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1. Birth of Durvaasaa Muni
2. Some of His Famous Events  [Indra, Ambareesh, Shakuntalaa, Lakshman, Kuntee, Paandav]
3. Durvaasaa and Krishn

Durvaasaa Muni and Indra
[A similar story is given here  Ganesh's Head]

This story comes in Vishnu Puraan, 1/2 (and in Padm Puraan, 5/37 too). Once Indra was going somewhere riding on his Airaavat elephant. Durvaasaa Muni was coming from opposite side from Bhagavaan's court. He had a flower garland in his hand. Considering Indra the Swaamee of Tri-Lok he thought that this garland would be appropriate for Indra as Prasaad. So he threw that garland on coming Indra. Indra didn't care for it and he threw it on Airaavat's head, and Airaavat picked it from his head, threw it on the ground and crushed it under his feet.

Seeing the insult of this Prasaad, Durvaasaa Muni got very furious and he gave Shaap to Indra: "You will loose all your wealth, grace and kingdom very soon." and went away. Soon Indra was attacked by Daitya Raaj Bali and lost everything. [Read Saagar Manthan story to read what happened after this]

Durvaasaa Muni and King Ambareesh
This story comes in Bhaagvat Puraan, 9/2. Manu's son was Nabhag, Nabhag's son was Naabhaag, and Naabhaag's son was Ambareesh. Ambareesh was a very religious and a great devotee of Vishnu. Even Brahm Shaap could never harm him. Pleased with his devotion Vishnu appointed His Chakra to guard him. Once he did Dwaadashee Pradhaan Ekaadashee Vrat and at the end of the Vrat kept fast for three nights. When he was doing his Paaran (conclusion) of his Vrat, that Durvaasaa Rishi came there. King welcomed him and requested him to take food. Rishi agreed and went to do his daily chores to bank of Yamunaa. Now Dwaadashee remained only for one Ghadee. Not completing Vrat in Dwaadashee was also a sin and taking food without offering Braahman was also a sin, so he consulted Braahman to tell him a way so that he is not blamed for any sin. With the Braahman's consultation he took water, because it meant not to take food, and still maintaining the fast.

When Durvaasaa Jee came, the King welcomed him but Muni understood that the King has done the Paaran of his Vrat. He became very angry, he broke a flock of his hair from his skull and produced a Krityaa to kill Ambareesh. The Krityaa proceeded towards Ambareesh to kill him but Ambareesh stood unmoved. Vishnu's Chakra killed the Krityaa and then proceeded towards Durvaasaa to kill him. Now Durvaasaa ran away from there and wherever he went the Chakra followed him. He went to Brahmaa, Mahesh but both expressed their helplessness in this regard. Then he went to Vishnu, even Vishnu could not help him. He said - "Muni, I am under the control of my Bhakt, so I cannot help you, go to the same person to whom you have committed the crime." He went back to Ambareesh and fell down on his feet. Ambareesh prayed Chakra, the Chakra calmed down, fed Muni, and took food himself too. Durvaasaa Muni blessed him and went to his Lok.

Durvaasaa Muni and Shakuntalaa
Shakuntalaa was the daughter of Muni Vishwaamitra and Menakaa Apsaraa, but she was brought up by Maharshi Kanv. Once Raajaa Dushyant came preying that side and both fell in love with each other. They got married by Gandharv method. Dushyant gave her his ring and went back to his kingdom promising her that he would soon call her. Once Shakuntalaa was sitting lost in Dushyant's thoughts that Durvaasaa Muni came to her Aashram, but she was so much lost in her thoughts that she didn't see him coming and thus she could not attend him. Seeing Shakuntalaa lost in her thoughts and not attending Muni, Muni Durvaasaa got furious and gave her Shaap: "In whose thoughts you are lost, he will forget you. And he will not recognize you."

Shakuntalaa got very worried hearing this Shaap. Still she told him that she had his ring as his identification. Muni said - "When you will want to show that ring to him to recognize you, you won't find that ring with you." She fell on Muni's feet and asked for his forgiveness. Then he said - "OK, After some time, he will find that ring, then only he will remember you and call you back."

The same thing happened. When Shakuntalaa went to Dushyant with her son Bharat, he did not recognize her, and when she wanted to show his ring to him, she could not find it. Crying and weeping she came back. Later Dushyant found the ring from his one of the fishermen, then he remembered her and called her and declared her as his queen.

Durvaasaa Muni and Lakshman
When Raam came back to Ayodhyaa after His 14 years of exile, he was crowned as the King of Ayodhyaa and ruled for 10,000 years. Once a Tapaswee came to Raam's palace and told Lakshman that Atibal Muni had sent him and he wanted to talk to Raam. Lakshman told this to Raam and Raam asked Lakshman to bring him in. Tapaswee said to Raam - "I want to talk to you in private. If somebody will hear our talks or see us even secretly, you have to kill him." Raam agreed. He asked Lakshman to move His gatekeeper somewhere else and guard the gate of the room himself in which they were talking. Lakshman did so.

As Lakshman was guarding Raam's room, Durvaasaa Muni came and asked Lakshman that he wanted to talk to Raam. Lakshman said - "Raam is presently busy, as soon as He will be free I will inform Him about you." Muni got angry at this and said - "You inform Him right now, otherwise I will give Shaap to everybody, this kingdom, your kingdom people, you, your family." Lakshman understood that his time has come to leave this world. It is better to die instead of getting Shaap for so many people. So he went in that room where Raam was talking to that Tapaswee and informed Him about Durvaasaa Muni. 

After Durvaasaa Muni had left, Raam got worried as how to kill Lakshman. Vashishth Jee suggested, "If people leave noble people, it is like killing for them. So you may leave him, that is also equal to killing." Raam sadly said - "Lakshman, I leave you." Lakshman cried at this and he immediately went to Sarayoo River bank and left his physical body. Later Indra took his body.

Durvaasaa Muni and Kuntee
It is not like that he has always been furious, sometimes he used to get pleased also, but it was a very difficult job for him. Only one incident is found in scriptures of his kindness. Once when Kuntee was unmarried and was in Kuntibhoj's house, Durvaasaa Muni came to her palace. Raajaa Kuntibhoj introduced his daughter to him and assigned the guest to her.

Kuntee served him so well that Durvaasaa Muni got very pleased with her. He said - "Putree, I am very pleased with your services, ask anything you like." Kuntee said politely - "Mahaaraaj, You know everything, past, present and the future. Give me something which is useful for my future." Then Durvaasaa Muni gave her a Mantra and said - "After reading this Mantra, you will meditate on whoever Devtaa, he will have to come to you and fulfill your wish." After this Muni went away.

Once Kuntee wanted to test that Mantra. She read it and meditated on Soorya. Soorya came to her and asked - "What do you want, Kuntee?" Kuntee was surprised to see him in person and got frightened also, because she didn't have any motive to call him and she did not expect also that that Mantra will bring the Devtaa in front of her, it was just a test, but now what she should do. She said to him trembling - "I was just testing the Mantra, Dev, I don't need anything. Please go."

Soorya said - "Kuntee, I cannot go without giving you something, because this will be a disrespect to Durvaasaa's Mantra, so I give a son to you." Kuntee got more frightened, she said - "Bhagavan, I am unmarried, what I will say to society?" Soorya said - "Don't worry, he will take care of himself. He will born with my "Kavach and Kundal" for his safety. You name him Karn. And don't worry about the society, you will still be unmarried." After saying this Soorya Dev gave her a son and went away.

This is well-known to the world that when Paandu got Shaap of Kindam Muni, Kuntee used this Mantra to get five sons for Paandu, three for herself and two for Maadree, who were called five Paandav - Yudhishthir, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev.

Durvaasaa Muni and Duryodhan and Paandav
Read this story in  MBH, G-4-Van/48

When Paandav were spending their 12 years in Vanvaas (exile), once Durvaasaa Muni and his disciples came to Hastinaapur. Duryodhan welcomed them and treated them very well. Durvaasaa Muni got very happy by his hospitality so he asked him to ask for any Var. Duryodhan always wanted to insult Paandav, so he said to Muni, "Yudhishthir is the eldest among ourselves so you go to him also to bless him and accept their hospitality along with your 10,000 disciples. And you should go there when Draupadee has eaten her food so that she should not suffer from hunger."

So Durvaasaa Muni came to Yudhishthir's Aashram where they were living. He met Yudhishthir on the way so he told him - "We are going to to take bath in the river, after that we will come and have food at your place." Yudhishthir welcomed them and immediately came to his Aashram and told Draupadee everything.

Draupadee had a Divine pot, given by Soorya, which used to give her food to feed all, and it continued to give until Draupadee herself had eaten from it. Now it was the time like that everybody had eaten his food, so Draupadee had also eaten her food. All got worried, because everybody knew Durvaasaa Muni, that if he got angry he would give Shaap. The then they saw Krishn at the door saying, "Krishney, I am very hungry. Give me something to eat." And seeing all standing in a worried mood He again asked - "What has happened to you all? Why do you look so worried?"

Yudhishthir told the whole story. Krishn ignored the story and again said - "Give me something to eat soon, I am very hungry." Draupadee said - "But my pot is empty, Krishn. Where from I can bring food?" Krishn said in hurry - "Bring me that pot." "But it is empty, it is cleaned." "Let me see if you have cleaned it properly." Draupadee reluctantly brought the pot and gave it to Krishn. Krishn found a grain of rice (some say it was a green leaf) stuck to the wall of the pot. He took it out and ate it. After that He touched his stomach and said - "All creatures of Tri-Lok should be satisfied with this grain (leaf)." and said to Paandav - "Now you don't worry at all. Durvaasaa Muni will never come here. Be at ease." and went away.

At the same time Duravaasaa Muni and his disciples felt themselves so full and satisfied that they dropped the idea to visit Yudhishthir. They returned from there only. Thus Krishn saved Paandav from Durvaasaa Muni's Shaap.

Durvaasaa Muni and Saamb
Saamb was Krishn's son from Jaambvatee. He was cursed by Durvaasaa Muni twice.
(1) Once Muni Durvaasaa came to Dwaarakaa wandering around the world. But seeing his lean body with yellow eyes, Saamb started copying his style. Considering that "Saamb is proud of his beauty and youth", he got angry and he cursed him - "You have made a mockery of my ugliness considering yourself handsome, you will become a leper soon." Soon he became a leper.

Therefore no one should insult any Devtaa, Guru or Braahman. Vishnu has said two Shlok in this regard - "Who is dutiful, who has won his fame and anger, is learned and polite, doesn't make other sad, is satisfied with his own wife, leaves other women, there is no fear for such a person in the world. Moon, water, sandal, cool shade do not give such pleasure to a man as sweet words give." Later he worshipped Soorya Bhagavaan on the advice of his father Krishn and regained his health. Then he inhabited Saambpur on his name and established Soorya there. [Bhavishya Puraan, 1/14]

(2) Although this story has been attributed to Durvaasaa Muni, but in Mahaabhaarat, his name has not been given exclusively, only Braahman term is stated. The story goes like this - once many Rishi were staying near Prabhaas Kshetra. Once some Yaadav princes came there and they thought to play with them. So one prince dressed Saamb as a woman and took him to the Rishi and asked them - "You know everything. This woman is pregnant and wishes to know whether she would give birth a son or a daughter." As Rishi saw the woman, they understood everything, so Durvaasaa Muni said - "She will give birth to a Moosal (pestle) which will become the cause of the destruction of the Yaadav Vansh." Hearing this princes got frightened and they rushed to Dwaarakaa and told everything to Ugrasen Jee. Ugrasen Jee got very worried as he knew that Rishi do not tell lies.

Saamb did give birth to a Moosal. Since nothing could be done then, so Ugrasen ordered to grind that iron Moosal and throw the powder in the sea. The Moosal was ground but still a small iron piece remained unground. It was also thrown into the sea. Later that iron powder was grown as grass and that iron piece was recovered by a fisherman who sold it to a maker of arrows. He put it on the tip of his arrow and killed Krishn with that. The grass was used by Yaadav to kill each other. Thus according to Durvaasaa Muni's Shap that Moosal became the cause of the destruction of the whole Yadu Vansh. [MBH, G-7-Postwar/31]

Durvaasaa Muni and Others
Durvaasaa Rishi is so angry Muni that he did not leave even Vishnu. There are some other small curses also to various people.

(1) There was a King named Sahastraaksh who was also cursed by Durvaasaa Muni to become a Raakshas - Trinaavart.
(2) There is one story of Durvaasaa Rishi and Mudgal Muni, mentioned in MBH, G-4-Van/48 by Vyaas Jee.

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