In Sanatan Dharma, a verse is uttered at the time of any worship – that is Ashwatthama Balirvyaso Hanumanascha Vibhishanah. Kripa: Parashuramashcha Saptetaei Chirjeevin: Saptaitan Sammarennityam Markandeyamathashtam. Jeevedvarshastam sopi sarvavyadhivivijat. Shiva avatar Hanumanji are all chiranjeevi, salutations to them.
सनातन धर्म में किसी भी पूजा के समय एक श्लोक बोला जाता है – वह है अश्वत्थामा बलिरव्यासो हनुमानस्चा विभीषणः। कृपा: परशुरामशचा सप्ततेई चिरजीवन: सप्तैतन सम्मरेन्नित्यम मार्कंडेयमाथाष्टम। जीवदवर्षस्तं सोपि सर्वव्याधिविविजत।
अर्थात् अश्वत्थामा, बलि, व्यास, हनुमान, विभीषण, कृपाचार्य और भगवान परशुराम सभी चिरंजीवी हैं, उनको नमस्कार है।
It is a wonder of the world. Science will not accept it. Yoga and Ayurveda may agree with this to some extent, but where it is a matter of thousands of years, then it will be the subject of research for yogacharyas also. This cannot be claimed and there is no proof of any kind. It is supernatural. No miracle can be ruled out. Only by changing the body can one survive for thousands of years. Its similar to world’s seven wonders.
According to Hindu history and Puranas, there are seven people who are Chiranjeevi. It is all bound by some word, rule or curse and it is all endowed with divine powers. The eight siddhis mentioned in yoga have all the powers in them. It is like parapsychology, only those who know the science of today’s modern science like parapsychology and telepathy can believe it. Let us know who are these seven living superhumans according to Hinduism.
Bali: The discussions of King Bali’s donation were far and wide. King Bali had captured Indraloka to attack the gods. The sacrifices took place during the incarnation of Lord Vamana in Satyuga. In order to break the pride of King Bali, God disguised as a Brahmin had asked King Bali to donate three steps of land. King Bali said that wherever you wish, put three legs. Then the Lord, taking His cosmic form, measured the three worlds in two steps, and placing the third step on the head of the sacrifice, sent him to Hades.
Parashuram: Parashuram has been a great sage before the time of Rama. His father’s name is Jamadagni and mother’s name is Renuka. Husband Parayana Mata Renuka gave birth to five sons, whose names were named Vasuman, Vasushen, Vasu, Vishwavasu and Rama respectively. Pleased with Rama’s penance, Lord Shiva had thrown him away, hence his name Parashurama. Lord Parashuram was before Rama, but being Chiranjeevi, he was also in Rama’s time. Lord Parashurama is the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. They appeared on Tritiya of Shukla Paksha of Vaishakh month, hence the said date is called Akshaya Tritiya. His birth time is considered to be the sandhi period of Satyug and Treta.
Hanuman: Anjani’s son Hanuman has also got a boon to remain immortal. He has been a great devotee of Lord Rama in Treta Yuga. After thousands of years they are also seen in the Mahabharata period. There are episodes in the Mahabharata that Bhima asks him to remove his tail from the path, then Hanuman ji says that you should remove it, but Bhima is unable to remove his tail even with all his might.
Vibhishana: Ravana’s younger brother Vibhishana. Those who supported him in the fight against his brother by chanting the glory of Ram’s name and kept chanting the name of Ram throughout his life.
Sage Vyasa: Vyasa, the Mahabharata writer, was the son of sage Parashara and Satyavati, was a dark complexion and was born on an island situated in the middle of the Yamuna. They are called ‘Krishna’ because of their dark complexion and ‘Dvaipayana’ because of their birthplace. His mother later married Shantanu, with whom they had two sons, in whom the elder Chitrangad was killed in battle and the younger Vichitravirya died childless. Krishna Dvaipayana preferred the life of religious and detachment, but on the insistence of the mother, he produced two sons by the rule of niyoga by the two childless queens of Vichitravirya, who were called Dhritarashtra and Pandu, among whom the third was also Vidura. There is also a memoir penned by him in the name of Vyassmriti. Indian music and Hindu culture is indebted to Vyasji.
Ashwatthama: Ashwathama is the son of Guru Dronacharya. Ashwatthama has Amarmani on his forehead and that is why he is immortal, but Arjuna had taken out that Amarmani. Krishna had cursed him because of wielding the Brahmastra that you will live on this earth till the end of life, that is why Ashwatthama is counted among the seven Chiranjeevis. It is believed that he is still alive and wandering because of his karma. There have been claims of his appearance occasionally in Uttarakhand, Haryana’s Kurukshetra and other pilgrimages. The incident of his appearance in the fort of Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh is also prevalent.
Kripacharya: A famous son of Sharadvan Gautam is Kripacharya. Kripacharya was the maternal uncle of Ashwathama and the patriarch of the Kauravas. While playing the hunt, Shantanu got two babies. Shantanu brought them up by naming them both as Kripi and Kripa. In the Mahabharata war, Kripacharya was active on behalf of the Kauravas.
Along with these seven Chiranjeevis, Rishi Markandeya is also considered immortal. Therefore the eighth Chiranjeevi is Rishi Markandeya. They were short lived. He composed the Mahamrityunjaya mantra and by doing penance pleased Shiva.
Markandeya was young, became Chiranjeevi by the grace of Shiva. It is also said that when the Holocaust comes and the whole world starts drowning, then sage Markandeya sits in the boat carrying important things like scriptures, medicines, seeds of crops etc. Huh. This is the reason why it is found written in all the scriptures – Markandeya Uvacha, that is, as Markandeya Rishi said.