Who Made Brahma Vishnu Mahesh Her Sons ?

Do you know that there was a woman in this world who breastfed Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, the creator, protector and destroyer of this entire universe, by making them babies in her lap. This same woman once stopped the sun from rising. There was an uproar in the entire heaven. The yagna stopped. The havans stopped. The gods came running in fear and stood in front of the woman with folded hands. Because of this woman the churning of the ocean took place. From this woman a son was born who cursed Indra and took away all the power of the gods. It was this woman who gave Mother Sita those divine clothes and ornaments which never got dirty even during 14 years of exile and also gave her the knowledge which is the most profound chapter of Ramayana. And the most surprising thing is that there was no goddess who did all this. There was no nymph. She was an ordinary-looking human woman who lived in a small ashram in Chitrakoot. Her name was Mata Anusuya. In today’s story, you will learn how the jealousy of three goddesses led to an incident that shook the three worlds. How, faced with an impossible condition, Anusuya picked up a weapon that no one else had. How from her womb were born three sons who changed history. And how the extraordinary power of an ordinary woman proved that even God himself bows before the truth. Stay until the end because this story will shake you to your core. This is where our story begins. From the era when gods, demons and humans roamed this earth together. When mountains were shaken by penance and even the impossible became possible with the power of truth. Mother Anusuya was the daughter of Maharishi Kardam and Devbhooti. Maharishi Kardam was one of the flesh sons of Brahma. Extremely bright, knowledgeable and religious. His wife Devabhuti was the daughter of Manu herself. Born in such a great family Anusuya was extraordinary since childhood. The meaning of the word Anusuya itself is very deep. Anusuya means one in which there is no Suya. Suya means jealousy, one who does not feel envious seeing the happiness of others. His parents did not give him this name just like that. This name was a mirror of his nature. Anusuya had a different kind of peace since childhood. Where other children would be busy playing. There Anusuya remained engaged in meditation, bhajan and service. His father Kardam Maharishi gave him the knowledge of Vedas and Vedanta. His mother Devbhooti taught him the norms of householder’s religion and the personality that emerged from the union of these two was unique. He was the most famous among Anusuya’s siblings. Lord Kapil who is considered the founder of Sankhya philosophy. That means there was no dearth of knowledge in Anusuya’s house. There was an atmosphere of sages, meditation, spiritual practice and religion all around. When Anusuya became marriageable, she was married to Maharishi Atri and this marriage was more than just an ordinary union. A feeling of reverence arises as soon as one hears the name Maharishi Atri. He was one of the 10 flesh sons of Brahma. He has a place among the seven zodiac signs. His mantras are in the Vedas. He was not just an Arshi. He was a light whose brilliance spread across the three worlds. When Atri Rash and Anasuya got married, this union was not the union of two souls but the union of two penances. There was a confluence of two spiritual practices. Both had similar qualities. Selfless service, deep devotion and unwavering faith in God. After marriage, Anusuya came to the forests of Chitrakoot with Maharishi Atri. Chitrakoot is that holy land where even today the abode of the gods is considered. Where the Mandakini river flows. Where gods reside on the hills. Atri Anusuya’s ashram was on this holy land. Life in the ashram was simple but great. Anusuya would wake up every day at Brahma Muhurta, take a bath in the river, offer prayers and then start serving her husband. For him, serving guests was serving God. Whoever came to his door never went away empty handed. But Anusuya’s glory was not limited to her service spirit. Her devotion towards her husband was so powerful that it gave rise to divine powers. This power was not a miracle. This was the result of years of practice. Gradually the fame of Anusuya started reaching heaven. Now we come to the part of the story that is the root of this whole incident. One day Devarshi Narada was wandering in heaven. The nature of Narada ji is well known. Wherever he goes, he brings up some interesting topic. That day he appeared before the goddesses, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati and in their conversation praised Mother Anusuya. Narada said that if any woman in the three worlds has the best chastity, then it is Mother Anusuya. The power of his pativittha is immense. No temptation, no challenge can stand before him. Hearing this a feeling arose in the minds of the three goddesses. Lakshmi who is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Saraswati who is the goddess of knowledge and Parvati who is the goddess of power. Naturally, curiosity arose in the minds of these three. Can a human woman really be so great? Some texts also describe that behind this curiosity there was a subtle sense of jealousy. This was not a major fault. It was a normal reaction of both human and divine nature. But this very feeling gave birth to the great event that was about to happen. The three goddesses requested their husbands Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to go and test the chastity of Anusuya. She wanted to know whether the purity of an ordinary human woman was really so unshakable? Now the Trinity was in a strange dilemma. On one side there was the insistence of the wives. On the other hand, the question of testing an innocent virtuous woman. But there was another feeling in the minds of the Trinity. They knew that the power of Anusuya was unlimited. Perhaps they also wanted to see how that power worked. Ultimately the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh descended on earth. That day the morning sun was shining in the ashram of Chitrakoot. Anusuya was busy with her daily chores. Maharishi Atri had gone out of the ashram for some yagya or pilgrimage. Just then three Brahmins appeared at the door of the ashram. He looked old, was radiant and had a stick and water pot in his hand. He called out. Mother Anusuya opened the door. Seeing the three guests, his heart was filled with reverence. In Hindu tradition, a guest is considered equal to God. Anusuya invited them inside and started preparing food. Then the three Brahmins said something that changed everything. One of the Brahmins said, ” Mathe, we will accept the alms but there is one condition, we will eat only when you serve us alms naked without any clothes.” Anusuya was stunned to hear this. Any woman would have either become angry or cried or run away at this moment. But Anusuya did none of these. He closed his eyes for a moment. He calmed his mind and then he thought that on one hand there was the duty of a guest that whoever comes to the door should not be disappointed. This was the order of religion. On the other hand, the dignity of pativrat was that one should not expose one’s body to any man other than the husband. This was also a part of religion. But Anusuya had a third option. And that path was the path of her penance, of her truth, of the power of her devotion to her husband which she had acquired through years of sadhana. Anusuya mentally meditated on her husband Maharishi Atri. A strong determination arose in his soul. He thought if my history is true. If there is no sin in my heart. If my sadhana is true then these three guests will become like my sons. He took water in a vessel. Taking water in his hand, he chanted mantras. There was unwavering faith in his eyes. There was a calm smile on his lips. And as soon as he sprinkled that water on all three of them, a miracle happened. All three brilliant Brahmins suddenly started becoming smaller. His clothes started becoming loose. His voice changed and in the blink of an eye three old Brahmins were standing there. Three tiny babies were lying there. His eyes were big. There was a divine aura on his face and he was crying in the voice of Mother Mother. Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh all three had become babies. Anusuya picked him up in her lap. A mother’s instinct awakened in her. She breastfed all three babies. Sang a lullaby and put him to sleep in her lap. Now there was neither any condition nor any problem left, the three had come to test him. He was now sleeping in her lap, peacefully. This incident tells us that the power of truth is the greatest power. Anusuya neither picked up any weapon nor uttered any curse. He relied only on his truth and that truth was so powerful that even the Trinity bowed before it. After some time Maharishi returned to the ashram. The scene he saw would have been unbelievable for anyone. His wife Anusuya was sitting with three little babies in her lap. There was a supernatural divinity on the faces of the three babies. Maharishi Atri was a great sage. His divine vision immediately recognized that these three were not ordinary babies. He meditated and realized that these three were Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He told the whole story to Anusuya and only then did those three babies assume their real form. The three children in the cradle started growing up. Light started emanating from his body and the next moment Brahma was standing there with his four faces. Vishnu with his conch, chakra, mace, padma and Shiva with his matted hair and trident, all three gods were happy. There was satisfaction on his face. He folded his hands and bowed to Anusuya. Lord Vishnu said, “Forehead, I have come to test you.” But your chastity defeated us. Your purity is incomparable. What boon do you want to ask for? Anusuya said politely, Lord, if you are really happy then I have only one wish. May all three of you be born as my sons. The Trinity gladly accepted this boon. As a result of this boon, Anusuya got three sons and these three sons were incarnations of great powers in themselves. The first son was God. Dattatreya, Dattatreya appeared from a part of Vishnu. He had three faces, those of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and hence he is considered to be the combined form of the Trimurti. Dattatreya is also called Digambara. He is the Guru of the world. He acquired knowledge from 24 gurus which included every object of nature. From the earth to the insects, Dattatreya’s followers are still in the millions in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Girnar Mountain, Narasimhawadi, Gangapur. All these are the main pilgrimage sites of Dattatreya. The second son was Chandrama. Chandra was born from a part of Brahma. This moon is not the same one we see in the sky. It is a divine power which is the factor of mind. He is the lord of the night and gives life to vegetation. This moon has a special significance because it was born from the womb of Mother Anusuya. The third son was Maharishi Durvasa. Durvasa appeared from a part of Shiva. Just as Shiva can be happy in a moment and angry in a moment. Durvasa was like that. His anger is famous in the Puranas. He cursed Indra due to which the power of the gods diminished and churning of the ocean became necessary. He cursed Shakuntala. He tested Ambarisha but Durvasa was an equally great devotee. His penance was immense. It is said that if he ate a meal at someone’s house, that house would never face scarcity for decades. His blessings were as powerful as his curses. The birth of these three sons gave Anusuya the status of the mother of the Trinity. No other woman has achieved this feat. When the news reached heaven that the Trinity had become babies and were in the lap of Mother Anusuya, the three goddesses became frightened. Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati now realise their mistake. Out of jealousy and curiosity, they sent their husbands to this test. And now her husband was sitting like a baby in the lap of a human woman. All three goddesses came to earth. She fell at the feet of Mother Anasuya. He apologized. It is said that Mother Anusuya gladly forgave him. He said, mothers, you have not committed any crime. Truth must be tested and the truth which is true becomes even more refined during testing. This was the greatness of Anusuya. If she wanted to take revenge, she could have cursed him. She could have expressed anger. But he did what was true to his name. After this incident with love and forgiveness without jealousy and anger the fame of Mother Anusuya spread everywhere in heaven and on earth. The glory of Mother Anusuya was not limited only to the incident involving the Trinity. Another incident related to him is equally amazing. Once upon a time. The wife of a Brahmin was very ill. That Brahmin went out to seek blessings from a great sage for his wife. He reached the ashram of Mother Anusuya and prayed to her. During that time, a situation arose in which the husband of a devoted wife was on the verge of death. That woman prayed to Mother Anusuya, Mother save my husband. One version of the story states that Anusuya, with the power of her devotion to her husband, stopped the sunrise because her husband was destined to die at sunrise. That moment will not come until the sun rises. Upon hearing this, there was a commotion in the heaven. When the sun does not rise, there will be no day. When there is no day, all the divine activities like Yagya, Havan etc. will stop. The gods came running and prayed to Mother Anusuya. The mother laid a condition that the woman’s husband should be given life. The gods accepted and after that the sun rose again. This incident shows that the power of devotion to one’s wife is not merely personal. She can also influence the operation of creation. Now we come to the incident which is mentioned in Ramayana and which further deepens the glory of Mother Anusuya. In Treta Yuga, when Lord Rama was exiled for 14 years, he wandered from forest to forest with Mother Sita and brother Lakshman. One stop on his journey was Chitrakoot. Chitrakoot is the same land where Mother Anusuya’s ashram was located. When Lord Rama reached this area, the sages there suggested him to go to the ashram of Atrishi. Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana reached the ashram of Maharishi Atri. Maharishi Atri gave a grand welcome to Lord Rama. They knew this was no ordinary forest dweller. This is Narayana himself who has come in human form. After this, Mother Anusuya called Mother Sita to her inner chamber. It was the union of two great women. One who was the mother of the Trinity. The second one was the incarnation of Lakshmi. Mother Anasuya, seeing Sita, embraced her with love. He then had a long conversation with Sita. In this dialogue, Mother Anusuya preached the fundamental principle of pativrata dharma. He said, O Sita, the woman who considers her husband as God, Guru and friend, who lives with her husband with equal feelings in happiness and sorrow, in the forest and in the palace. That is true devotion to the wife. The greatest strength of a woman is to participate in her husband’s duties even if they are difficult. Mother Sita listened to this knowledge with great devotion. He bowed to Anusuya. After this, Mother Anusuya gave divine gifts to Mother Sita. There is a detailed description of this in the Ayodhya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana. He gave Sita divine clothes, divine ornaments and divine anupan which never get dirty and never become old. And who will keep the beauty of Sita intact even in the hardships of exile. This gift was not merely material. It was a mother’s blessing. It was a blessing from a Guru. This story of Mother Anusuya reminds us that greatness does not lie in any position. It is not in any power. There is greatness. In that unwavering loyalty, in that pure love, in that unshakable truth that can exist in an extraordinary way even within an ordinary-looking woman. She was a mother who gave birth to the three gods as her sons. She was a guru who gave Sita the greatest knowledge of life. She was a saint whose penance stopped the sun and she was a woman whose name itself means beyond jealousy. Today when we face difficulties in our life. When it feels like there’s pressure all around. When we feel alone, the story of Mother Anusuya reminds us to stand with the truth. Do not lose inner peace and have faith in your religion. Because even the gods bow before those who have truth on their side.