Our mythology speaks of many Vyasas. Vedavyasa classified the available knowledge of Veda into Samhitas. Vyasas wrote the eighteen Puranas and established the system of teaching them through Upakhyanas or discourses. Vyasa’s last work was the Bhagavata
Vyasa is considered by all Hindus as a Chiranjivi, one who is still living and roaming throughout the world for the well-being of his devotees.
One of the Vyasas spent his life on Badri fruits only in Badrikashram and thus came to be known as Badarayan.
One dark in colour called Krishna.
One born in an island to Parasara Rishi and Matsyakanya-Satyavathi Devi was called Dvaipayana.
SAGE Yajnavalkya
Yajnavalkya of Mithila stands distinguished both in the Srutis and in the Smritis. Yajnavalkya is especially known for his unsurpassed spiritual wisdom and power. He was a celebrated Srotriya and a Brahma-nishtha Guru. Once King Janaka of Videha wanted to know from which real Brahmanishtha to receive Brahma Vidya. In order to find out who was the real Brahma-nishtha, Janaka performed a huge Bahudakshina sacrifice to which all the Rishis from far and wide were invited. And he offered one thousand cows with their calves, all their horns beings decked with enormous gold. Then he proclaimed to the assembled ones, “Whosoever is the best Brahmana amongst you may drive these cows home”. None dared to get up and take away the cows as they were afraid of censure by the others. But Yajnavalkya stood up and asked his disciple Samasravas to drive the cow’s home.
The other Brahmanas got angry and said to one another, How can he declare himself to be the best among us? Thereupon several Rishis challenged Yajnavalkya with many questions on transcendental matters to all of which Yajnavalkya gave prompt reply. There was a great debate in which Yajnavalkya won over all the others. Janaka was convinced that Yajnavalkya was the best Brahma-nishtha
Yajnavalkya married two wives. One was Maitreyi and the other Katyayani. Of the two, Maitreyi was a Brahmavadini. When Yajnavalkya wished to divide his property between the two wives before starting for the fourth Ashrama of his life, Maitreyi asked whether she could become immortal through wealth. Yajnavalkya replied that there was no hope of immortality through wealth and that she would only become one among the many who were well todo on earth. On hearing this, Maitreyi requested Yajnavalkya to teach her what he considered as the best. Then Yajnavalkya elaborately described to her the sole greatness of the Absolute Self, the nature of Its existence, the way of attaining infinite knowledge and immortality etc. This immortal conversation between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi is recorded in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The central theme of the discourse is this: “All things are dear, not for their sake, but for the sake of the Self. This Self alone exists everywhere. It cannot be understood or known, for It alone is the Under stander and the Knower. Its nature cannot be said to be positively as such. It is realized through endless denials as ‘not this, not this’. The Self is self-luminous, indestructible, unthinkable”.
The other wife Katyayani the daughter of Bharadhwaja, was of common intelligence, and through her Yajnavalkya had three sons Chandrakanta, Mahamegha and Vijaya.
The third and the fourth chapters of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad abound with the great philosophical teachings of Yajnavalkya. Yajnavalkya was also the author of the famous Yajnavalkya Smriti. His other works are Yajnavalkya Shakha, Pratijna Sutra, Satapatha Brahmana, and Yoga-Yajnavalkya.
Dattatreya
Dattatreya threw away all his personal possessions, even the scanty clothing he had, and became an Avadhuta. He went out preaching and teaching the truths of Vedanta. Dattatreya taught his Gita, named Avadhuta Gita. This is a most valuable book that contains the truths and secrets of Vedanta and the direct experiences of Self-realization.
Sanatkumara
The teachings and spiritual techniques that the great sage, Sanatkumara, shared with aspirants have been preserved in a variety of works, among them the Chhandogya Upanishad, the Mahabharata, Harivamsa Purana, Vamana Purana, Skanda Purana, Brahmanda Purana, and the Mahatymya Khanda of Tripura Rahasyam. The teachings, presented here in the form of a dialogue between Sanatkumara and Narada, are taken primarily from the Chhandogya Upanishad.
Friends Sage Narada was a very knowledgeable man but unhappy. It was only Sanatkumara who helped Narada find happiness. What you read is a conversation between Sanatkumara and Narada where the former gave Narada tips on how to attain happiness.
Narada
Once there was a learned yogi named Narada. In addition to his knowledge of the scriptures and spiritual disciplines, he was expert in philosophy, history, grammar, mathematics, economics, ethics, logic, mythology, astrology, astronomy, medicine, and a host of other disciplines. He had mastered sixty-four different branches of art and science.
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Website maintained by: NARA