Sages & Others
Rishabha
ऋषभ
The Sage of the Silent Peak
Who was Rishabha?
Rishabha (ऋषभ): The Sage of the Silent Peak, one of the sages and supporting figures in the Mahabharata. An ascetic of many hundred years and a famous temper, who lived on the Himalayan peak that carries his name.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | ऋषभ |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | The Sage of the Silent Peak |
| Faction | Sages & Others |
| Key traits | wrathful, ancient, austere, solitary |
| Notable relationships | Subject of his tale: Lomasa, Obstacle on his road: Yudhishthira |
| Featured in | 1 story |
About Rishabha
An ascetic of many hundred years and a famous temper, who lived on the Himalayan peak that carries his name. Angered at being spoken to, he ordered the mountain itself to answer every human voice with volleys of stones and roaring wind, and Lomasa warns the climbing Pandavas to keep their tongues still as they pass. The epic gives a rishi of the same name the tale of the emaciated sage Tanu, told to King Sumitra to show that hope is the hardest thing in the world to conquer.
In Their Words
Whoever speaks upon this hill, answer him with stones.
Rishabha
Traits
- wrathful
- ancient
- austere
- solitary
Story Appearances
Character Arc
- The Word That Angered HimA greeting repaid with a mountain's wrath
- The Silence of HemakutaStones and wind for every voice raised on the slope
- Hope MeasuredA sage worn to the thickness of a finger by wanting
Key Relationships
- Subject of his taleLomasa
- Obstacle on his roadYudhishthira
Places in Rishabha's Story
Drawn from the story Rishabha appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Sages & Others.