Origins & Early Life

Kashyapa (Sanskrit: कश्यप, IAST: Kaśyapa) 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.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Kashyapa is an ancient name, referring to many different personalities in the ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts. Kashyapa means "turtle" in Sanskrit. According to Michael Witzel, it is related to Avestan kasiiapa, Sogdian kyšph, Kurdish kûsî, New Persian kharwar, kaš(a)p which mean "tortoise", after which Kashaf Rūd (a river in Turkmenistan and Khorasan) is named. Other relations include to Tocharian B kaccāp ("brainpan"), Tocharian A kāccap ("turtle", "tortoise"). Frits Staal agrees that Kaśyapa means 'tortoise', but believes that it is a non-Indo-European word.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Kashyapa is credited with composing a few hymns in the Rigveda, mainly in Mandala IX. He and his family of students are mainly composers of hymns for Soma Pavamāna ("self-purifying Soma"), which represents a single moment in the Soma sacrifice. He is mentioned in...

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