Ilvala – A Daitya

Ilvala devised a cruel scheme to exact his revenge on the Brahmanas. He and Vatapi would lure Brahmana guests to their city with hospitality. Vatapi would then use his shape-shifting abilities to transform into a ram, and Ilvala would cook and serve this “ram” as a meal to their unsuspecting guest. Once the Brahmana had eaten his fill, Ilvala would call out, “Vatapi, come out!” Vatapi would then tear his way out of the guest’s belly, emerging alive, thus killing the guest in a horrific manner. Many Brahmanas fell prey to this sinister trick.

Meanwhile, sage Agastya had recently married Lopamudra – Wife of Agastya, a princess from the kingdom of Vidarbha, whose royal upbringing influenced his pursuit of wealth to meet her wishes. Lopamudra – Wife of Agastya expressed a desire for ornaments and wealth that befitted her royal lineage. To fulfill her wish, Agastya sought wealth from various kings. However, all the kings he approached were bound by a delicate balance of income and expenditure, leaving them unable to spare any riches. Learning of Ilvala’s enormous wealth, Agastya decided to go to Manimati, undeterred by the Daitya’s notorious enmity toward Brahmanas.

Upon his arrival, Ilvala, in keeping with his usual trickery, transformed Vatapi into a ram, cooked him, and served him as a meal to Agastya. However, Agastya, with his immense spiritual power and wisdom, saw through the scheme. After consuming the meal, he calmly uttered, “Vatapi has been digested.” When Ilvala called for his brother to come out, he was shocked to find that Vatapi could no longer emerge, for Agastya’s spiritual prowess had completely digested him, thwarting Ilvala’s cruel trick.

Realizing the futility of his hatred and fearing Agastya’s wrath, Ilvala attempted to make amends. He offered Agastya a grand gift if he could correctly guess the nature of it. Agastya, with his profound insight, accurately named the gift: twenty thousand kine (cows), as many gold coins, a golden chariot, and two horses as swift as thought. Humbled, Ilvala gifted these to the sage and, in a gesture of peace, reconciled with him.

This encounter demonstrated Agastya’s unparalleled wisdom, his immense spiritual prowess, and the futility of harboring hatred. Ilvala’s story stands as a cautionary tale, reflecting how malice and deceit ultimately lead to ruin, while humility and repentance bring peace. This episode is recounted in the Mahabharata’s narratives, particularly in passages such as Maha: 3.96 and 3.99, further enhancing Agastya’s legendary status as a sage whose power and virtue were beyond the reach of even the fiercest of Asuras.