Rishis

Vyasa (; , ) is a rishi (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is also known as Veda Vyasa (, ) or Krishna Dvaipayana (, ). Traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahābhārata, Vyasa also plays a prominent role as a character. He is also regarded by the Hindu traditions to be the compiler of the mantras of the Vedas into four texts, as well as the author of the eighteen Purāṇas and the Brahma Sutras.

Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as Ādi Kavi (), the first poet, author of Ramayana, the first epic poem.

thumb|center|acharya Kaṇāda

250x250px|thumb|A late 18th century painting of Saptarishi and Manu from [[Jaipur, Rajasthan.]] In Indian religions, a rishi ( ) is an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mention in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or "sages" who after intense meditation (tapas) realized the supreme truth and eternal knowledge, which they composed into hymns. The term appears in Pali literature as Isi; in Buddhism they can be either Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, Arahats or a monk of high

Parashurama (), also referred to as Ram Jamadagnya, Ram Bhargav and Viraram, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of evil on Earth. He liberates the Mother Earth from felons, ill-behaved men, extremists, demons and those blind with pride. He is described as one of the Chiranjivi (Immortals), who will appear at the end of the Kali Yuga to be the guru of Vishnu's tenth and last incarnation, Kalki.

Kapila () (7th-6th-century BCE), also referred to as Cakradhanus, is a Vedic sage in Hindu tradition, regarded the founder of the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.

Kashyapa (, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism. He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the Rigveda. In the Ramayana, he is referred as Arishtanemi. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, along with the other Saptarishis, listed in the colophon verse in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

Brihaspati (, ) is a Hindu god. In the ancient Vedic scriptures, Brihaspati is associated with fire, and the word also refers to a god who counsels the devas and devis (gods and goddesses). In some later texts, the word refers to the largest planet of the Solar System, Jupiter, and the deity is associated with the planet as a Navagraha.

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 Lopamudra are the celebrated authors of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 in the Sanskrit text Rigveda and other Vedic literature.

Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. According to Hindu mythology, Narada, being the universal divine messenger, is the primary source of information among gods and is considered the first journalist on Earth. He appears in a number of Hindu texts, notably the Mahabharata, telling Yudhishthira the story of Prahlada, and he also appears in the Ramayana and the Puranas. A common theme in Vaishnavism is the ac

Thiruvalluvar, commonly known as Valluvar, was an Indian poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love. The text is considered an exceptional and widely cherished work of Tamil literature.

Atri or Attri is a Vedic sage, who is credited with composing numerous shlokas to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities of Hinduism. Attri is also founded in the Punjab state of India. This caste traces back to 1700's when a widespread of people had been separated into the Punjab region. After the separation, they were forced to adapt to their surroundings. Atri is one of the Saptarishi (seven great Vedic sages) in the Hindu tradition, and the one most mentioned in the Rigveda.

Shukra ( ; , ) is a Sanskrit word that means "shining" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of a sage who was the preceptor of the asuras and taught them the Vedas. In mythology and Hindu astrology, the word refers to the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas.

Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the Rigveda. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigvedic verse 10.167.4, other Rigvedic mandalas and in many Vedic texts. His ideas have been influential and he was called the first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankara.

Vishvamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatri Mantra (3.62.10). The Puranas mention that only 24 rishis since antiquity have understood the whole meaning of —and thus wielded the whole power of — the Gayatri Mantra. Vishvamitra is supposed to have been the first, and Yajnavalkya the last.

In Hindu mythology, Ahalya (, IAST: Ahalyā) also spelt as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi. Many Hindu scriptures describe her legend of seduction by the king of the gods Indra, her husband's curse for her infidelity, and her liberation from the curse by the god Rama.

Dattatreya (, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as a Hindu god. He is considered to be an avatar and combined form of the three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, and as the manifestation of Parabrahma, the supreme being, in texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and the Brahmanda Purana, though stories about his birth and origin vary from text to text. Several Upanishads are dedicated to him, as are texts of the Vedanta-Yoga tradition in Hinduism. One of the m

Vedic sage

Bhrigu () is a rishi in Hinduism. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshi, and one of the many Prajapatis (facilitators of creation) created by Brahma. He was the first compiler of predictive astrology and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita, an astrological (jyotisha) classic. Bhrigu is considered a mānasaputra ('mind-born son') of Brahma. The adjectival form of the name, Bhārgava, is used to refer to the descendants and the school of Bhrigu. According to the Manusmṛti, Bhrigu was a compatriot and companion of Manu, the protoplast (first human). Along with Manu, Bhrigu made important

Jaimini was an ancient Indian scholar who founded the Mīmāṃsā school of Hindu philosophy. He is the son of Parāśara and is considered to be a disciple of sage Vyasa. Traditionally attributed to be the author of the Mimamsa Sutras and the Jaimini Sutras, he is estimated to have lived around 4th to 2nd century BCE. Some scholars place him between 250 BCE and 50 CE. His school is considered non-theistic, but emphasizes ritual parts of the Vedas as essential to dharma. Jaimini is known for his studies of the older Vedic rituals.

Yajnavalkya or Yagyavalkya (, IAST:) is a Hindu Vedic sage prominently mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (c. 700 BCE) and Tattiriya Upanishad. Yajnavalkya proposes and debates metaphysical questions about the nature of existence, consciousness and impermanence, and expounds the epistemic doctrine of neti neti ("not this, not this") to discover the universal Self and Ātman. Texts attributed to him include the Yajnavalkya Smriti, Yoga Yajnavalkya and some texts of the Vedanta school. He is also mentioned in the Mahabharata as well as various Puranas, Brahmanas and Aranyakas.

thumb|Saptarishi: Vishvamitra (top left), [[Jamadagni (top middle), Gautama (top right), Vashishtha (in the middle, beardless), Kashyapa (down left), Bharadvaja (down middle, in a yogic asana, upside down), Atri (down right). Pahari, from a Bandralta-Mankot workshop; . Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh]]

Marichi () or Mareechi or Marishi is the mind-born son of Brahma, and one of the Saptarishi in Hindu mythology. He is also the father of Kashyapa, and the grandfather of the devas and the asuras.

Bharadvaja (, ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages (maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarshis (seven great sages or Maharṣis).

In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa (, lit."difficult to live with"), also known as Durvasas (), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avatar of Shiva, known for his irrascibility and short tempered behaviour. Wherever he goes, he is received with great reverence by humans and devas alike.

Angiras ( (stem), , , nominative singular , , , rendered Angirā in Hindi) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the Rigveda as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in other hymns to be the first of Agni-devas (fire gods). In some texts, he is considered to be one of the seven great sages or Saptarishis, but in others he is mentioned but not counted in the list of seven great sages. In some manuscripts of Atharvaveda, the text is attributed to "Atharvangirasah", which is a compound of sage Atharvan and Angira. The student family of

Parashara (Sanskrit: पराशर; IAST: ) was a maharishi and the author of many ancient Hindu texts. He is accredited as the author of the first Purana, the Vishnu Purana, before his son Vyasa wrote it in its present form. He was the grandson of the sage Vasishtha and the son of the sage Shakti. There are several texts which give reference to Parashara as an author/speaker. The various texts attributed to him are given in reference to Parashara being the speaker to his student.

Jamadagni () is a sage in Hindu literature. He is regarded in Hindu tradition to be one of the Saptarishi (Seven Vedic sages) in the 7th, and the current age of Manvantara.

Ashtavakra (, ) is a revered Vedic sage in Hinduism. His maternal grandfather was the Vedic sage Aruni, his parents were both Vedic students at Aruni's school. Ashtavakra studied, became a sage and a celebrated character of the Hindu Itihasa epics and Puranas.

thumb|The Goddess worshipped by the sage Chyavana from a Tantra|Tantric [[Devi series attributed to Kripal of Nurpur identified as a tantric form of Goddess Lakshmi(active c. 1660 - c. 1690). Freer Gallery of Art]] Chyavana () was a sage (rishi) in Hinduism. He was a son of Bhrigu, also known as Bhrigu Varuni in the Upanishads, and is known for his rejuvenation through a special herbal paste (ayurvedic jam) or tonic known as chyavanaprasham, which was prepared by the Ashvins. According to the Mahabharata, he was powerful enough to oppose the celestial thunderbolt (vajra) of Indra, and was resp

Hindu folk deitie

Markandeya () is a rishi (sage) featured in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Mrikanda and his wife, Manasvini. The Markandeya Purana (one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas in Hinduism), attributed to the sage, comprises a dialogue between Markandeya and a sage called Jaimini. A number of chapters in the Bhagavata Purana are dedicated to his conversations and prayers. He is also mentioned in the Mahabharata. Markandeya is venerated within all mainstream Hindu traditions.

Kalanos, also spelled Calanus () ( – 323 BCE), was an ancient Indian gymnosophist, a Brahmin sage , and philosopher from Taxila who accompanied Alexander the Great and was his teacher. He accompanied Alexander the Great to Persis and, after falling ill, immolated himself by entering a pyre in front of Alexander's army. Diodorus Siculus called him Caranus ().

wife of the sage Vashistha

Rishi in the Mahabharata

Lopamudra, also known as Kaveri, Kaushitaki and Varaprada, was a philosopher according to ancient Vedic Indian literature. She was the wife of the sage Agastya who is believed to have lived in the Rigveda period (1950 BC-1100 BC) as many hymns have been attributed as her contribution to this Veda. She was not only the consort of Agastya but a Rishiki in her own right, as she was the well known Rishiki who visualized the "Hadi Panchadasi" mantra of the Srikul Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She was one of the prominent Brahmavadinis. There are three versions of Lopamudra's legend; one is in the

Vedic sage

mythological character from Ramayana

Pulastya (Sanskrit: पुलस्त्य) is one of the ten Prajapati, and one of the mind-born sons of Brahma in Hinduism. He is also one of the Saptarishi (Seven great sages) in the first age of Manu, the Manvantara.

Naranarayana (), also rendered Nara-Narayana, are a pair of sage-brothers in Hinduism. They are generally regarded as partial-incarnation (aṃśa-avatara) of the preserver deity Vishnu on earth. Nara-Narayana are described as the sons of Dharma and Murti.

Vishrava (, ), also called Vishravas, is the son of Pulastya, and a powerful rishi (sage), as described in the Hindu epic Ramayana. A scholar par excellence, he earned great powers through the performance of tapasya, which in turn, earned him great name and fame amongst his fellow rishis. He is best known for being the father of the primary antagonist of the Ramayana, Ravana.

thumb|Shakuntala seeks Kanva's blessings before departing Kanva or Kanwa (, ) was an ancient Hindu rishi of the Treta Yuga, to whom some of the hymns of the Rig Veda are ascribed. He was one of the Angirasas. He has been called a son of Ghora, but this lineage belongs to Pragatha Kanva, a subsequent Kanva of which there were many. However, Puranic literature has other different lineages for him, one as the son of Apratiratha and grandson of King Matinara, and another as the son of Ajamidha, who was a descendant in the ninth generation of Tansu, the brother of Apratiratha (Atiratha), or Ajamidh

four sages (rishis) who roam the universe as children from the Puranic texts of Hinduism

Shuka ( , also Shukadeva ) is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism. He is the son of the sage Vyasa and the main narrator of the scripture Bhagavata Purana. Most of the Bhagavata Purana consists of Shuka reciting the story to the king Parikshit in his final days. Shuka is depicted as a sannyasi, renouncing the world in pursuit of moksha (liberation), which most narratives assert that he achieved.

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 a seer and was lured by royal courtesans, which led to the yajna (fire sacrifice) of King Dasharatha. His story also occurs in the Buddhist Jatakas, where he is mentioned as the son of Bodhisatta and the subject of a seduction attempt by royal courtesans.

Vaishampayana (, ) is the traditional narrator of the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of India. He was one of Vyasa's four main disciples. His nephew and disciple Yajnavalkya was also a well-known sage.

Muchukunda () is a king of the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty) in Hindu mythology. He was the son of King Mandhata, and the brother of Ambarisha.

Bogar, Bhogar, or Boganathar was a Tamil Shaivite Siddhar. He was a disciple of the great siddhar Kalangi Nathar. Kalangi Nathar initiated him Jnana yoga (supreme self-knowledge). There are 18 Siddhars popularly known in Tamil literature. He is the one among the 18 Siddhars. They are described as experts in Yoga, alchemy, literature, and philosophy, and as having the ability to move their souls to and from the bodies of others.

Atharvan ( , nominative singular: अथर्वा ) is a legendary Vedic sage (rishi) of Hinduism, who along with Angiras, is supposed to have authored ("heard") the Atharvaveda. He is also said to have first instituted the fire-sacrifice or yajña. Sometimes he is also reckoned among the seven seers, the Saptarishi. His clan is known as the Atharvanas. Atharvan married Shanti, daughter of Prajapati Kardama, and had a great sage Dadhichi as a son. He is referred to as a member of the Bhrigu clan.

Dadhichi (), also rendered Dadhyanga and Dadhyancha, is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for his sacrifice in the Puranas, where he gives up his life so that his bones could be used to manufacture the Vajra, the diamond-like celestial thunderbolt of the deity Indra, in order to slay Vritra.

Nachiketas (), also rendered Nachiketā and Nachiketan, is a character in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Vājashravas, or Uddalaki, in some traditions. He is the child protagonist of an ancient Indian dialogical narrative about the nature of the atman (soul).

Agnivesha () is a legendary rishi (sage) in Hinduism, reputedly one of the earliest authors on Ayurveda (Indian alternative medicine). He is described to have codified the knowledge of his preceptor, Atreya, and arranged it in the form of a treatise, named the Charaka Samhita.

Hindu sage

REDIRECT Four Kumaras#Sanatkumara

Pulaha () is a character in Hindu mythology. He is the son of Brahma, the creator god, and also one of the Saptarshi (seven great sages), in the first Manvantara (age of Manu), with others being Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vasishtha. In another classification, Pulaha is one of the ten Prajapatis, the progenitors of creation created by Brahma. The race of the kimpurushas are the children of Pulaha, according to the Mahabharata.

Dirghatamas () was an ancient Indian sage well known for his philosophical verses in the Rigveda. He was the author of Suktas (hymns) 140 to 164 in the first mandala (section) of the Rigveda.

Son of Brihaspati

Kratu () is described as one of the manasaputras, the mind-born children of the creator deity, Brahma, in Hinduism. He is also a rishi, who appears in two different ages.

Atreya or Atreyas (आत्रेय) Rishi, or Atreya Punarvasu, was a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages (rishis) whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. Sage Atreya was a renowned scholar of Ayurveda, and a school of early Ayurveda was founded based on his teachings.

Mandavya (), also called Aṇi Māṇḍavya, is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for a legend where he is wrongfully punished by a king by impalement.