Agastya Maharshi image
The marriage between Rishi Agastya and Ma Lopamudra, takes place in the present day Pothigai Hills, before several thousands of years ago.Ma Lopamudra was the daughter of the King of Vidarbha Kingdom, and she was a great scholar similar to her consort Rishi Agastya. Their son was Dridhasyu, who was a great poet, and a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. Rishi Agastya and Ma Lopamudra contain knowledge in Vedas equivalent to Deva Guru Brihaspati and Demon Guru Shukracharya.
When Rishi Agastya needed the help of an assistant, he approached Lord Shiva by the way of performing meditation on him. Lord Shiva blessed him to have a pious woman as his consort, and he created Ma Lopamudra, and made her to grow up under a king, and after she was grown up, Lord Shiva himself appeared before the Vidarbha King, and asked him to make Rishi Agastya as his son-in-law. The king eagerly agreed for the marriage proposal between Rishi Agastya and his daughter Ma Lopamudra, and performed the marriage ceremony in a grand manner. Lord Shiva along with his consort Ma Parvati, and all of his attendants were also present during the marriage ceremony in order to witness the noble event. Devas like Vishnu, Brahma, Indra, Varuna and Vayu were also present during the marriage function along with their consorts, and they blessed the newly wedded couple.
It is also believed that Rishi Agastya had kept the powers of Ma Lopamudra in his Kamandala, the sacred pot, and once, he poured it on the earth, for the sake of the wellness of the people in the earth, and the water which was poured by Rishi Agastya had become the holy River Cauvery, and it contains great powers similar to the holy River Ganges.
Rishi Agastya and Ma Lopamudra were written several hymns in the Rigveda, and also preached the significance of the famous Lalitasahasranama Stotra to the celestial Devas and to the humans, and they have learnt the meaning of the Stotra from Lord Hayagriva, who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu.Sri Agasthiyar Lopamudra Temple is situated at Papanasam, Tirunelveli, India.
“OM MA LOPAMUDRA SAMEDHA SRI AGASTYA MAHARISHI NAMAHA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR