Durvasa:
Many have a stereotyped idea of a Maharshi, a great sage. But, there have always been radical types, and Durvasa heads the list. Despite his anger and curses, in the final analysis his anger turned into out to be beneficial to the world. Being an anti-hero is not easy, yet his name Durvasa, which means difficult to live, has come to remain in people's hearts, and he is remembered with fondness.
Durvasa and Duryodhana
His well-known anger was once tactfully neutralized by the Lord. Durvasa, along with his disciples, was offered hospitality for a few days by Duryodhana. (Durvasa's disciples must have been like their guru). Pleased, Durvasa wanted to grant Duryodhana a boon. The latter requested the sage and his numerous disciples to visit the Pandavas in their exile after they had finished their meal. The intention was obvious. Durvasa and his disciples did so and were met by Yudhisthira, who welcomed the sage and his disciples. On being told they would have their meal there, Yudhisthira became pleased and requested them to finish their bath in the Ganga and then sit down for food.
Akshaya-patram
Draupadi was in a quandary. She had received a vessel as gift from the sun god that would produce any amount of food during the day but would empty only after she had her meal, which she did after everyone else had finished. Yudhisthira was not aware that she had taken her meal from the akshaya-patra and it would not produce any more food for the day. Now if Durvasa and his disciples were dishonoured, the Pandavas would not only incur demerit but would invite his wrath. Draupadi prayed to Shri Krishna to extricate them from this terrible predicament. the Lord appeared and asked her to bring the akshaya-patra found a small bit of green sticking to its side, and ate it. As he felt satisfied with it, simultaneously and miraculously, Durvasa and his numerous disciples felt full.
Shri Krishna then asked Sahadeva, one of the Pandava brothers, to invite the sage and his entourage for their meal. On the bank of the river, Durvasa was dumbfounded. He wondered how Draupadi could have cooked so quickly for so many. What would Yudhisthira say when told they did not want to eat because they were already full? Knowing the Pandavas to be close to Shri Krishna and not wanting to invite further trouble, Durvasa and his disciples quietly fled the place.
Durvasa and Kunti
If Durvasa got easily incensed, he was easily pleased too. The Pandavas were born with different divine elements because their mother Kunti, as a maiden, had served Durvasa during one of his peregrinations. the sage was so pleased he had given her five mantras so that she could use them to obtain divine children.
Birth of Durvasa
Durvasa's anger was natural. Once Lord Shiva was angry during a war with the destructive Tripuras and shot an arrow. The arrow destroyed the enemies of the gods and afterwards was transformed into a child, who came and sat in Shiva's lap. This child was Durvasa.
Story of Durvasa's origin:
The Indian mind is not satisfied with just one story about Durvasa's origin. The most popular one is that Shiva once quarreled with Brahma. when Shiva became angry self, all the gods and demons fled in fear. Parvati, Shiva's consort, was also terrified and said, 'Durvasam bhavati me'. It is difficult for me to live here. Shiva had to transfer is anger. The opportunity came as a result of granting a boon, in the form of a son, to Anasuya, consort of the sage Atri. Thus, their third child was named as Durvasa and he embodied Shiva's anger.
When in his element, Durvasa visited Dvaraka and was a guest of Shri Krishna and his consort Rukmini. He regularly pressed demands which were similingly met with alacrity. He once asked the royalcouple to cook payasam, pudding, and went so far as to make Shri Krishna smear it on himself. The Lord did so except on his feet. He then yoked Shri Krishna and Rukmini to his chariot and even (O Lord!) goaded them with a whip. With a sudden change of heart he then blessed both of them and and left. Shri Krishna's body became invincible due to the payasam that he had smeared on himself; but his feet, which had been left out, were vulnerable. Later, at the end of his life, he died because of an arrow shot inadvertently at his feet when he was resting.
Making the Lord smear himself with food was not a new thing to Durvasa. He had done it to himself. In order to test a sage with frugal habits at Kurukshetra, Durvasa demanded food. Eating a part of it, he smeared his body with the rest. The starving Mudgala did not get agitated even when this went on for a week. Durvasa then blessed Mudgala for his fortitude and righteousness.
Durvasa once officiated as a priest in a royal Yajna, a Vedic sacrifice. But the officiating priests left before it was finished, because it was unsuually long and their eyes smarted from the smoke. The king, Shvetaki, then performed austerities in the Himalayas in order to find a solution to the problem of his uncompleted sacrifice. Shiva was pleased with the king's austerities and deputed Durvasa to finish the sacrifice, which took him twelve years.
It does not matter that the benevolent and kindly side of Maharshi Durvasa has not been highlighted in the Purnas, because sages are supposed to be kind and benevolent. What we get out of reading about him is that Durvasa managed to rise above his anger.
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Excerpts from the Book titled Ancient Sages written by Swami Satyamayananda
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