Kratu

Kratu is one of the seven great sages (Saptarishi) in Hindu tradition, born directly from the mind of Brahma as a manasaputra. His name derives from the Sanskrit word 'kratu', meaning 'sacrificial rite' or 'ritual', reflecting his profound expertise in Vedic ceremonies. The Rigveda (e.g., 1.32, 10.130) alludes to the Saptarishi as the primordial seers who received the Vedas, and Kratu is consistently enumerated among them in later texts. The Mahabharata (Vana Parva) and the Puranas, such as the Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana, describe Kratu as a master of sacrificial knowledge, often depicted holding a staff and sacrificial implements like the sruva (offering ladle) and kusha grass.

In iconography, he is shown as a serene, bearded sage seated in meditation or performing a yajna. According to the Skanda Purana, Kratu married Sannati, the daughter of Daksha, and fathered the Valakhilya sages—a group of sixty thousand thumb-sized ascetics renowned for their austerity. Another tradition in the Shiva Purana links Kratu to the lineage of the Vedic rishis who preserved the sacred fires. In Hindu cosmology, the Saptarishi are considered the mind-born sons of Brahma and are responsible for upholding dharma through the ages, with each manvantara (age of Manu) having a different set of seven sages.

Kratu belongs to the current Vaivasvata Manvantara. Regional worship of Kratu is primarily pan-Indian within the Vedic tradition, where he is invoked during homa (fire sacrifices) and in rituals seeking mastery over rites. His mantra, 'Om Kratave Namaḥ', is chanted for wisdom in sacrificial procedures. The Puranas also recount that Kratu once cursed the god Chandra (the moon) for abducting his wife, leading to Chandra's waning phase—a myth that underscores Kratu's power as a sage.

Thus, Kratu embodies the ideal of the Vedic ritualist, whose knowledge sustains cosmic order.

Depicted as a Vedic sage, often with sacrificial implements.