Harita () is a king in

Hindu literature Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...

. He is described to be the son of Yauvanāśva and grandson of King

Ambarisha In Hindu mythology, Ambarisha ( sa, अम्बरीषः, ) is an Ikshvaku king, and the son of Mandhata.Pargiter, F.E. (1972) 922 ''Ancient Indian Historical Tradition'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.92. He is believed to have conquered t ...

and the great-grandson of King Mandhata of the

Suryavamsha The Solar dynasty (IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in Sanskrit) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98, 100-/1, 136 The dynasty is ...

dynasty. Harita is believed to have left his kingdom as a symbolic expiation of his sins. After completing the austerities, according to the

Sthala Purana Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

of Sriperumbudur. His descendants and he were accorded the status of a Brahmana by Lord

Narayana Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...

Literature

According to the

(the regional account of a temple's sacredness) of Sriperumbudur, Harita once embarked on a hunting expedition, when he spotted a tiger attacking a cow. In order to save the cow, he slew the tiger, but the cow was also killed. Even as he lamented his act, a heavenly voice asked him to go to Sriperumbudur, bathe in the temple tank, and pray for forgiveness from

, who would absolve him of his sins. The King obeyed this instruction, after which Narayana is described to appear before him, and absolved him of his sins. The deity also is said to have proclaimed that even though the king had been a Kshatriya all these years, due to his blessings, he and his descendants would now acquire the status of a Brahmana.

Gotra

To this day, many royals claim descent from this king of the

dynasty to substantiate their claims to royalty. They claim descent from Harita, and seek legitimacy from Hindu texts such as the

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana ( IAST:, sa, विष्णुपुराण) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manusc ...

Vayu Purana The ''Vayu Purana'' ( sa, वायुपुराण, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. ''Vayu Purana'' is mentioned in the manuscripts of the Mahabharata and other Hindu texts, which has led scholars to p ...

Linga Purana The ''Linga Purana'' (लिङ्गपुराण, IAST: ) is one of the eighteen '' Mahapuranas'', and a ''Shaivism'' text of Hinduism. The text's title ''Linga'' refers to the iconographical symbol for Shiva. The author(s) and date of the ...

. The presiding rishi of Harita/Haritasa gotra is Sage

Angiras Angiras or Angira ( Sanskrit: / ', pronounced ) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the '' Rigveda'' as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in other hymns to be the first ...

a, The sage was widely praised in

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

and Puranas. The Harita/Haritasa gotra descends from

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

Harita,The son of Yauvanāśva. Therefore, The king should not be confused with

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

Sage Harita, Who was the son of

Chyavana Chyavana () was a sage (rishi) in Hinduism. He was a son of Bhrigu, also known as Bhrigu Varuni in the Upanishads, and is known for his rejuvenation through a special herbal paste or tonic known as '' chyavanaprasham'', which was prepared by t ...

Rishi and was the author of Harita Samhita. The Pravara to be used by the Brahmanas of the Harita/Haritasa gotra in ceremonies and other auspicious functions is of two variations, namely: *Harita,

, Yauvanāśva. *

, Yauvanāśva. * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harita Hinduism Hindu literature Solar dynasty