The Story of Mount Rishaba – Stories from Aranyaka Parva

When the Pandavas reached Mount Hemakuta on their pilgrimage, they saw many inexplicable sights. Rishi Lomasa narrated the story of an ascetic named Rishaba who lived on a mountain that became known as Mount Rishaba. 

Rishaba was an old rishi who liked to live alone and was prone to anger. He instructed the mountain to shower stones on anyone who spoke a word in that region. He summoned the wind and ordered that a single word shouldn’t be uttered. Anyone who spoke would be blocked by the clouds, and the path would become inaccessible. 

Similarly, back in the past when the gods came to stay at River Nanda, humans began to queue up to meet them. However, Indra wasn’t interested. He caused the mountains to grow so high that it blocked the path and prevented human entry. Since then, people couldn’t even look at the mountain, let alone climb it. 

Nevertheless, ascetics and those who performed the necessary austerities were granted permission. Rishi Lomasa advised the Pandavas to control their speech and respect the land. If they adhered to the rules at Mount Rishaba, they could proceed without difficulty.

After all, many great rishis and gods have performed yagnas, and the signs were still visible. The Pandavas followed the rishi’s advice. They took a bath in the river and offered their prayers before moving on to the next pilgrim site.