Vashishta is is one of the most worshipped and oldest Vedic Rishi. Vashishta is also spelled as Vashishtha. In Sanskrit, Vashishta means ‘most richest, best or most excellent’. Out of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis) he is one important Rishi who is attributed for authoring the Mandala 7 of the Rigveda. His consort is Arundhati and has one child named Sakti Maharsi. After marrying Arundhati he was also called Arundhati Nath (the husband of Arundhati).
A number of Vedic texts, Rigvedic mandalas and Rigvedic verses have mention about Vashishta and his family. Vashishta came up with many influential ideas. According to Adi Shankara, he is the first Sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Vashishta and Sage Vishvamitra had many arguments which are stated in popular Hindu mythologies.
He is accredited for the Vashishtha Samhita, Yoga Vashishtha and few other versions of the Vishnu Purana and Agni Purana. A number of mythologies indicate that he possessed Kamadhenu, the holy cow and her child Nandini who could grant their owners anything they desired. He taught Lord Rama and his brothers and also was the family priest of the Raghu Dynasty.
The Rigveda describes Vashishta as a great scholar who established his school by moving across the River Indus. He spent his life on banks of the River Ganga which was also a place where Sage Vyasa lived along with the five brothers of Mahabharata (the Pandavas).
Hindu texts describe Vashishta as a sage having hair that flow long and tied and coiled neatly into a bun with a tuft to the right. He also adorns a Tilak on the forehead, a handlebar moustache and a beard.
