Vidura asked Maithreya how the Thrimoorthis were born as Athri’s sons. There must be some good reason behind it.  Maithreya described how Athri went for penance when Lord Brahma asked him to continue creation with his wife Anasooya. Athri knew that only by the grace of  the Lord, one can attain Sathputra – noble children.

Great Masters guide us with their own examples. Giving birth to children as animals do, is not meant for humans. So he went for penance, to the mountain Riksham. Here, the speciality of that place and the power of his penance are described beautifully.  Mind is influenced by time and space. Focus of mind is most essential in Sadhana. As mind is constantly moving or wavering, we need to make it still either by Shravanam and Mananam or Pranayam. Shravanam will take more time, so Athri adopted Pranayam and surrendered to the Lord.

Note – in our tradition, the culture transfer to the child started long before he/she was born. No wonder, a child born out of animalistic tendencies would behave like a beast. Our ancestors used to undergo a Sathwik life style much before they prepared for a child.