The 8 Chiranjeevis in Hinduism

‘Chiranjeevi’ refers to immortals in Hinduism. Hindu mythology says that certain people have the power to defy death and become immortal like the gods. In Hindu mythology, there are 8 immortals called Ashta Chiranjeevis. They are Mahabali, Ashwathama, Veda Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya, Parashurama, and Markandeya. These immortals have lived from one Satyuga to the next, and people believe that they still exist on Earth. The Sanskrit word ‘Chiranjeevi’ means ‘long-lived.’ ‘Chiram’ denotes ‘long,’ and ‘Jivi’ means ‘lived’. The Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas contain references to them. Let us learn more about the Ashta Chiranjeevis. Mahabali Mahabali is a powerful Asura king, the grandson of the great Vishnu devotee, Prahlad, and a descendant of Sage Kashyap. Bali performed Ashwamedha Yagna to maintain his supremacy over the three worlds. This made Lord Indra and the other Devas (demigods) in heaven feel jittery. So, they asked Lord Vishnu to neutralize the threat posed by Mahabali. Vishnu incarnated as the dwarf Brahmin, Vamana, and requested Mahabali to give him enough land that he could cover with 3 steps. Known for his generosity, Bali agreed. However, Vamana soon became gigantic in size and covered heaven and earth in two steps. Mahabali then offered him his head so that Vamana could place his feet on it for his third step. Vamana pushed Mahabali down into Paatal Lok. However, as Mahabali’s devotion pleased him, he blessed Bali with Indra’s powers and allowed him to visit his land and subjects once a year. This is when the people of Kerala celebrate the Onam festival. Sage Markandeya Sage Mrikandu was a devotee of both Vishnu and Shiva. The sage belonged to Bhrigu’s clan. He and his wife, Marudmati, asked for a boon from Shiva, as they wanted a son. Shiva told him that he could either have a son who would die young or one of low intelligence who would live long. Mrikandu opted for the former. Soon, a son named Markandeya was born to him. He proved to be an exemplary son, but he was destined to die when he was 16 years old. Markandeya was also a great Shiva devotee. On the day he was supposed to die, he continued his worship of the Shiva lingam. When Yama, the God of death, came to take away Markandeya’s life, the noose landed on the Shiva lingam by mistake. An angry Shiva attacked Yama. Later, Shiva restored Yama’s life and blessed Markandeya with immortality. After this, Shiva became known as Kalantaka, the ‘Destroyer of Death.’ Parashurama Parashurama is an incarnation of Vishnu. He was a Kshatriya warrior who was feared and respected. Though he was a Brahmin, he had the traits of a Kshatriya. He was brave, aggressive, and a skilled warrior. He is also called ‘Brahma-Kshatriya,’ as he possesses the skills associated with both castes. Parashurama is an Avesha avatar and martial Shraman ascetic. He was the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. His father, Jamadagni, was a direct descendant of Brahma. King Kartavirya Arjuna and his soldiers abducted Jamadagni’s magic cow, Kamadhenu. In revenge, Parashurama killed Kartavirya and his entire army. To avenge Kartavirya’s death, Kartavirya’s son killed Jamadagni. Parashurama killed him and all the sons of the Kshatriya kings. He also performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice and gave away all his holdings to the karmakandis, who performed the ritual. In the Mahabharata epic, Parashurama was the Guru of Karna. It was Parashurama who gave the Sudarshan chakra to Lord Krishna. Parashurama’s goal in life was to relieve the earth’s burden by killing all the sinful and irreligious kings, who ignored their duties. The Kalki Purana claims that Paashurama still lives on earth and is Kalki's martial guru. Vibhishana Vibhishana was an Asura and the younger brother of the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. Despite being an Asura, Vibhishana had a noble character. He advised Ravana not to kidnap Sita, as it was immoral. But Ravana ignored his advice. Later, not willing to be a party to Ravana’s evil acts, Vibhishana joined Rama’s side. After killing Ravana, Rama crowned Vibhishana as Lanka’s king. Vibhishana ensured that his subjects abandoned their evil ways and led righteous lives. Vishnu then commanded Vibhishana to remain on earth, serve people, and guide them toward the path of truth and Dharma. He was also told to worship Lord Ranganatha, the family deity of Rama’s Suryavanshi (Solar) dynasty. Hanuman Hanuman was the son of Anjana, an apsara who was under a curse, and Kesari, the monkey king. King Dasharatha of Ayodhya performed Putrakameshti yagna as he had no children. The king was offered some divine kheer to be shared by his three wives so that they could conceive. However, a kite snatched some kheer and dropped it on Anjana’s palm. Vayu, the wind God, also had a role in this. Anjana conceived Hanuman in this manner. The Sundara Kanda chapter of the Ramayana epic describes Hanuman and his exploits in detail. Hanuman plays a key role in the epic and helps Rama to defeat Ravana and free Sita. Veda Vyasa Veda Vyasa, also called Krishna Dvaipayana, was born around 5000 years ago in Damauli, Nepal. Sage Parashara and Satyavati were his parents. He was the grandfather of the Pandavas and Kauravas. He taught the Vedas and wrote the Mahabharata epic. It was Lord Ganesha who was his scribe for writing the epic. Veda Vyasa supposedly narrated the Upanishads and the 18 Puranas without taking a break, to Ganesha. He finds mention in the Jataka tales, as well. Pandu, Dhritarashtra, Vidhura, and Sukhdev were his four sons. He obtained knowledge from great Rishis (sages) like Vasudev and Sanakadik. According to him, the most important goal in a person’s life is to attain Narayana. He also compiled the 4 Vedas - Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. He was the first as well as the greatest acharya of Sanatana Dharma. Some believe that he is a semi-avatar of Vishnu and that he reincarnated on earth during the Dwaparyuga to spread knowledge. Before his birth, Vedic knowledge was oral. He got the name Veda Vyasa because he split the original version of the Vedas into 4 parts. Veda Vyasa’s literal meaning is 'splitter of the Vedas'. Kripacharya Kripacharya is a key figure in the Mahabharata. He taught warfare to the Pandava and Kaurava princes and could single-handedly manage 60,000 warriors on the battlefield. Like a blazing fire, he would tear through the rival army. Though the Kauravas did immoral and evil things, Kripacharya did his duty impartially. Later, Krishna bestowed immortality on him. He had many noble traits like truth, righteousness, and impartiality. Even in the most extreme situations, Kripacharya held fast to his values. Ashwathama Ashwathama is an avatar of one of the 11 Rudras. He sided with the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war. He and his maternal uncle Kripa survived the war. Dronacharya and Kripi were his parents. Drona did severe penance to appease Shiva and beget a son who would be as valiant as Shiva. Shiva blessed Ashwathama with a gem on his forehead. When the Pandavas killed Drona through deceit, an angry Ashwathama invoked the divine weapon, Narayanastra. But Krishna told all the Pandava soldiers to drop their arms as the Narayanastra could kill only armed soldiers. The Astra did them no harm. As it could also be fired only once, the Pandavas escaped defeat. Toward the end of the war, along with Kripa and Kritavarma (the only other survivors on the Kaurava side), Ashwathama attacked the Pandava camp at night when everyone was sleeping. He killed Dhristadyumna and many brave Pandava soldiers. He killed all the sons of Draupadi, mistaking them for the Pandava brothers. In the morning, the Pandavas saw the carnage and were inconsolable. They found Ashwathama at Sage Vyasa’s ashram. During the battle, Ashwathama tried to kill the pregnant Uttara (Arjuna’s daughter-in-law) so that he could end the Pandava lineage. But Krishna prevented him and put a curse on him. As per the curse, Ashwathama would become immortal and lead a miserable life as a leper. People believe that Ashwatthama still lives, enduring a lot of pain and suffering for trying to kill a baby in the womb.