ŚUNAŚŚEPHA (DEVARĀTA) The story of a Brāhmaṇa youth who was to be offered as human sacrifice and who was saved by Viśvāmitra, is famous in the Purāṇas. The name of the Brāhmaṇa youth was Śunaś- śepha. But even in the Purāṇas there are two versions of this story. In one of them, Śunaśśepha is referred to as the son of Ṛcīkamuni. In the other, it was Hariścandra who performed the yāga and Śunaśśepha who was brought for sacrifice, was the son of a Brāhmaṇa named Ajīgarta. After Viśvāmitra saved the boy, he got another name, “Devarāta”. For details of the two versions, see under Ambarīṣa and the 4th Para under Viśvāmitra. Śunaśśepha later became a Maharṣi He composed Ṛgveda, 1st Maṇḍala, 1st Aṣṭaka. Besides in
[Ṛgveda, 1st Maṇḍala, 6th Anuvāka, 30th Sūkta] it is stated that Indra had given a golden chariot to Śunnaśśepha.