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Meaning of "Yajnavalkya"

Word

Yajnavalkya

Sanskrit

याज्ञवल्क्य

IAST

yāgyavalkya

In General

Sage Yanjavalkya was a Rishi of high intellectual pursuit. He is author of Shukla Yajurveda (by Puranic stories)having been received it from Suryanarayana. Yajnavalkya Smriti (a dharmasastra) is also by him. He was a descendant of Bharadwaja and son of Sage Brahmaratha (also called Devaratha) and Sunanda Devi. Sunanda devi was the sister of sage Vaisampayana, his first teacher. Yejnavalkya was married to Katayani , the daughter sage Kadira . He was also married to Maitreyi , an intellectual and author of an Upanishad. His work, Sathapatha Brahmana gives evidence that he was very prominent in debate conducted in the court of king Janaka. He surpassed everybody of his generation in debating skills. He was also considered as the originator of the Yoga doctrine and his work is known as Yogayajnavalkya.

Veda

Main work by him is Sathapatha Brahmana. Two principle Upanishads, Ishavasya and Brihadaranyaka which contain significant thoughts on the Soul and Divine life, similarly seventeen other Upanishads are part of the Magnum Opus work, Sathapatha Brahmana.

Yajnavalkya is very much associated with Shukla Yajur Veda or Vajasaneyi Samhita by various Puranic stories; but he is not considered as a mantradrishta of Veda. Maitreyi was his wife as well as a spiritual follower. Gargi was a disciple of him. Both of them wrote Upanishads

Purana

Purana consider Yajanavalkya as a very intellectual person. The young Yajnavalkya was at his uncle Vysambayana’s hermitage for studies and was over confident about his intellectual capability. He does not respected his senior students and once behaved arrogantly to a King. This had eventually brought some misunderstanding between him and the teacher Visampayana who was very strict in discipline. Yajnavalkya who was learning Yajur Veda from Sage Vaisampayana was thus asked to vomit all that he studied and leave the Gurukula as a result. With heavy heart Yajnavalkya left the gurukula, the other students picked up whatever left behind by the Yajnavalkya and composed the Krishna Yajur Veda.

Yajnavalkya’s then went to many gurus. He learned Rig Veda from Bashkala, the disciple of sage Paila, Sama Veda from Acharya Hiranyanabha, Atharva Veda from Acharya Aruni. After this he went to the ashram of sage Uddalaka to learn and get trained in the performance of various religious rites and rituals. Yajnavalkaya was still disappointed about incidence in Vysampayana’s hermitage and he started severe japa and tapas to get knowledge of Yajurveda. At last he got divine revelation from Suryanarayana and Shukla Yajurveda came out of his mouth spontaneously.

Related entries found !

Word Sanskrit IAST In General Veda Purana
Yajnavalkya_Smritiयाज्ञवल्क्य स्मृति yāgyavalkya smṛti Yajnavalkya Smriti as its name suggest is by Sage Yajnavalkya and is considered next only to... Read More
Yajnavalkya_Smritiयाज्ञवल्क्य स्मृति yāgyavalkya smṛti Yajnavalkya Smriti as its name suggest is by Sage Yajnavalkya and is considered next only to... Read More