ABSTRACT |
| Maharishi Lomash was present in the conclave of rishis conducted beneath the mountains of Himalayas, some 5000 years ago. This not only shows his interest in the medical science but also put him as the caring person for the sufferings of mankind. Hence, it becomes essential to explore the life of sage Lomash to know about his contribution to the Ayurveda. The reference of sage Lomasha apart from Ayurveda is found in Skanda Purana and Mahabharata. In Skanda Purana, the reason for his name being ‘Lomash’ is explained. Personality of sage Lomash is also described in Skanda Purana. We also find the discussion between king Indradyumna and sage Lomasha in Skanda Purana. In this discussion, sage Lomash mentioned about the ultimate truth of the life that everyone has to leave this materialistic world one day. Hence, one should avoid collecting the things and building homes. Rishi Lomash asked Pandavas to undertake pilgrimage to different teerthas. Rishi Lomash on the request of Yudhishthira, narrated him the story of many rishis, many kings, many pilgrimage site (teerthas) during the course of their pilgrimage. Maharshi Lomash also narrated the importance of each teerthas and pilgrimage to it. Not only this he actually guided Pandavas on the path of pilgrimage. Sage Lomash introduced Yudhishthira to sage like Bhrigu, Angira, Vasishtha and other rishis at Mahendra Mountain. Surprisingly all these rishis were also present during the famous conclave of rishis conducted beneath the mountain of Himalayas. From the stories of rishis and kings which sage Lomash narrates to the Pandavas, it appears that sage Lomash being the longest living rishi, possessed the accurate and reliable knowledge about the different rishis and kings existed in different times in India. This is a little attempt to explore sage Lomash through different stories which he narrated to the Pandavas. Keywords – Kalpa, pilgrimage, hair (loma), Japa, Tapa |