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Rishi Pulastya
पुलस्त्य
Ancient Vedic sage of the Brahma lineage.
- Lineage
- Brahma
- Related Gotras
- 1
- Primary Location
- Well-appointed hermitage
⚡Key Life Events
Receiver of the Vishnu Purana
(*Vishnu Purana* I.1-2): Brahma first narrated the Vishnu Purana to Pulastya, who then transmitted it to Parashara (Vashishtha's grandson). Parashara then taught it to his disciple Maitreya. This makes Pulastya a crucial link in the transmission of one of the most important Puranas.
Grandfather of Ravana and Kubera
Pulastya's son Vishrava married twice: his first wife Ilavida bore **Kubera** (god of wealth, lord of Yakshas); his second wife Kaikesi bore **Ravana**, **Kumbhakarna**, **Vibhishana**, and **Surpanakha**. This dual lineage — producing both the god of wealth and the greatest demon king — makes Pulastya's family a study in duality.
🌳Family & Lineage
Brahma
father
born from his ears
Havirbhu
wife
(also called Priti in some accounts) — a daughter of Kardama Prajapati
Vishrava
son
(also spelled Vaishravana) — himself a powerful sage
Surpanakha
granddaughter
whose nose-cutting by Lakshmana triggered the Ramayana war
🕉️Vedic Contributions
The primary conduit through whom this major Purana reached the world
Narrator of portions
Dharmashastra text on pilgrimage (tirtha-mahatmya — the importance of sacred sites)
✨Associated Elements
- Knowledge transmission: The intermediary through whom sacred knowledge flows from Brahma to humanity
- Duality of creation: His lineage produces both supreme good (Kubera, wealth) and supreme evil (Ravana, destruction) — showing that the same source can produce opposites
- The weight of legacy: A good sage whose descendants include both saints and sinners
- Cosmic balance: Wealth and destruction, devotion (Vibhishana) and tyranny (Ravana)
🏔️Setting & Environment
- Well-appointed hermitage — more scholarly than rugged; a library-like ashram
- Near Meru mountain — associated with the celestial realm where his grandson Kubera rules in Alaka
- Lakeside or riverside — serene, reflective settings for scholarly discourse
- Lanka/Golden City in the background — referencing both Kubera's original city and Ravana's later kingdom
- Surrounded by texts — palm-leaf manuscripts, scrolls
🔗Related Gotras
This Gotra traces its lineage to Rishi Pulastya:
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