Agastya

For the moth genus, seeAgastya (moth).For the 2016 film, seeAgastya (film).For the Bangalore education trust, seeAgastya International Foundation.

Agastya
Agastya
Title	Siddhar
Personal
Religion	Hinduism
Spouse	Lopamudra
Children	Drdhasyu
Parent(s)	Mitra-Varuna(father) andUrvashi(mother) orPulastya(father) and Havirbhū (mother)

Agastyawas a reveredIndiansage ofHinduism.In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of theIndian subcontinent.He is regarded in some traditions to be aChiranjivi.He and his wifeLopamudraare the celebrated authors of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 in theSanskrittextRigvedaand otherVedic literature.

Agastya is considered to be the father ofSiddha medicine.Agastya appears in numerousitihasasandPuranasincluding the majorRamayanaandMahabharata.He is one of the seven most reveredrishis(theSaptarishi) in the Vedic texts,and is revered as one of the TamilSiddharin theShaivismtradition, who invented an early grammar of theOld Tamil language,Agattiyam,playing a pioneering role in the development ofTampraparniyanmedicine and spirituality at Saiva centres in proto-era Sri Lanka and South India. He is also revered in thePuranicliterature ofShaktismandVaishnavism.He is one of the Indian sages found in ancient sculpture and reliefs in Hindu temples of South Asia, and Southeast Asia such as in the early medieval era Shaiva temples onJavaIndonesia. He is the principal figure andGuruin the ancientJavanese languagetextAgastyaparva,whose 11th century version survives.

Agastya is traditionally attributed to be the author of many Sanskrit texts such as theAgastya Gitafound inVaraha Purana,Agastya Samhitafound embedded inSkanda Purana,and theDvaidha-Nirnaya Tantratext.He is also referred to asMana,Kalasaja,Kumbhaja,KumbhayoniandMaitravaruniafter his mythical origins.

Etymology and nomenclature

Sage Agastya in seated posture. This sculpture is fromAngkor period,Cambodia,c. 975 CE.

Several different etymologies have been suggested for "Agastya". One theory states that the root isAjorAnj,which connotes "brighten, effulgent one" and links Agastya to "one who brightens" in darkness, and Agastya is traditionally the Indian name forCanopus,the second most brilliantly shining star found in skies in the Indian sub-continent, next to Sirius. A third theory links it to Indo-European origins, through the Iranian wordgastawhich means "sin, foul", anda-gastawould mean "not sin, not foul".The fourth theory, based on folk etymology in verse 2.11 of theRamayanastates that Agastya is fromaga(unmoving or mountain) andgam(move), and together these roots connote "one who is mover-of-mountains", or "mover-of-the-unmoving".The word is also written asAgastiandAgathiyar.

Biography

Maharishi Agastya andLopāmudrā

Agastya is the named author of several hymns of theRigveda.These hymns do not provide his biography.The origins of Agastya - Pulastya, one of the Rig Vedic Saptarishis is his father. His miraculous rebirth follows ayajnabeing done by godsVarunaandMitra,where the celestialapsaraUrvashiappears.They are overwhelmed by her extraordinary sexuality, and ejaculate. Their semen falls into a mud pitcher, which is the womb in which the fetus of Agastya grows. He is born from this jar, along with his twin sageVashisthain some mythologies.This mythology gives him the namekumbhayoni,which literally means "he whose womb was a mud pot".

Agastya is aTamilBrahmin(Maraiyar) who leads anasceticlife, educates himself, becoming a celebrated sage. His unknown origins have led to speculative proposals that the Vedic-era Agastya may have been a migrant whose ideas influenced the south.

According to inconsistent legends in the Puranic and the epics, the ascetic sage Agastya proposed toLopamudra,a princess born in the kingdom ofVidarbha.Her parents were unwilling to bless the engagement, concerned that she would be unable to live the austere lifestyle of Agastya in the forest. However, the legends state that Lopamudra accepted him as her husband, saying that Agastya has the wealth of ascetic living, her own youth will fade with seasons, and it is his virtue that makes him the right person. Therewith, Lopamudra becomes the wife of Agastya.In other versions, Lopamudra marries Agastya, but after the wedding, she demands that Agastya provide her with basic comforts before she will consummate the marriage, a demand that ends up forcing Agastya to return to society and earn wealth.

Agastya and Lopamudra have a son named Drdhasyu, sometimes called Idhmavaha. He is described in theMahabharataas a boy who learns the Vedas listening to his parents while he is in the womb, and is born into the world reciting the hymns.

Agastya ashram

Agastya had a hermitage (ashram), but the ancient and medieval era Indian texts provide inconsistent stories and location for thisashram.Two legends place it in Northwest Maharashtra, on the banks of the riverGodavari,nearNashikin small towns namedAgastyapuriandAkole.Other putative sites mentioned in Northern and Eastern Indian sources is nearSangliin Ainwadi (Agastinagar) (Tal-khanapur) village (Western ghats at Maharashtra), or nearKannauj(Uttar Pradesh), or in Agastyamuni village nearRudraprayag(Uttarakhand), orSatpura Range(Madhya Pradesh). In Southern sources and the North IndianDevi-Bhagavata Purana,hisashramis based in Tamil Nadu, variously placed inTirunelveli,Pothiyal hills,orThanjavur.Facing east, he penanced upon a rock atKanyakumariimmediately after the beginning ofKali Yuga.It is also considered that his final resting place is inAgastyarkoodaminThiruvananthapuram.

Textual sources

Vedas

Agastya is mentioned in all the four Vedas ofHinduism,and is a character in theBrahmanas,Aranyakas,Upanishads,epics, and manyPuranas.He is the author of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 of theRigveda(~1200 BCE).He ran a Vedic school (gurukul), as evidenced by hymn 1.179 of theRigvedawhich credits its author to be his wife Lopamudra and his students.He was a respected sage in the Vedic era, as many other hymns of theRigvedacomposed by other sages refer to Agastya. The hymns composed by Agastya are known for verbal play and similes, puzzles and puns, and striking imagery embedded within his spiritual message.

Agastya vedic verses

With thee, O Indra, are most bounteous riches
that further every one who lives uprightly.
Now may these Maruts show us loving-kindness,
Gods who of old were ever prompt to help us.
—1.169.5,
Transl: Ralph T.H. Griffith

May we know refreshment,
and a community having lively waters.
—1.165.15,1.166.15,1.167.11,etc.
Transl: Stephanie Jamison, Joel Brereton;

—Rigveda

His Vedic poetry is particularly notable for two themes.In one set of hymns, Agastya describes a conflict between two armies led by gods Indra and Maruts, which scholars such asG. S. Ghuryehave interpreted as an allegory of a conflict between Arya (Indra) and Dasa (Rudra).Agastya successfully reconciles their conflict, makes an offering wherein he prays for understanding and loving-kindness between the two. Twenty one out of the twenty seven hymns he composed in Mandala 1 of theRigvedahave his signature ending, wherein he appeals, "may each community know refreshment (food) and lively waters".These ideas have led him to be considered as a protector of both the Arya and the Dasa.However, some scholars interpret the same hymns to be an allegory for any two conflicting ideologies or lifestyles, because Agastya never uses the words Arya or Dasa, and only uses the phraseubhau varnav(literally, "both colors" ).The theme and idea of "mutual understanding" as a means for lasting reconciliation, along with Agastya's name, reappears in section 1.2.2 of theAitareya Aranyakaof Hinduism.

The second theme, famous in the literature of Hinduism, is a discussion between his wife Lopamudra and him about the human tension between the monastic solitary pursuit of spirituality, versus the responsibility of a householder's life and raising a family. Agastya argues that there are many ways to happiness and liberation, while Lopamudra presents her arguments about the nature of life, time and the possibility of both. She successfully seduces Agastya, in the simile filled Rigvedic hymn 1.179.

Agastya is mentioned in both the oldest and the youngest layers of theRigveda(c. 1500–1200 BCE), such as in hymn 33 of mandala 7, which is older than mandala 1.He is also mentioned in other three Vedas and theVedangaliterature such as in verses 5.13–14 of theNirukta.Agastya and his ideas are cited in numerous other Vedic texts, such as section 7.5.5 ofTaittiriya Samhita,10.11 ofKathaka Samhita,2.1 ofMaitrayani Samhita,5.16 ofAitareya Brahmana,2.7.11 ofTaittiriya Brahmana,and 21.14 ofPancavimsati Brahmana.

Ramayana

A 12th-century statue of Agastya fromBihar.

Sage Agastya is mentioned in the Hindu epicRamayanain several chapters with his hermitage described to be on the banks of riverGodavari.

In theRamayana,Agastya and Lopamudra are described as living inDandakaforest, on the southern slopes of Vindhya mountains. Rama praises Agastya as the one who can do what gods find impossible. He is described by Rama as the sage who asked Vindhya mountains to lower themselves so that Sun, Moon and living beings could easily pass over it. He is also described as the sage who used hisDharmapowers to kill demons Vatapi and Ilwala after they had jointly misled and destroyed 9,000 men.

Agastya, according to theRamayana,is a unique sage, who is short and heavy in build, but by living in the south he balances the powers ofShivaand the weight of Kailasha and Mount Meru.Agastya and his wife meet Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. He gives them a divine bow and arrow, describes the evil nature of Ravana and, according to William Buck, B. A. van Nooten and Shirley Triest, bids them goodbye with the advice, "Rama, demons do not love men, therefore men must love each other".

Mahabharata

The story of Agastya is mirrored in the second major Hindu epicMahabharata.However, instead of Rama, the story is told as a conversation between Yudhishthira and Lomasa starting with section 96 of Book 3, theVana Parva(the Book of Forest).

He is described in the epic as a sage with enormous powers of ingestion and digestion.Agastya, once again, stops the Vindhya mountains from growing and lowers them and he kills the demons Vatapi and Ilvala much the same mythical way as in theRamayana.TheVana Parvaalso describes the story of Lopamudra and Agastya getting engaged and married. It also contains the mythical story of a war between Indra and Vritra, where all the demons hide in the sea, gods requesting Agastya for help, who then goes and drinks up the ocean thereby revealing all the demons to the gods.

Puranas

ThePuranicliterature of Hinduism has numerous stories about Agastya, more elaborate, more fantastical and inconsistent than the mythologies found in Vedic and Epics literature of India.For example, chapter 61 of theMatsya Purana,chapter 22 ofPadma Purana,and seven other MahaPuranastell the entire biography of Agastya.Some list him as one of theSaptarishi(seven greatrishi), while in others he is one of the eight or twelve extraordinary sages of the Hindu traditions.The names and details are not consistent across the different Puranas, nor in different manuscript versions of the same Purana. He is variously listed along with Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu, Bhargava, Bharadvaja, Visvamitra, Vasistha, Kashyapa, Gautama, Jamadagni and others.

Agastya is reverentially mentioned in the Puranas of all major Hindu traditions: Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. Many of the Puranas include lengthy and detailed accounts of the descendants of Agastya and otherSaptarishis.

Tamil texts

Agathiyar, Tamil Nadu

In Tamil traditions, Agastya is considered as thefather of the Tamil languageand the compiler of the firstTamilgrammar, calledAgattiyamorAkattiyam.Agastya has been a culture hero in Tamil traditions and appears in numerous Tamil texts.Agastya learnt the Tamil language from godMuruganwhen he arrived in the southern Tamil country from north India.

There are similarities and differences between the Northern and Southern (Tamil) traditions about Agastya. According toIravatham Mahadevan,both traditions state that Agastya migrated from north to south. The Tamil textPurananuru,dated to about the start of the common era, or possibly about 2nd century CE, in verse 201 mentions Agastya along with many people migrating south.

In the northern legends, Agastya's role in spreading Vedic tradition and Sanskrit is emphasized,while in southern traditions his role in spreading irrigation, agriculture and augmenting the Tamil language is emphasized.In the north, his ancestry is unknown with mythical legends limiting themselves to saying that Agastya was born from a mud pitcher. In southern traditions, his descent from a pitcher is a common reference, but two alternate southern legends place him as the Caṅkam (Sangam) polity and is said to have led the migration of eighteenVēlirtribes fromDvārakāto the south.

The northern traditional stories, states Mahadevan, are "nothing more than a collection of incredible fables and myths", while the southern versions "ring much truer and appear to be a down to earth account of a historical event".Others disagree. According to K.N. Sivaraja Pillai, for example, there is nothing in the earlySangam literatureor any Tamil texts prior to about the mid 1st millennium CE that mentions Agastya.The earliest mention of the role of Agastya in Tamil language, according to Richard Weiss, can be traced to theIraiyanar Akapporulby 8th century Nakkirar. However, in medieval era stories of the Tamil tradition, Agastya pioneered the firstsangamperiod that lasted 4,440 years, and took part in the secondsangamperiod that lasted another 3,700 years.

TheTirumantiramdescribes Agastya as an ascetic sage, who came from the north and settled in the southernPothigaimountains becauseShivaasked him to. He is described as the one who perfected and loved both Sanskrit and Tamil languages, amassing knowledge in both, thus becoming a symbol of integration, harmony and learning, instead of being opposed to either.According to theSkanda Purana,the whole world visited the Himalayas whenShivawas about to wedParvati.This caused the earth to tip to one side. Shiva then requested Agastya to go to the southern region to restore the equilibrium. Thus, Agastya migrated south at Shiva's behest.

Siddhar

Reverence at the Agastya shrine atop the peak ofAgastya mala,with garlands of fruits and flowers.

Agastya, in Tamil Hindu traditions, is considered as the first and foremostSiddhar(Tamil:cittar,Sanskrit:siddha). Asiddharis derived from the Sanskrit verbal rootsidhwhich means "to accomplish or succeed". As the firstSiddhar,Agastya is deemed as the first master, accomplished, the sage who perfected his knowledge of the natural and spiritual worlds. This Tamil concept has parallels to Tibetanmahasiddhas,Sri Lankan Buddhist, andNathHindu yogi traditions of north India.

Lobamudra sameda Agasthiyar Temple, A. Vallalapatti, Madurai

Agastya, along with Tirumular, is considered asiddharin both philosophical and practical domains, unlike most othersiddharwho are revered for their special domain of knowledge. Agastya is also unique for the reverence he has received in historic texts all over the Indian subcontinent.

According to Venkatraman, theSiddhar-related literature about Agastya is late medieval to early modern era. In particular, all medicine and health-related Tamil text, that include Agastya as theSiddhar,have been composed in and after the 15th-century. According to Hartmut Scharfe, the oldest medicine siddhar Tamil text mentioning Agastya were composed no earlier than the 16th century.

His named is spelled asAgathiyarorAgasthiyarin some Tamil texts,and some consider the writer of the medical texts to be a different person.

According toKamil Zvelebil,the sage Agastya,AkattiyantheSiddhar,and Akatthiyar, the author ofAkattiyam,were three or possibly four different persons of different eras, who over time became fused into one single person in the Tamil tradition.

Buddhist texts

Several Buddhist texts mention Agastya. Just like early Buddhist texts such asKalapa,KatantraandCandra-vyakaranaadapting Panini, and Asvaghosa adopting the more ancient Sanskrit poetic methodology as he praises theBuddha,Agastya appears in 1st millennium CE Buddhist texts. In Tamil texts, for example, Akattiyan is described as the sage who learnt Tamil and Sanskrit grammar and poetics from Avalokitan (another name for Buddha-to-beAvalokiteśvara).

The left Indonesian statue shows Agastya with Shiva's trident, as a divine sage ofShaivism.Agastya iconography is common in southeast Asian temples.

According toAnne E. Monius,theManimekalaiandViracoliyamare two of many South Indian texts that co-opt Agastya and make him a student of the Buddha-to-be.

Agastya elsewhere appears in other historic Buddhist mythologies, such as the Jataka tales. For example, the Buddhist textJataka-malaby Aryasura, about the Buddha's previous lives, includes Agastya as the seventh chapter.TheAgastya-Jatakastory is carved as a relief in theBorobudur,the world's largest early medieval eraMahayanaBuddhist temple.

Javanese and Indian texts

Agastya is one of the most important figures in a number of medieval era Southeast Asian inscriptions, temple reliefs and arts. He was particularly popular in Java due to his teaching of

Saiva Siddhanta which was easily accepted into the Javanese society. He introduced the Vedic science and the Pallavan Grantha script, his popularity declined when Islam started to spread throughout the islands of Indonesia. He is also found in Cambodia, Vietnam and other regions. The earliest mentions of Agastya is traceable to about the mid 1st millennium CE, but the 11th-century Javanese language textAgastya-parvais a remarkable combination of philosophy, mythology and genealogy attributed to sage Agastya.

TheAgastya-parvaincludes Sanskrit verse (shlokas) embedded within the Javanese language. The text is structured as a conversation between aGuru(teacher, Agastya) and aSisya(student, Agastya's son Drdhasyu).The style is a mixture of didactic, philosophical and theological treatise, covering diverse range of topics much like Hindu Puranas. The chapters of the Javanese text include the Indian theory of cyclic existence, rebirth andsamsara,creation of the world by the churning of the ocean (samudra manthan), theories of theSamkhyaand theVedantaschool ofHindu philosophy,major sections on godShivaandShaivism,some discussion ofTantra,a manual like summary of ceremonies associated with the rites of passage and others.

While the similarities between theAgastya-parvatext and classical Indian ideas are obvious, according toJan Gonda,the Indian counterpart of this text in Sanskrit or Tamil languages have not been found in Indonesia or in India.Similarly other Agastya-related Indonesian texts, dated to be from the 10th to 12th centuries, discuss ideas from multiple sub-schools of Shaivism such as theistic Shaivasiddhanta and monistic Agamic Pashupata, and these texts declare these theologies to be of equal merit and value.

Agastya on south side of the 9th-century JavaneseSambisaritemple unearthed from volcanic mud.

Agastya is common in medieval era Shiva temples of southeast Asia, such as the stone temples in Java (candi). Along with the iconography of Shiva, Uma, Nandi and Ganesha who face particular cardinal directions, these temples include sculpture, image or relief of Agastya carved into the southern face.The Shiva shrine in the largest Hindu temple complex in southeast Asia,Prambanan,features four cellae in its interior. This central shrine within Prambanan group of temples dedicates its southern cella to Agastya.

The Dinoyo inscription, dated to 760 CE, is primarily dedicated to Agastya. The inscription states that his older wooden image was remade in stone, thereby suggesting that the reverence for Agastya iconography in southeast Asia was prevalent in an older period.InCambodia,the 9th-century king Indravarman, who is remembered for sponsoring and the building of a large number of historic temples and related artworks, is declared in the texts of this period to be a descendant of sage Agastya.

Agastya Samhita

Main article:Agastya Samhita

Agastya Saṁhitā(literally: "Agastya's Compendium" ) is the title of several works in Sanskrit, attributed to Agastya.

One of those works is theAgastya Samhita,sometimes called theSankara Samhita,a section embedded inSkanda Purana.It was probably composed in late medieval era, but before the 12th-century.It exists in many versions, and is structured as a dialogue betweenSkandaand Agastya. Scholars such asMoriz Winternitzstate that the authenticity of the surviving version of this document is doubtful because Shaiva celebrities such as Skanda and Agastya teachVaishnavismideas and the bhakti (devotional worship) ofRama,mixed in with a tourist guide about Shiva temples inVaranasiand other parts of India.

Agastimata

Agastya is attributed to be the author ofAgastimata,a pre-10th century treatise about gems and diamonds, with chapters on the origins, qualities, testing and making jewellery from them.Several other Sanskrit texts on gems andlapidaryare also credited to Agastya in the Indian traditions.

Others

Other mentions of Agastya include:

• Bṛhaddevatāin section 5.134.
• TheLalita sahasranamaofShaktismtradition of Hinduism, which describes the 1000 names of the goddessLalitais a part of theBrahmanda Purana.It is presented as a teaching from Hayagriya (an avatar ofViṣṇu) to Agastya.
• Agastya is credited as the creator of theĀditya Hṛdayam(literally, "heart of the sun" ), a hymn toSūryahe told Rama to recite, so that he may win against Ravana. Scholars such as John Muir questioned this hymn since the need for a such a hymn by Rama implies doubts about his divine nature.
• Lakshmi StotramandSaraswati Stotram.
• The Tamil textPattuppattustates Agastya to be master oficai(music, song).
• Kalidasa,in hisRaghuvaṃśa(6.61) states that Agastya officiated thehorse sacrificeof aPandyaking ofMadurai.
• One of the authors ofNadi Shastra / Nadi astrology

Legacy

Temples

Temples for Agastya are found in Tamil Nadu. They include the Sri Agasthiyar Temple atAgasthiyar Falls(Kalyana Theertham) inPapanasam(Thirunelveli District) and the Sri Lobamudra Samedha Agasthiyar Temple in the Arulmigu Chidambara Vinayagar Thirukoil atA. Vellalapatti(Madurai District) (7 km fromAlagarkovil).

Agastya statues or reliefs feature in numerous early medieval temples of north India, south India and southeast Asia. One famous Agastya temple is also located in Uttarakhand in the town of Agastyamuni. The town derived its name on the name of Sage Agastya. TheDasavatara templeinDeogarh(Uttar Pradesh, near Madhya Pradesh border) features a 6th-centuryGupta Empireera Agastya carving.InKarnatakasimilarly, he is reverentially shown in several 7th-century temples such as the Mallikarjuna temple in Mahakuta and the Parvati temple in Sandur. He is a part of many Chalukya era Shaivism temples in the Indian subcontinent peninsula.

The artistic iconography of South Asian and Southeast Asian temples show common themes such as he holding a pitcher, but also differences. For example, Agastya is featured inside or outside of the temple walls and sometimes as guardian at the entrance (dvarapala), with or without a potbelly, with or without a receding hairline, with or without a dagger and sword.Rock cut temples and caves, such as the 8th-century Pandya rock temples group, show Agastya.

Literature

The shrine to Agastya at the Pothigai hill source of the river is mentioned in bothIlango Adigal'sSilappatikaramandChithalai Chathanar'sManimekhalaiepics.

Similarly, the Sanskrit playsAnargharāghavaandRajasekhara'sBālarāmāyaṇaof the ninth century refer to a shrine of Agastya on or nearAdam's Peak(Sri Pada), the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka (ancientTamraparni), from whence the river Gona Nadi/Kala Oya flows into the Gulf of Mannar'sPuttalam Lagoon.

Martial arts

Maharishi Agastya is regarded as the founder ofSilambam,anIndian martial artfromTamil Nadu,andvarmam,an ancient science of healing using varmam points for varied diseases which is also utilized by practitioners of the southern form ofKalaripayattu,an Indian martial art fromKerala.Murugan,the son ofShiva,is said to have taughtvarmamto Agastya, who then wrote treatises on it and passed it on to othersiddhar.

See also

• Siddhars
• Tirumular
• Tamil Thai

References

Bibliography

• Hiltebeitel, Alf (2011).Reading the Fifth Veda: Studies on the Mahābhārata - Essays by Alf Hiltebeitel.Brill Academic.ISBN978-90-04-18566-1.
• Daniélou, Alain(1991).The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series.Inner Traditions.ISBN978-0-89281-354-4.
• Monius, Anne E.(2001).Imagining a Place for Buddhism: Literary Culture and Religious Community in Tamil-Speaking South India.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-803206-9.
• Shulman, David(2014).Tamil Temple Myths: Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition.Princeton University Press.ISBN978-1-4008-5692-3.
• Shulman, David (2016).Tamil.Harvard University Press. p. 25.ISBN978-0-674-05992-4.
• van Buitenen, J. A. B. (1981).The Mahabharata, Volume 2: Book 2: The Book of Assembly; Book 3: The Book of the Forest.University of Chicago Press.ISBN978-0-226-84664-4.
• Gonda, Jan (1975).Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 3 Southeast Asia, Religions, Religionen.Brill Academic.ISBN90-04-04330-6.
• Zvelebil, Kamil (1992).Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature.BRILL Academic.ISBN90-04-09365-6.
• Patton, Laurie (2014). Julia Leslie (ed.).Myth and Mythmaking: Continuous Evolution in Indian Tradition.Taylor & Francis.ISBN978-1-136-77888-9.
• Patton, Laurie (1996).Myth as Argument: The Br̥haddevatā as Canonical Commentary.Walter de Gruyter.ISBN978-3-11-013805-4.
• Rocher, Ludo (1986).The Purāṇas.Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.ISBN978-3-447-02522-5.
• Weiss, Richard S (2009).Recipes for Immortality: Healing, Religion, and Community in South India.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-971500-8.
• Dalal, Roshen (2010).Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide.Penguin Books.ISBN978-0-14-341421-6.
• Dalal, Roshen (2014).The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism's Sacred Texts.Penguin Books.ISBN978-81-8475-763-7.
• Jamison, Stephanie W.;Brereton, Joel P. (2014).The Rigveda.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-937018-4.
• Buck, William (2000).Ramayana.University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-22703-3.

Further reading

• T. Burrow (1958). "Sanskrit and Pre-Aryan Tribes and Languages," The Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (Reprinted in collected papers on Dravidian Linguistics, Annamalai University,1968.)
• Murray Barnson Emeneau.1954Linguistic Prehistory of India, "Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society vol.98 P.282(Reprinted in Collected Papers,Annamalai University,1967.)
• Murray Barnson Emeneau1956 "India As aLinguistic Area," Language,Vol.32,P. 3(Reprinted in Collected Papers,1967).
• G. S. Ghurye (1977).Indian Acculturation: Agastya and Skanda,Popular Prakashan, Bombay.
• A. B. Keith and A. A. MacDonnell (1912). "A Vedic Index of Names and Subjects" (2 Vols.,Reprint 1967)
• F. E. Pargiter (1922). Ancient India Historical Tradition(Reprint 1962)
• Raghava Iyengar,M.1913 Velir Varalaru (in Tamil),3rd ed. 1964.
• R. Raghava Iyengar,R.1941 Tamil Varalaru (in Tamil),Annamalai, University(Reprint 1978 )
• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend(ISBN0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola
• Sanskrit-English Dictionary(ISBN0-19-864308-X) bySir Monier Monier-Williams
• The Sauptikaparvan of the MahabharataA new verse translation by W.J. Johnson
• The Epic Tale of Mahabharatam
• Dharma Bharathi,2007, Karnataka, India – Carried a series of articles on Agastya Samhita and its contents.
• Agastya, Amar Chitra Katha

External links

• Folklore and Astronomy: Agastya a sage and a star
• Agasti Ashram Akole, Maharashtra website