Once upon a time, there was a great sage, maharshi Chyavan, who learned the Vedas from Lord Brahma. He was the son of Brigu rishi, who carved his footprint on the chest of Lord Vishnu.
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Rishi Chyavan once started severe austerity in a secluded place. Centuries passed, but muni continued his sadhana. He stopped moving and remained seated in the same position, completely engaged in deep meditation. He even gradually stopped eating. With time, he got covered in dust, and termites started to pile up on him. In spite of his physical transformation due to austerity, his brahma-tej or spiritual power, kept him alive. Everyone regarded the place as forbidden, as they knew that Sage Chyavan was performing his sadhana there. But as time passed, people forgot about the great sage, and the place was encroached upon by the forest.
One day, King Sharyati came to that forest for hunting. Beside his soldiers, he had his daughter Sukanya and her companions. As the king camped there, Sukanya and her companions started playing in the jungle. As they were exploring the area, they came to the place where Maharshi Chayavan had been practicing his auterisity for years.
Sukanya found a ruin of a house that looked like an ashram of a sage. She became very delighted to see a beautiful pond there. The pond was full of lotus. She and her companions were roaming about there when they spotted an enormous mound of termites. As she went close to the mound, Sukanya spotted two strange small holes in the mound, through which she could see two red objects, radiating like burning charcoal. Sukanya could not understand what they were. So, she picked up a stick from the ground and poked it into one of the holes. The mound moved a bit, and a shriek came out unexpectedly from there. A narrow stream of blood started flowing through the opening. Sukanya became scared and fled from there immediately.
After spending hundreds of years in unbroken tapasya, one day Rishi Chyavan suddenly felt some changes in the surroundings. He heard the laughs and sounds of some young women nearby. He opened his eyes after a long time. As he kept his eyes closed for so long, his vision was blurred, and he was not able to comprehend what was happening. Suddenly, he felt a sharp object enter his right eye. In severe agony and anguish, he tried to shout. But in stead, a scream came out of his throat. He understood that the blood was flowing from his right eye. In anguish, he cursed the person who hurt him. Due to his prolonged auterisity, he was extremely feeble. Still, after lots of efforts, he freed himself from the mound.
The next morning, King Sharyati started to observe certain peculiar events. His soldiers started to experience severe pain as they were unable to urinate. The horses were not willing to move. The fruits in the nearby trees got rotten, and a foul smell started to come from the drinking water they were carrying. Sharyati was unable to make out what was happening. He had a very wise advisor who told him that it seemed someone had cursed them. Thus, the king called all of his accompanies and asked them whether anyone knew about anything. Sukanya came forward and truthfully told her father what had happened the previous afternoon.
The advisor told Sharyati that probably the deserted ashram was the hermitage of the great sage Chyavan. Hearing so, Sharyati immediately went to the deserted ashram along with his daughter. He spotted the muni by the pond. He lost his eyesight and was too weak to even move. Thus, the king asked his accompanies to repair the deserted ashram immediately to make it habitable. He fed the muni and treated his wound. As the Rishi felt better, the king apologized to him for the unintentional mistake. The Rishi also pardoned the king and his daughter.
Within a few days, by the king's order, the ashram regained its former look, and the muni also regained some strength. Sukanya was feeling extremely guilty for her mistake, and she began to nurse the sage wholeheartedly. As the king decided to leave a few days later, Sukanya asked her father's permission to stay with the muni as an atonement for her sin. The king got surprised, as it was impossible for a princess to stay in the secluded place with an extremely old man who was even unable to move on his own. But Sukanya was determined. The king at last agreed. On Sukanya's insistence, everyone returned, except Sukanya herself.
Rishi listened to everything and was very pleased to see the kindness of the princess. As Sukanya was taking care of the sage wholeheartedly, soon the Rishi regained his strength to some extent. With his yogic power, he summoned Ashwini Kumars. The Ashwini Kumars were the divine physicians. He asked Ashwin Kumars to help him get his youth back in exchange for providing them with a portion of offerings in sacrificial rites. The Ashwini Kumars were considered to have low status among the devas, and they were not considered worthy enough to receive offerings. Thus, they agreed to help the muni at once.
They prepared a special medicine for the sage, chyavanprash, to eat, which would boost his energy and strength. They also prepared some special pastes and oils to massage the sage, which would make his wrinkled skin smooth and reduce body aches. For a month, they continued their treatment. Sukanya observed the changes in the muni. It was evident that the muni was no longer an old and feeble person. She was astonished to see the miraculous transformation. She was also moved by the polite and meek behavior of the muni, despite his enormous knowledge and power. Thus, she started to covet Muni as her husband. The Ashwin Kumars were also inclined towards Sukanya due to her beauty and behavior.
As the muni regained much of his strength and look, the Ashwini Kumars decided to go for the last step. They mixed certain herbs in the water of the nearby pond and cast a spell. They asked the muni to dip in that water three times. After the first dip, Chyavan got his eyesight back; after the second one, he became disease-free; and after the third, he got back his youth. But at the time of the third dip, the Ashwini Kumars also took a dip along with him. From the pond, three youths came out, identical in their looks and gestures.
Sukanya was standing beside the pond. Suddenly she saw that three identical handsome young men came out of the pond, and each of them asked her to take him as her husband. She was confused. Suddenly, she noticed that, though all three were completely soaked in water, only one had left footprints in the mud behind. Thus, she identified Rishi and accepted his proposal. The Ashwini Kumars were also glad to see her perceptive nature, and they turned to their original look. They blessed her and left.
When King Sharyati returned to see how the muni was doing and to take back his daughter, he was stunned to see that the muni had turned young. Thus, he willingly handed his daughter to Rishi in marriage.
Soon, King Sharyati decided to perform a huge sacrificial rite for the betterment of his people. Sage Chyavan was leading the yagna as the priest. He dedicated a part of the offerings to the Ashwini Kumars, as promised. That enrages Devraj Indra, and he himself appeared there to oppose. Rishi Chyavan first politely tried to appease him. But as Devraj vigorously continued to oppose, Chyavan created a fearful rakshasa, Mada, who emerged from the alter and went to devour Indra. Unprepared, Indra was surprised, got afraid, and hastily gave his approval. Thus, Ashwini Kumars also began to get offerings in yagnas thereafter.
Well...did you like the story? Please don't forget to post your comment. By the way, have you ever tried chyawanprash? If not, you should try. This is a traditional Indian immunity booster made from a number of herbs and honey. It tastes yummy, and yes, it is named after Rishi Chyavan.
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