Adrisyanti (Adrsyanti)
Wife of sage Sakti, the son of Vasistha and mother of sage Parasara.
Kalinasapada, a king of the Iksvaku dynasty reached the hermitage of Vasistha during a hunting expedition when Sakti, eldest of the hundred sons of Vasistha came walking towards him. False pride prevented either of them from giving way to the other. The King got angry and whipped Sakti. Sakti cursed the king and he was converted into a demon. This happened at a period when sages Vasistha and Visavamitra were at logger-heads. Visvamitra got admitted into the body of King Kalmasapada a demon called Kirnkara, and the king set out to take revenge upon Sakti, the son of Vasistha. The King was further promised all support by Vi”svamitra. Kalmasapada ate up all the hundred sons of Vasistha. Overcome with grief Vasistha attempted suicide many a time. But the spirit (Atman) did not quit the body. Thus sunken in grief Vasistha lived in his hermitage with Adrsyanti, wife of Sakti.
One day Vasistha heard distinct sounds of the chanting of the Vedas and Adrsyanti told him that a child of his son, Sakti, was developing in her womb and that the vedic sounds heard were sounds produced by that son chanting the vedic hymns. Vasistha thus was happy to hear that the dynasty will not become extinct and, so, gave up all ideas of suicide. Another day Kalnrasapada in the guise of the demon hurriedly came to devour Adrsyanti and Vasistha gave him redemption from the curse. He was restored to his old state and form. Adrsyanti duly gave birth to a son, and the child grew up to become Parasara, father of Vyasa.
While the Pandavas, in the course of their forest life, were passing the banks of river Ganga at midnight, a Gandharva named Ariigaraparna enjoying in the river-water clashed with Arjuna, and he was defeated. The story of Adrsyanti is one of the many stories told by Arng5raparna to the Pandavas. (M ~B. Adi Parva, Chapters 175-178).
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