214. Shunashepa
There are two different stories around Shunashepa which are narrated in the stories of Ambarisha and Harishchandra respectively. While the former version appears in Vedas, the latter appears in Puranas.
In brief, the two versions goes as follows….
Ambarisha
When Ambarisha was conducting a yagna, the sacrificial horse went missing. On the advice of the chief priest, the king started looking for a human who could be offered as a sacrifice, in place of the horse. Sage Ruchika and Satyavati (step-sister of sage Vishwamitra) agreed to give their middle son, Shunahshepa, in return for a few hundred cows. While Shunashepa was being taken away, he met sage Vishwamitra and pleaded with him to save his life.
Vishwamitra then asked his sons if any of them were willing to replace Shunahshepa in the sacrifice. When all his 100 sons declined, the sage cursed them to be reborn as outcast dog-meat eaters.
Thereafter, Vishwamitra promised to save him; he taught him a mantra and asked him to chant it when he was about to be beheaded. As Shunahshepa was standing at the sacrificial altar about to be beheaded, he chanted the mantra, and true to Vishwamitra’s word, Indra manifested himself and granted him with a long life. Vishwamitra then adopted him as his son.
Harishchandra
Harishchandra had a son named Rohita, with the blessings of Varuna on the condition that he would hand over the child back to him whenever he demanded as a sacrifice. When the boy grew up and was told about the story behind his birth, he left the kingdom in search of some remedy to avoid his death.
He met Ajigarta, a poor brahmin named, who had three sons viz. Sunahpuccha, Shunashepa, and Shunolangula. When Rohita offered Ajigarta 100 cows in exchange for one of his sons to be sacrificed to Varuna in his place, Ajigarta parted with his middle son Shunahshepa. Varuna consented to the replacement of Rohita with Shunahshepa on the basis that a brahmin boy was a worthy substitute for a kshatriya boy.
During the sacrificial yajna Shunashepa was to be tied to the sacrificial post, the priests to circumambulate him with a fire wick, and lastly behead him. However, the four priests, including Vishwamitra, who were to conduct it did not agreed to do so. So Ajigarta himself agreed to perform the sacrifice for an additional 100 cows.
When he about to be beheaded Shunashepa started invoking the gods. Ushas, the deity of dawn, saved him. Varuna was satisfied and pleased…
Seeing the divine intervention, Vishwamitra decided to accept Shunahshepa as his eldest son. However, of the 100 sons of Vishwamitra, the 50 elder ones protested and refused to accept him as their brother; Vishwamitra cursed them and exiled them.
Despite the varying details at the granular level there are few interestingly common theme viz. practice of human sacrifice and the adoption of Shunashepa as son by sage Vishwamitra and the cursing of his sons by Vishwamitra. In both instances, Shunashepa’s life was saved as also the sponsor of the yagna received their respective desired goals.
Interesting trivia: The story of Shunashepa is recited by the hotr (chief priest) during the rajasuya yagna after the king is sprinkled with the holy water, which is an essential part of the ritual.