GĀLAVA A celebrated sage.
1)
Birth. He was a son of Viśvāmitra. He was a brahmavādī.
[Śloka 52, Chapter 4, Anuśāsana Parva. 2] How he got his name. There is no record of his original name in any of the Purāṇas. He got his name Gālava later. There is a story about this both in
[Devībhāgavata] and
[Harivaṁśa] . It is as follows: There was once a King called Aruṇa in the family of Māndhātā. Aruṇa got a son and he was named Satyavrata. (It was this Satyavrata who later became the well famed Triśaṅku). When Satyavrata was a youngster he once went inside the marriage hall of a brahmin and kidnapped the bride. Furious at this evil deed of his son the king sent him out from his palace and Satyavrata roamed about aimlessly. Nature protested against this deed of the King abandoning his heir and there was no rain in the country for twelve years. The people were all put to great trouble. Among those who suffered were the wife and children of Viśvāmitra. Viśvāmitra had at that time gone to the shores of the river Kauśikī, for doing penance. The family of Viśvāmitra was in great distress living without any means for food. The sight of the children crying for food to appease their hunger pained their mother much. So she decided to sell one child and feed the others by what she got from the sale. It was better to be without one child than all the children dying out of hunger. She made a rope out of darbha leaves and tying it round the neck of one child took it to the market for sale. Both the mother and child were weeping profusely on their way. Satyavrata saw them and took pity on them. When Satyavrata heard their sad story and knew that the woman was the wife of Viśvāmitra he told her thus: “Oh, Venerable Lady, you need not sell this boy. Untie the rope round his neck and throw it away. I will look after your family till the return of your husband. I will daily bring food for you all and hang it on a tree near your āśrama.” The mother was extremely happy to hear this and she at once untied the rope round the neck of the boy and the boy from thence became known as Gālava. (For details see under Triśaṅku).
3)
Gurudakṣiṇā of Gālava. Gālava continued his education under his father. At that time Dharmadeva to test Viśvāmitra came to him disguised as Vasiṣṭha. Viśvāmitra came out with rice to receive the guest but by that time the guest had disappeared. But Viśvāmitra remained there with the rice for hundred years till Dharmadeva returned. All these years Gālava looked after Viśvāmitra's comforts. Viśvāmitra was immensely pleased with Gālava and allowed him to go away free without any gurudakṣiṇā when his education was over. Gālava wanted to give some dakṣiṇā but Viśvāmitra refused to accept it. Gālava insisted on giving and then Viśvāmitra asked him to give whatever he liked but Gālava wanted the Dakṣiṇā to be named. Disgusted with this stubbornness Viśvāmitra said “Go and get me eight hundred horses each with one of its ears black”. Gālava was shocked to hear the demand and greatly worried roamed about in search of horses of the type specified. Garuḍa taking pity on his sad plight took him to the palace of Yayāti. Hearing the story of Gālava Yayāti sent his daughter Mādhavī with Gālava saying that if she was given in marriage to any king he would give him the eight hundred horses of the type he required. Gālava took Mādhavī to Haryaśva, a King of the Ikṣvāku line of Kings. Haryaśva was doing penance at that time to obtain a child. Gālava said that Haryaśva would get a son of Mādhavī and he should, therefore, accept Mādhavī and give him in return eight hundred horses each with one ear black. Haryaśva was amenable to the terms but the only difficulty was that he had only two hundred horses of the type specified. Finding this difficulty Mādhavī said “Oh, Gālava please do not worry on that account. I have a boon from a brahmavādī sage that I would remain a maiden even after delivery. So give me in marriage to this King and get two hundred horses. After giving birth to a son to this King take me to another King and get two hundred horses from him and then to another and thus by giving me to four Kings you can get the eight hundred horses you require.” Gālava liked this plan and so when Mādhavī gave birth to a son he took her to Divodāsa, Rājā of Kāśī. When a son was born to him Gālava took her to Uśīnara, King of Bhoja. Gālava thus got six hundred horses but there was nobody else to give him the remaining two hundred. When Gālava was contemplating as to what he should do next Garuḍa came to his rescue. He advised Gālava to give six hundred horses and Mādhavī in lieu of the remaining two hundred horses to Viśvāmitra. Gālava gave Viśvāmitra the horses and Mādhavī and pleased with the gurudakṣiṇā Viśvāmitra blessed Gālava. Viśvāmitra got a son named Aṣṭaka of Madhavī. (See under Aṣṭaka).
4)
Gālava and Citrasena. Gālava was once having his evening prayers in the river when the spittings from the mouth of Citrasena who was travelling by air above fell on the pūjā materials of Gālava. Gālava went and complained to Śrī Kṛṣṇa of this and Kṛṣṇa in haste promised to bring before Gālava the head of Citrasena before the sun set. Nārada who heard this went and informed Citrasena of Kṛṣṇa's vow. Citrasena was frightened to death. But Nārada asked him not to lose hope and advised Sandhyā and Valī, wives of Citrasena, to approach Subhadrā, sister of Kṛṣṇa, for protection. Both of them went to Subhadrā and made a grand fire-pit in front of her palace. Citrasena decided to end his life by jumping into the fire and as he was circling the pit his wives wept loudly. Since her husband Arjuna was away from the palace Subhadrā herself ran to the place from where she heard the cries. When they saw Subhadrā they begged for ‘Maṅgalyabhikṣā’ (a boon to live with one's husband). Subhadrā agreed to give them that. Then she heard their story in full and only then did she realise that she had undertaken to do the impossible. Yet, to help Subhadrā, Arjuna agreed to protect Citrasena. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa attacked Citrasena Arjuna defended. The fight then ensued between Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa. Both had very powerful and divine weapons and the world stood on the verge of a collapse by their fight. Then Subhadrā did a brave thing. She stood between the two and requested for a cease-fire. Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa asked Citrasena to bow down and touch the feet of Gālava. Gālava pardoned him.
[Padma Purāṇa] .
5)
Tapodāna. Gālava once gave Yayāti one eighth portion of the goodness accrued to him by his long penance. (See Yayāti for details).
6)
Gālava gets a horse. Pātālaketu, a demon, used to give trouble to Gālava daily while he used to do penance. Once this demon sent a deep hot breath to the sky and then a horse fell from the sky. Soon an unknown voice from air said, “This is a very strong horse and it would travel many a yojana in an hour.” Gālava took that horse and gave it to Ṛtadhvaja.
[Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 59] .
7)
Other details regarding Gālava.(i) He was an intimate friend of King Pratīpa.
[Śloka 13, Chapter 20, Harivaṁśa] .
(ii) He was a shining member of the court of Yudhiṣṭhira.
[Śloka 15, Chapter 4, Sabhā Parva] .
(iii) He shone in the court of Indra.
[Śloka 10, Chapter 7, Sabhā Parva] .
(iv) He conducted a discussion with Nārada on the true nature of real prosperity.
[Śloka 5, Chapter 287, Śānti Parva] .
(v) On another occasion he spoke to Dharmaputra on the glory of the universe.
[Śloka 52, Chapter 18, Anuśāsana Parva] .
(vi) He swore before God to prove his innocence in the lotus-theft involving Agastya.
[Śloka 37, Chapter 94, Anuśāsana Parva] .
(vii) Śṛṅgava who married Vṛddhakanyā was a son of Gālava.
[Śloka 14, Chapter 52, Śalya Parva] . For details see under Viśvakarmā.