About
Sage Pulaha — Mind-Born Son of Brahma, Prajapati, Great Devotee of Shiva
Pulaha · Manasaputra · Saptarishi · Prajapati · Brahmarishi · Kshama-pati · Gati-pati
Pulaha is one of the Saptarishis — the seven great sages of the first Manvantara — and one of the ten Manasaputras, the mind-born sons of Brahma. He is one of the ten Prajapatis entrusted with the facilitation of creation. He emerged from Brahma's navel. The Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata states that as a Prajapati, Pulaha is specifically entrusted with the creation of animals and plants. He is a devoted worshipper of Shiva — the tradition holds that Shiva was so pleased with his devotion that he manifested in Varanasi as Pulahaeshwar. King Bharata — the celebrated emperor — is said to have sought refuge in Pulaha's ashrama at Shalagrama on the banks of the Gandaki River, where he finally renounced all worldly attachments. Pulaha acquired knowledge from the sage Sanandan and in turn imparted all that knowledge to the great sage Gautama.
✦ The Name
The name Pulaha is interpreted in the tradition as connected to the Sanskrit roots meaning one who is venerable or one of refined quality. Some traditions also connect the name to his role as creator and sustainer of animal and plant life. Descended from Brahma's navel — the body part associated in Hindu cosmology with Vishnu's creative function and the lotus of creation — his origin within Brahma's body reinforces his association with the generative dimension of cosmic creativity.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Brahma — from whose navel Pulaha was directly born
- First wife: Kshama — daughter of Prajapati Daksha; her name means forgiveness or patience
- Second wife: Gati — daughter of Kardama Prajapati and Devahuti (per the Bhagavata Purana)
- Sons by Kshama: Kardama, Kanakapeetha, and Urvarivat
- Daughter by Kshama: Peevari
- Sons by Gati: Karmasreshtha, Vareeyaamsu, and Sahishnu
- Other progeny: The Kimpurushas — a race of celestial beings — are recorded in the Mahabharata as the children of Pulaha
- Father-in-law (first wife): Prajapati Daksha
- Father-in-law (second wife): Kardama Prajapati
✦ Character and Episodes
Pulaha is described as a great devotee of Shiva. His intense austerities on the banks of the sacred river Alaknanda earned him an invitation to the assembly of Indra, the king of the gods — a mark of the highest respect extended to the most accomplished sages of the age. Pulaha also receives mention in the tradition of the three sacred Rishi lakes: the Skanda Purana records that during a terrible drought, Atri, Pulastya, and Pulaha arrived together at Nainital on a penitential pilgrimage, found no water to quench their thirst, dug a hole, and siphoned water into it from the sacred Mansarovar lake — forming what is now called the Naini lake. Shiva, highly satisfied with Pulaha's devotion, manifested at Varanasi as Pulahaeshwar.
The Bhagavata Purana records that King Bharata — the emperor after whom India (Bharatavarsha) is named — in the final phase of his life renounced his kingdom and took shelter at the hermitage of Pulaha at Shalagrama on the Gandaki River. Pulaha's ashrama is described as a place of exceptional natural beauty and sanctity. While there, Bharata became attached to a deer fawn and was reborn as a deer in his next life as a consequence of that attachment — making Pulaha's hermitage the site of the most famous episode illustrating the danger of worldly attachment even for the most advanced spiritual practitioners.
✦ References
- Mahabharata (Vyasa) — Adi Parva: names Pulaha among the seven great sages of the first Manvantara and among the Prajapatis; records the Kimpurushas as Pulaha's progeny; Shanti Parva: records Pulaha's specific role in the creation of animals and plants as a Prajapati
- Bhagavata Purana — Skandha 3–4: Pulaha's wives Kshama and Gati; his children; King Bharata's stay at Pulaha's ashrama at Shalagrama and the deer episode
- Vishnu Purana — genealogical passages recording Pulaha among the nine Manasaputras of Brahma
- Skanda Purana — the pilgrimage of Atri, Pulastya, and Pulaha to Nainital and the formation of the Naini lake
- Wikipedia — Pulaha; Hindutempletalk — Saptarshi: modern summaries drawing from the above primary sources