Table of Contents
Angshuman finds the horse
Recap
The sixty thousand sons of Sagara were cursed to have a short life. When Indra stole the sacrificial horse, these sixty thousand searched the whole earth, looking for the horse and causing destruction. They then dug their way into the earth and ended up in Patala.
There they saw the horse tied in Rishi Kapil’s ashrama. Thinking the rishi was the thief, they struck the rishi, who immediately burnt them to ashes.
A year passed. The horse had to return at the end of the year. The princes who had gone with the horse knew that. Why was there no news from the princes? Sagara was anxious. A day passed, then another. The auspicious moment of closing the yagna was over. How to find out what was happening? As Sagara had started the sacrifice, he could not abandon it and go. He had taken initiation (Diksha) and was forbidden from leaving the sacrificial grounds or the capital until the ritual was completed. Breaking this would nullify the entire sacrifice. He sent for Angshuman, Asamanja’s son.
Angshuman, from childhood, had been the ideal prince. His father’s activities did not bother him, and when Sagara had exiled Asamanja, Angshuman had grown up to be kind-hearted, observant, and deeply popular among the people of Ayodhya from a young age. He would often interact with the subjects to mitigate the fear caused by his father’s actions. Even as a child, he showed natural inclination toward learning and diplomacy. However, unlike many princes who focused solely on weaponry, Angshuman was highly trained in the laws of righteousness and political ethics. Following the exile, he took it upon himself to "re-earn" the trust of the people of Ayodhya. He served his grandfather with absolute loyalty to ensure the continuity of the lineage.
Angshuman came to see his grandfather. He too had been wondering when the horse would return. Getting summons from Sagara, Angshuman thought the horse was back. He came, excited, to participate in the rituals. He came to the ground, where Sagara was. Where was the horse? Only Sagara was there, sitting at the site, with some priests who were chanting mantras. Angshuman approached Sagara. Seeing his grandson, Sagara got up and took Angshuman aside and said to him, “My dear, I am worried. It’s been a year. Your uncles should have been back by now, with the horse. I am bound to the ritual so I cannot go. I want you to go out and see where the horse is, and where your uncles are. Get the horse and let the sacrifice get completed. My blessings are with you.”
Angshuman set forth. When he had set forth, he was wondering how he would go about searching for the horse. He travelled for a day, following the rivers and reached the spot where his uncles had camped. From there, following their trail was easy. The sons of Sagara had dug up everything. Deep trenches were there, everywhere. Following that, Angshuman came and stopped. In front of him was a huge sink hole, large enough to fit an entire village. Taking the names of the gods, Angshuman led his chariot inside that. He followed the same path his uncles had taken, carefully travelling along a spiral path, etched on the sides till he found himself in a different world, altogether. It was bright and radiant, though there was no sign of any sun there. He travelled eastwards and saw a giant elephant in front of him. This was one of the four Diggajas, the guardians of the cardinal directions. Whenever these elephants shook their heads, the earth moved, giving rise to earthquakes. This was a beautiful blue coloured elephant. He and three other elephants stood on the back of a tortoise and supported the world on their tusks.
Angshuman seeing the elephant, bowed down before him and asked how he could find the horse. “Go North. That is the way your uncles went. I will warn you though. When you will see the horse, do not accuse anyone of theft.” The prince took leave and went northwards. He came across a dazzling white elephant. He bowed down before the elephant, and asked him about his uncles and the horse. The elephant asked him to go westwards. There was a red coloured elephant. He asked the elephant the same question and in reply he was asked to go south. He moved and stopped in his tracks. He saw the horse in the south easterly direction. It was tied to a tree, and quietly grazing there. He saw rishi Kapila there. The rishi, was seated near the horse, his eyes closed. The horse was occasionally nuzzling the rishi, who had taken care of it, for an entire year.
Angshuman bowed down and prostrated himself in front of the rishi. In gentle voice, he asked, “O great Rishi, have you seen the sons of Sagara come this way? I have come looking for them. “
Kapila opened his eyes. He saw the young man in front of him. He said, “The sons of Sagara accused me of theft. They tried to hit me and in anger, I burnt them to ashes.” Hearing this Angshuman, instead of losing his temper, started praying to the rishi. He said, “O great One. I am related to those unfortunate men. I am the son of Asamanja and the grandson of Sagara. I am named Angshuman. I pray to you, great one. Who is there, who does not know you? I beg of you. Please tell me how my uncles will gain salvation. You are a great Brahmin and it is said that a Brahmin’s anger is momentary, even smaller than a sesame seed. It comes and immediately vanishes. Please guide me.”
Kapila was pleased with Angshuman. He said, “If you can get the river Ganga here, the souls of your uncles will find liberation.”
Angshuman, hearing this, said to Kapila, “O great Rishi, who is Ganga? How can I get Ganga to come here? Please let know more about Ganga.”
Kapila said to Angshuman, “Listen as I tell you about the birth of Ganga.”
Analysis
As shared in the last post, the sixty thousand sons represent the sensory mind—which is powerful but undisciplined and destructive. Angshuman is refined. He too comes across Rishi Kapila and approaches the rishi with prayer. One could argue that the situations were different, the sons of Sagara were desperate to get the horse back, so they were not able to control their temper. Well, Angshuman was actually more desperate. Sagara had taken Diksha and could not leave. Mantras were being recited, and it was like working on a project whose delivery date was long past. The auspicious moment for completing the yagna was over. He had to get the horse back to avoid the lineage getting cursed.
While Krittibas has shown the sons as very arrogant, the sons are actually not that bad, in Valmiki’s Ramayana. They do dig up and destroy the earth, but when they come into the nether world and see the elephants, they salute the elephants and ask for directions.
Angshuman listened. He heard the elephants who told him to be aware and not blindly accuse of theft. He saw Kapila and bowed down in reverence.
Angshuman acted as per his name. The word Angshuman means ‘The Radiant One’. He is someone who brought light back into the darkness, in Sagara’s life. Kapila means reddish brown. This probably refers to the ‘fire of knowledge’ inside him. Rishi Kapila is said to have founded the Samkhya school of philosophy.
Sanskrit texts call son of Asamanja, Anshuman. I am purposely using Angshuman, to keep it closer to the Bengali rendition.
Comparison: Krittibas vs. Valmiki
The passage does not deviate much from what is present in Valmiki’s Ramayana. Valmiki, in his text, names the elephants whom Angshuman meets. This story is being narrated to Rama and Lakshmana by Vishvamitra, in the Bala Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana. More specific details can be found in the Ramayana (Bala Kanda – starting Sarga 38).
In the Bala Kanda (Sarga 40) Valmiki names the elephants. Sarga 40 is when the sons of Sagara dig the earth and when they go down, they come across the elephants.
- Virupaksha (East): Holding the earth on his head. When he shifts his head for rest, earthquakes occur. Literally means "of Diverse Eyes"—a guardian who is all-seeing. It implies a state of high awareness—nothing in the east (the direction of the rising sun) escapes his sight. Krittibas says this elephant is blue, the colour of the sky.
- Saumanasa (West): Radiant and steady. Derived from Su-manas, meaning "Full of Goodwill." As the sun sets in the West, Saumanasa represents the cooling of the day. The red colour mentioned in Krittibas’s rendition refers to sunset and power, the colour of the setting sun.
- Bhadra (North): Snow-white and majestic. Bhadra means "The Noble One." The North is the direction of the gods and the Himalayas. This represents the purity and grace, thus the colour white.
- The elephant in the southern direction is not mentioned here. As per the Bengali version, by the time Angshuman reaches the southern elephant, he sees the horse. The elephant in this direction is called Maha-Padma, or the great Lotus. The lotus is a symbol of the universe. This is the ‘blooming’ physical world amidst the cycles of life and death.
These elephants could be said to also represent the four goals of human life: Dharma (Duty/Righteousness); Artha (Prosperity/Means); Kama (Desire/Enjoyment) and Moksha (Liberation).
Presence in Other Texts
Apart from the Ramayana, this story appears in:
| Scripture | Specific Location | Narrative Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Mahabharata | Vana Parva, Chapters 106–107 | Told by Rishi Lomasha to Yudhishthira. |
| Shrimad Bhagavatam | Canto 9, Chapter 8 | Describes the lineage of Sagara and the burning of the sons. |
| Vishnu Purana | Book 4, Chapter 4 | Birth of Sagar’s sons and Angshuman. |
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