How was Sage Vaśiṣṭha born?

 

Sage Vaśiṣṭha appears in Rig Veda, Ramayana.

The story of the birth of Sage Vaśiṣṭha, as narrated in the Fourteenth Chapter of the Sixth Book of Śrīmad Devi Bhāgavatam, is as follows:

Vaśiṣṭha, due to the curse of Nimi, quitted his body; and, with his subtle body, the part of his Jīva, entered into the body of Mitrā Varuṇa.

Then once on a time Urvaśī, exquisitely beautiful and lovely, surrounded by her comrades, went wilfully into the abode of Varuṇa.

Mitrā-Varuṇa, the two Devas became very passionate to see that Apsarā (the celestial nymph) endowed with youth and beauty and being enchanted with the arrows of cupid, and, being senseless, addressed to the Deva Kanyā Urvaśī, beautiful in all her parts, thus :-- “O Lovely One! Seeing you, we are very much troubled with the arrows of cupid; O Beautiful One! Select us and remain and enjoy here at your pleasure.”

When they said thus, Urvaśī became attached to them; and, under their control, began to stay in the house of Mitrā Varuṇa. When Urvaśī began to remain there, strongly attached to them, the semen of Mitrā Varuṇa dropped in an uncovered jar. And the two beautiful sons of the Ṛṣis were born out of that; Agasti was the first child and Vaśiṣṭha the second.

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Shri Bhagavata Purana 6.18.6 contains similar story on the birth of Sage Vaśiṣṭha

Upon seeing Urvaśī, the celestial society girl, both Mitra and Varuṇa discharged semen, which they preserved in an earthen pot. The two sons Agastya and Vasiṣṭha later appeared from that pot, and they are therefore the common sons of Mitra and Varuṇa.

Mitra begot three sons in the womb of his wife, whose name was Revatī. Their names were Utsarga, Ariṣṭa and Pippala.

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However, in Rig Veda, which is the source for all subsequent religious/spiritual texts like Puranas/Upanishads, etc, we can find a brief mention of the birth of Sage Vasiṣṭha, in a slightly different manner.

Rig Veda 7.33.11 

(Composer Rishi Vashistha)

utāsi maitrāvaruṇo vasiṣṭhorvaśyā brahman manaso 'dhi jātaḥ |

drapsaṃ skannam brahmaṇā daivyena viśve devāḥ puṣkare tvādadanta ||

English translation:

O Vaśiṣṭha, you are the son of Mitra and Varuna. O Brahman, you are born from the mind of Urvaśī. (You are) the drop that fell in divine fervour. All the gods received Brahman (You) in the pushkara.

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Please note that:

• In the Rig Vedic narration, there is no mention about sexual arousal in Varuna or Mitra.
• It was mentioned that Sage Vaśiṣṭha is the son of Mitra and Varuna.
• The drop that fell was not be a drop of semen of Mitra or Varuna. In spiritual connotation, it can be viewed as Sage Vaśiṣṭha attaining BLISS or becoming all pervading chaitanya

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1) Shri Aurobindo says about Varuna and Mitra as follows:

• Since Mitra cannot fulfil his harmony except in the wideness and purity of Varuna, he is constantly invoked in company with that great godhead. Theirs are the supreme statuses or planes of the soul; it is the bliss of Mitra and Varuna that has to increase in us.
• By their law that vast plane of our consciousness shines out upon us and heaven and earth are the two paths of their journey. For Aditi of the Truth, their mother, has borne them omniscient and great for almightiness; and it is luminous Aditi, the undivided being, whom they, wakeful from day to day, cleave to, she who holds for us our habitations in that world of light and they attain to its luminous forcefulness.
• They are the two Sons perfect in their birth from of old who support the law of our action; children are they of a vast luminous power, offspring of the divine discerning thought and perfect in will.
• They are the guardians of Truth, possessed of its law in the supreme ether. Swar is their golden home and birth-place.

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As Sage Vaśiṣṭha followed the path of TRUTH of Varuna and Mitra, ie., Rtam in his SPIRITUAL practices, he had become the SPIRITUAL son of Varuna and Mitra, mAnasaputra, but not a biological son, as narrated in the Puranas.

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2) As indicated in another post, Urvaśī is none other than Sarasvatī.

As Sage Vaśiṣṭha attained BLISS or merged in the DIVINE Urvaśī or Sarasvatī, he became the mind-born son of Urvaśī - urvaśyā manaso jātaḥ.

3) The drop that fell was not be a drop of semen of Mitra or Varuna. In spiritual connotation, it can be viewed as Sage Vaśiṣṭha attaining BLISS or becoming all pervading chaitanya

4) All gods received Sage Vaśiṣṭha in the pushkara. 

Puskaram means water pond, apart from atmosphere, heaven.

Hence, the SELF-REALISED Sage Vaśiṣṭha was surrounded by the Gods in the Heaven.

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This Rik was composed by Rishi Vashistha himself and thus he stated that he was the son of Mitra and Varuna and the mind-born son of Urvaśī or Sarasvatī.