Who Is Vishvamitra (Vishwamitra)?
The great sage who guides the young Rama
Vishvamitra is a powerful sage (rishi) in Indian mythology. Born into a royal family, he is said to have become a sage of the very highest rank through years of harsh spiritual discipline. In the Ramayana, he serves as the teacher and guide of the young Rama.
In Episode 1, he asks King Dasharatha to let him take Rama away to defeat the rakshasas (demons) who disrupt his sacrificial rites. While traveling with the two brothers, he teaches them the mantras Bala and Atibala, which keep them from feeling tired or hungry. After Rama slays Tataka, Vishvamitra grants him divine weapons, and then leads the brothers to Mithila.
He is known for his long rivalry with Vasishtha, the royal priest of the court. The story of their conflict is also told in the Bala Kanda ("Book of Youth").
Episodes featuring this character2
NEWEpisode 1
The Boy Whose Arrow Was Too StrongRamayana: Bala Kanda (The Book of Youth)
A poet's grief over a slain bird becomes a song, and that song becomes the story of a prince. In Episode 1, young Rama leaves his father's side to travel with a stern sage, and learns for the first time how great his own power is, and how frightening.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 2
Whoever Draws the Bow Wins the BrideSita's Swayamvara (The Bow of Shiva)
No king could even lift the divine bow, yet young Prince Rama bows to his teacher and quietly draws it. A wedding to Sita, daughter of the earth, follows—but on the road home, an axe-bearing sage named Parashurama awaits with a trial of his own.
19 pages