of Agastya glorifies Agastya's "kindred points of love making and penance". In Mahabharata The legend of Lopamudra, a mythological female, is the story of Agastya and Lopamudra narrated in the Aranyakaparvan of the epic Mahabharata. This version of the legend is said to be "the glorification of domestic life and family and demonstrates the incompleteness of a life based solely on asceticism." Background The background to Agastya and Lopamudra's legend in the Mahabharata starts with the asura brothers Ilvala and Vatapi of the region of Manismati. It is also said that they hailed from Badami in Karnataka, South India. Ilvala requested a learned Brahmin to bless him with a son who would be as powerful as Indra. As this did not materialize Ilvala and his brother Vatapi got annoyed with the Brahmins and started taking revenge against them by adopting magical tricks. Illwala's brother Vatapi would transform himself into a buffalo and after slaying the buffalo the cooked meat would be served to the Brahmins. Once the meal was consumed by the Brahmins then Ilvala would call out for his brother to come out of the stomach of the Brahmins. Vatapi would then assume his normal human form and emerge from the stomach of the Brahmins killing them in the process. This aspect was made known to Agastya. At that time Agastya who had attained benefit of his long penance through asceticism went to the heaven where on his way he saw a few manes suspended with their legs up over a gorge. Surprised, Agastya asked them the reason for their such a plight. They told him that they were waiting for a son to be born to their descendant to get release from this curse. They also told him that they were his ancestors and it was now left to him (Agastya) to get married and soon beget a son, perform oblation rites to gods, and get them released from the curse so that they could go to heaven. Agastya promised the manes of his ancestors that he would fulfill their wish. In another version it is said that Agastya encountered his ancestors in a dream in the form of suspended manes with heels up over a deep ravine. Creation of Lopamudra Agastya then started creating a woman of rare beauty and intelligence. He did this creation from most graceful parts of various creatures possessing such a beauty (drawn