Question
Was Rishi Vashishta born to a prostitute?
Answer
उ॒तासि॑ मैत्रावरु॒णो व॑सिष्ठो॒र्वश्या॑ ब्रह्म॒न्मन॒सोऽधि॑ जा॒तः । द्र॒प्सं स्क॒न्नं ब्रह्म॑णा॒ दैव्ये॑न॒ विश्वे॑ दे॒वाः पुष्क॑रे त्वाददन्त ॥
Verily, Vasiṣṭha you are the son of Mitra and Varuṇa, born, Brahmā, of the will of Urvaśī, after thes eminal effusion; all the gods have sustained you, (endowed) with celestial and Vedic vigour in the lake.
7.33.11
स प्र॑के॒त उ॒भय॑स्य प्रवि॒द्वान्त्स॒हस्र॑दान उ॒त वा॒ सदा॑नः । य॒मेन॑ त॒तं प॑रि॒धिं व॑यि॒ष्यन्न॑प्स॒रस॒: परि॑ जज्ञे॒ वसि॑ष्ठः ॥
He, the sage, cognizant of both worlds, was the donor of thousands; he was verily donation; wearing the vesture spread spread by Yama, Vasiṣṭha was born of the Apsaras.
7.33.12
स॒त्रे ह॑ जा॒तावि॑षि॒ता नमो॑भिः कु॒म्भे रेत॑: सिषिचतुः समा॒नम् । ततो॑ ह॒ मान॒ उदि॑याय॒ मध्या॒त्ततो॑ जा॒तमृषि॑माहु॒र्वसि॑ष्ठम् ॥
Consecrated for the sacrifice, propitiated by praises, they, Mitra and Varuṇa, poured a commone effusion into the water-jar, from the midst of which Māna arose, and from which also, they say, Vasiṣṭha was born.
7.33.13
Rig Veda Mandala 7, Sukta 33, Mantras 11-13 state that Vasishta's mother was Urvashi, and his fathers were Mitra-Varuna who poured their seminal fluid into a water pot, from which Vasishta came.
Urvashi was an Apsara (A celestial nymph). They are dancers in Indra's court. They are married to the Gandharvas.
There are stories of Apsaras seducing Rishis like Vishwamitra. But they didn't do it for reasons of lust. We can't call them Prostitutes.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
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