Sapt Chiranjeevi

Who were they ?

अश्वत्थामा बलिव्र्यासो हनूमांश्च विभीषण:। कृप: परशुरामश्च सप्तएतै चिरजीविन: The above is the sloka which names those 7 people who were destined to live eternally either by virtue or by a curse. They are called sapt chiranjeevi.

According to the above sloka, Aswatthama, King Bali, Veda Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibheeshana, Kripacharya and Parasurama are the seven people who are death-defying personalities.

Let us see who they are:

1.

Ashwathama is a very well know character in Mahabharatha. He is a great warrior, and the son of Dronacharya who was the royal teacher. He has a gem on his forehead which was a gift from Lord Shiva. He possessed great strength and was undefeatable. But God’s blessings will protect only as long as a person follows the path of Dharma. Ashwathama fought on the side of Kauravas. But at a point he played a very unfair game. He vowed to kill the pandavas and when he was unsuccessful, he redirected the Bramhastra towards Uttara who was carrying Abhimanyu’s child Parikshit in her womb.

Angered by his atrocious act Lord Krishna relieved him off the gem on the forehead and cursed him. As he committed a sinful act of trying to kill an unborn baby, he will wander alone in this world without anyone to take care. He will carry the burden of all the sins committed by people and he will have to live in inaccessible forests without a decent accommodation. His body will have ulcers and wounds that will never heal. He will live like this till the end of Kaliyuga. At the end of Kaliyuga when Bhagavan Vishnu takes the avatar of Kalki, it is said that Ashwathama will help Him in His mission and wash his sins off. It is also said that in the next yuga it is Ashwathama’s turn to become Veda Vyasa.

2.

King Mahabali is an Asura king. He is the son of Virochana and grandson of the great Prahalada. His grandfather instilled in him all the good qualities and taught him to be righteous, generous and fair. Mahabali was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. With Sukracharya as his guru, Mahabali was expanding his kingdom very fast. He conquered the whole of the nether world and was also able to defeat Indra and conquer the heavens. This victory had made him overly proud. The devas including Indra rushed to their only resort Vishnu to stop Bali and restore heaven. In the mean time, under Sukracharya’s guidance Bali had begun Ashwamedha Yagnya in order to establish his rule over the heavens. As a concluding act he was supposed to give generous gifts to all the Brahmans who were present. Lord Vishnu appeared in a dwarf form (Vamana avatar) at the fag end and asked Bali to grant Him just three feet worth of land. Seeing the tiny feet Bali agreed to give. Right at that moment Bhagavan grew to cosmic size (Trivikraman) and with one step he measured all the worlds, with his second step he covered the space and there was nothing left for Him to measure by the third step. When Bali understood that it was none other than Vishnu who had come in the disguise of a dwarf, he realised his mistake and bowed down asking Vishnu Bhagavan to rest his third step on his head which was the only thing that belonged to Bali now.

Bhagavan pressed him with his feet and sent him to the Sutala world underneath. In Narasimha avatar Lord Vishnu had promised Prahalada that he will not kill any of Prahalada’s descendents. Bali was saved because of that and he still lives in the nether world, visiting his loving citizens once a year. That day is celebrated as Onam.

3.

Veda Vyasa original name was Krishna Dwaipayana. Born in the end of Treta Yuga he is supposed to have lived through Dwapara Yuga and now in Kaliyuga. He got the name Vyasa as he sorted the four Vedas that were all just one heap of knowledge. Vyasa means to divide and sort. He had also authored eighteen puranas. Six satvik, Six Rajas and Six Tamasic puranas. He is destined to live a saintly life till the end of Kaliyuga. Vyasa is not an individual. It is like a post honoured by elevated souls every Manvantara. Therefore Vyasa is said to be living eternally through Manvantaras.

4.

Hanuman is every one’s favourite God. He was born with the divine qualities of Lord Shiva and Vayu. He is the central character in the great epic Ramayana. He was the good messenger between Rama and Sita. He is called a Nava Vyakarana Pandita. Once as a child, mistaking the sun to be a fruit he flew up to reach the sun. Indra interfered and thinking this little child was some kind of a demon coming to interrupt the working of nature, he hit the child with his Vajrayuda. Hanuman fell down and became unconscious. This caused great agony to Vayu causing him to go on strike. He created such a vacuum on earth that all the beings suffered due to lack of air. To pacify Vayu and also to pay back for the mistake done by Indra, all the Gods bestowed upon Hanuman their choicest of powers. By which Hanuman, became the one who is the owner of Ashtha siddi, Nava Nidhi, and several other powers.

When his Bhagavan Rama left this world, He asked Hanuman if he wanted to join. For which Hanuman requested Rama that he be allowed to stay on earth for as long as Lord Rama’s name is chanted on earth. Many have quoted instances when they have felt the presence of Hanuman especially in the places where Ramayana is being recited. He is said to live in the hearts of all the people who are devotees of Bhagavan Rama.

5.

Vibheeshana was the younger brother of Ravana the asura king of Lanka. Though he was an asura, Vibheeshana was a pious and gentle being. Being noble at heart he advised Ravana to return Sita to Rama with all honour. For this he was accused of being a traitor and was kicked out of the kingdom by his brother Ravana. Vibheeshana then surrendered at the feet of Rama. Rama made him the king of Lanka after defeating Ravana. Some say his lifetime is only for a kalpa which is still a long time.

6.

Kripacharya was a great archer. He was the royal teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas before Dhronacharya. His sister Kripi married Dhronacharya. He fought on the side of the kauravas. He was one of the few who lived after the kurukshetra war. He trained Abhimanyu’s son Parikshit in the art of war. Pleased by his impartiality and loyalty Lord Krishna awarded him eternal life.

7.

Parasurama was the son of rishi Jamadagni and Renuka. He is the wielder of the great axe called Parasu, which was obtained from Lord Shiva after performing severe penance. It is said that Lord Shiva trained him in weaponry. He is the 6 th avatar of Bhagavan Vishnu. A mighty king Kartaviryarjuna killed his father and as a revenge Parasurama rid the world of 21 generations of kings. He was the mentor of Bhishma, Dhronacharya and Karna. He also has a part in Ramayana. He is said to be living till the end of kaliyuga where he will train Bhagavan Kalki in ways of penance and also help him attain celestial weapons and knowledge which will help Him save mankind.

It is believed that by chanting the above sloka we can get good health and long life.