brahma. Brahma managed to create a dispute between Shiva and Vishnu and they began fighting. The bows played a big role too. Shiva lost the battle and he then gave his bow to the Videha king Devarata, and by succession, it reached Janaka later. It was this bow that Rama broke during Sita’s swayamwar. Meanwhile, Vishnu gave his bow to Richika, who then gave it to Jamadagni. Jamadagni gifted it to his son Parashurama and it was this bow that Parashurama used in his confrontation with Rama as per Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 75.

Gadhi asked Richika a dowry of thousand black-eared white horses. This was given to him by Varuna on the banks of the Ganga. The exact place in the Ganga from which the horses originated was called Ashwatheertha. Gadhi gave Satyavati to Richika in Kanyakubja as per Mahabharata Aranyaparva Chapter 115.

Richika once tried to dissuade Parashurama from killing kshatriyas as per Mahabharata Ashwamedhikaparva Chapter 29 verse 23.

Once the king of Salva, Dyutiman donated land to Richika as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 137 verse 28.

Richika attained Vaikuntha and Satyavati accompanied him in flesh. She later became a river named Kaushiki and flowed through northern India as per Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 34.

The oldest scripture known to man. Another work which the Egyptians believe was created around the same time is the Book of the Dead. The Babylonian work called Gilgamesh is believed to be from a later period. Though the other two have no relation to contemporary culture, Rigveda is considered the basis of Hinduism. Yajurveda, Samaveda and Adharvaveda were created after Rigveda.

Rigveda is divided into 10 mandalas and consists of 1017 suktas and 10472 riks. Though there are 11 more suktas called Balakhilya, they are not included usually in the compilation. Mandalas 2-7 have been created in separate rishikulas, as 2 – Bhargava, 3 – Vishwamitra, 4 – Vamadeva, 5- Atri, 6 – Bharadwaja, 7 – Vasishta. The eighth mandala and 50 suktas of the 1st mandala have been made by Kanva’s kula. The tenth mandala was made later and its creator is unknown. A few of its suktas are also different from the others in Rigveda. Some of them show the delight of the Aryans as they entered India.

Most experts believe that Rigveda was written between 2500-2000 BC. The pauranik belief is that each veda originated from each of the four faces of Brahma. Brahma gave it to his sons and in the Dwapara yuga, the sages got it. Vishnu incarnated as Vyasa to maintain dharma. Vyasa divided the vedas among his son Shakalya and his disciples. Shakalya got the Rigveda and he imparted it to his disciples as per Bhagavata Skanda 12.

An attendant of Skanda as per Mahabharata Shalyaparva Chapter 46 verse 12.

The wife of Ajameedha, a Chandravanshi king, as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 95 verse 37.