Lomasha () is a sage featured in

Hindu texts Hindu texts or Hindu scriptures are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. Some of the major Hindus, Hindu texts include the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Itihasa. ...

. He is most prominently featured in the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

, where he narrates a number of legends to the

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

during their period of exile in the forest.

Literature

Mahabharata

In the

, Lomasha is described to have visited Indraloka to pay his respects to

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

. He observed the Pandava

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

seated upon half of the deity's throne. Indra explained to the sage that Arjuna shared the throne with him due to the virtue of being his son, and described the circumstances of the prince's birth and identity. He instructed the sage to return to earth, to the forest of

Kamyaka Kamyakavana (), also referred to as the Kamyaka forest, is a legendary forest featured in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It is described to be located on the banks of the river Sarasvati. The Pandavas are described to have spent a period of their exil ...

, and offer

Yudhishthira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Indian epic ''Ma ...

reassurance that his brother would return to him after gaining celestial weapons, and ask him to bathe in

pilgrimage sites A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

along with the other Pandavas. The deity also bade the sage to protect Yudhishthira from the

rakshasas Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...

that resided in the forest. Accordingly, Lomasha visited Yudhishthira and conveyed the aforementioned message of Indra, and offered to accompany him during his pilgrimage. Hearing Yudhishthira's grievances about the success of his unrighteous foes, Lomasha preached to the prince regarding the nature of

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

. Citing the example of the superiority of the devas over the

asuras Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, ...

, the sage assured him that those who did not adhere to dharma would be destroyed. The sage regaled the tales of a number of personages to the Pandavas, such as those of

Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

, and

Rishyashringa Rishyasringa (; ; Pali: Isisiṅga) is a rishi mentioned in Hindu and Buddhist scriptures from the late first millennium BCE. According to the Hindu epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'', he was a boy born with the horns of a deer who became ...

. He accompanied them during their visits to a number of holy sites such as the Naimisha forest, Gaya, and the river

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

, and explained their significance to them. The legend of Indra slaying

Vritra Vritra (, , ) is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi ( ). He appe ...

is narrated by Lomasha.

Padma Purana

In the

Padma Purana The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...

, the legend of Lomasha coming across five maidens of the

gandharva A ''gandharva'' () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they ...

race who had fallen in love with the son of a sage is described by

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

. The young man rejected their advances, and when they attempted to claim him by force, he turned them into pishachas, and they responded in kind. Feeling sorry for their plights, the sage had them bathe in the holy waters of the

Narmada The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...

river, which returned them to their original forms. Lomasha advised the young man to take the five maidens as his wives and live together by the banks of the river.

Skanda Purana

In the

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' ( IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

, Lomasha narrates a number of legends, such as that of the

Samudra Manthana The Samudra Manthana () is a major episode in Hinduism that is elaborated in the Vishnu Purana, a major text of Hinduism. The Samudra Manthana explains the origin of the elixir of eternal life, amrita. Nomenclature *Sāgara manthana (साग� ...

and the conflict between the

, led by

Virochana Virochana () is an asura king in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Hiranyakashipu, the son of Prahlada (according to the Atharvaveda The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" ...

, and the devas, led by Indra.

Tulasi Ramayana

In the Tulasi Ramayana, Lomasha is stated to have once engaged in a discourse on the merits of

nirguna ''Para Brahman'' or ''Param Brahman'' () in Hindu philosophy is the "Supreme Brahman" that which is beyond all descriptions and conceptualisations. It is described as beyond the form or the formlessness (in the sense that it is devoid of May ...

(non-qualified Absolute) worship over that of saguna (qualified Absolute) worship of

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

. The sage Bhushundi refused to accept these views. In his fury, Lomasha cursed him to become a crow, thus being renamed Kakabhushandi.

References

{{mahabharata Rishis Characters in the Mahabharata