Maharishi Dhaumya

At a glance

• Name: Dhaumya (धौम्य).
• Category: Maharshi; purohita (family priest) of the Pandavas.
• Family: the younger brother of the sage Devala. The Mahabharata does not name his parents.
• Chosen as priest: at the tirtha of Utkochaka, on the advice of the gandharva Angaraparna (Adi Parva).
• Source: the Mahabharata — Adi, Sabha, Vana, Virata and Shanti Parvas.
• Best known for: teaching Yudhishthira the 108 names of Surya, and guiding the Pandavas through exile.
• Not to be confused with: Ayoda Dhaumya, the teacher of Aruni, Upamanyu and Veda in the Adi Parva.

Family background

The Mahabharata introduces Dhaumya simply as the younger brother of Devala, a sage of great austerity, living at the sacred ford of Utkochaka. It says nothing of his parents, wife or children; everything the epic tells us about him concerns his service to the Pandavas. For a family priest that is fitting: in the epic, his family is the one he serves.

Life and key episodes

Chosen as the Pandavas' priest

After escaping the house of lac, the Pandavas were travelling to Panchala when they met the gandharva Angaraparna on the Ganga at night. After Arjuna defeated him, the gandharva told them that kings who act without a priest do not prosper, and advised them to find a purohita at once. The Pandavas went to Utkochaka and chose Dhaumya, who agreed to serve them. From then on he went with them everywhere.

The wedding and the kingdom

Dhaumya performed the rites when Draupadi was married to the Pandavas in Panchala, and he served as their priest when they built Indraprastha. He stood beside Yudhishthira through the court life that led up to the game of dice.

Walking ahead into exile

When the Pandavas left Hastinapura after losing at dice, the Sabha Parva describes how Dhaumya walked ahead of them holding kusha grass and chanting the Sama hymns addressed to Yama, the god of death. Vidura explains the meaning to Dhritarashtra: the priest was announcing that one day, when the Kauravas lay dead on the battlefield, he would chant those same hymns for them.

The 108 names of Surya and the Akshaya Patra

At the start of the forest exile, many brahmins followed the Pandavas, and Yudhishthira did not know how he could feed them. Dhaumya advised him to worship Surya, the sun, the giver of food, and taught him the Sun's 108 names. Yudhishthira prayed with them, and Surya gave him a copper vessel that would provide food for all until Draupadi had eaten each day. This is the vessel known in popular tradition as the Akshaya Patra.

Advice for the year in disguise

Before the thirteenth year, which the Pandavas had to spend in disguise at King Virata's court, Dhaumya taught them how to live in a king's service: speak only when asked, never sit in the king's seat, keep the king's secrets, avoid his women and enemies, and never seem more splendid than the king. This short section of the Virata Parva is still read as practical advice on serving in a royal court. During that year Dhaumya kept the Pandavas' sacred fires and went to stay in Panchala.

After the war

When the war ended, Dhaumya carried out the rites for the dead and performed the consecration when Yudhishthira was crowned king in Hastinapura (Shanti Parva).

Achievements and contributions

• The ideal purohita: he served one family through marriage, kingship, exile, war and coronation, giving both ritual and practical guidance.
• The Surya worship of the Vana Parva: the 108 names of the Sun he taught Yudhishthira are one of the best-known Surya hymns in the epic.
• Rules for royal service: his counsel in the Virata Parva is a compact guide to life at court.

Why he is revered today

Dhaumya is remembered whenever the Akshaya Patra story is told, and the 108 names of Surya from the Vana Parva are recited by worshippers of the Sun. For priests in many traditions he is the model purohita: loyal, learned, and able to give practical advice as well as perform rites.

Variant traditions and a historical note

Two different sages named Dhaumya appear in the Adi Parva. Ayoda Dhaumya is the teacher who tests his students Aruni (later Uddalaka), Upamanyu and Veda in the Paushya episode. The Pandavas' priest is introduced separately, much later, as the younger brother of Devala. Popular retellings sometimes merge the two, but the epic keeps them apart.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Dhaumya in the Mahabharata?

The purohita, or family priest, of the Pandavas, chosen at Utkochaka on the advice of the gandharva Angaraparna.

Who was Dhaumya's brother?

The sage Devala, his elder brother, often called Asita Devala.

Who were Dhaumya's parents?

The Mahabharata does not name them. His elder brother Devala is usually called Asita Devala, "Devala son of Asita".

What did Dhaumya teach Yudhishthira?

The 108 names of Surya. By worshipping the Sun with them, Yudhishthira received the vessel that provided food for the Pandavas and their guests in the forest.

Is Dhaumya the same as Ayoda Dhaumya?

No. Ayoda Dhaumya is the teacher of Aruni, Upamanyu and Veda; Dhaumya the priest, Devala's younger brother, served the Pandavas. They are different sages in different episodes of the Adi Parva.

Why did Dhaumya chant hymns of Yama when the Pandavas went into exile?

Vidura explains that it was an omen: the priest was announcing that he would one day chant the same hymns for the Kauravas when they fell in battle.

Who crowned Yudhishthira after the war?

Dhaumya, the Pandavas' priest, performed the consecration rites for Yudhishthira's coronation in Hastinapura.