In the clan of Maharṣi Hārīta (Maharshi Harita), there was a Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana) called Māṇḍūki (Manduki) who was well conversant in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas (Vedangas). The name of his wife was Itarā (Itara). She was devoted to her husband and she was pious in nature. Her son was called Aitareya. Actually he was named by his mother- Aitareya, the son of Itarā (Itara). The habitual ritualistic performance of the Dvādaśākṣara Vāsudeva (Dvadasakshara Vasudeva) Mantra (The mantra or chant which consists of twelve letters and which is dedicated to Vasudeva) from his earlier birth followed Aitareya in his present existence. In consequence, from his very childhood, he always chanted this Dvādaśākṣara Vāsudeva (Dvadasakshara Vasudeva) Mantra [ Oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya]. He did not listen to any other thing. Even he did not say any thing else. His father, Māṇḍūki (Manduki) examined the baby boy in different ways. Finally he concluded that his son would be deaf and dumb. To get a healthy son, Māṇḍūki (Manduki) ultimately married another woman called Piṅgā (Pinga). She gave birth to four sons of Māṇḍūki (Manduki). The sons of Piṅgā (Pinga) grew up to be scholars in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas (Vedangas). They took part in the performance of fire sacrifices and thus helped their father. On the other side, Aitareya, the son of Itarā (Itara), did not do any work. He spent his time by chanting always the same parama (eternal) mantra in the Hari temple-
Oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya jajāpa.
Paramaṃ mantraṃ nānyatra kurute śramaṃ.

His mother Itarā (Itara) felt sorry in her heart. The other wife of her husband, Piṅgā (Pinga) was the mother of four successful men. She was hurt. Her husband also loved his other wife Piṅgā (Pinga) much more than her, as Piṅgā’s (Pinga’s) sons were very close to him. Itarā (Itara) informed her son, Aitareya about her tremendous pain and wanted to commit suicide for being insulted by her husband. In this condition her son Aitareya taught her in detail about the theories of the body made of the five natural elements and other earthly matters. Ultimately, being pleased by Aitareya’s japastuti (meditative songs of praise), Lord Śrīhari (Srihari) came out of his own self and advised Aitareya to go to the Yajña (Yajna or fire sacrifice) of Harimedhā (Harimedha) in Koṭitīrtha (Kotitirtha). Harimedhā (Harimedha) gave Aitareya many prestigious gifts and married his daughter off with Aitareya. When Aitareya returned, his mother became pleased and lived her life happily.

Obviously, this Aitareya Ṛṣi (Rishi or sage) of the Skanda Purāṇa (Purana) was the famous ancient writer who wrote Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana) and Aitareya Āraṇyaka (Aranyaka) and became known for these works in this world. In the Aitareya Āraṇyaka (Aranyaka), this famous son of Itarā (Itara) was actually known as Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) and he became famous by his mother’s name. He became popular as Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) Aitareya-
Etad ha sma vai tadvidvānāha mahidāsa aitareyaḥ.

In the Skanda Purāṇa (Purana), the tale of Aitareya Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) was represented in the context of meditative devotion to Vāsudeva Kṛṣña (Vasudeva Krishna). But in the context of Vedic Brāhmaṇa era , the narrative of Itarā (Itara) and Aitareya reflects the tale of Satyakāma Jāvāla (Satyakama Javala) which is presented in the Upaniṣada (Upanishada). Sāyanācārya (Sayanacharya) writes in the preface of the Aitareya Brāhmaṇ (Brahmana)- The scholars who believe in the theory of community, narrate a tale explaining why the Brāmaṇa Ṛṣi (Brahmana Rishi) who wrote Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana) was named ‘Aitareya’. They say- ” Once a maharṣi (maharshi) had many wives. The name of one of the wives was Itarā (Itara). This Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) was the son of Itarā (Itara) and Aitareya Āraṇyaka (Aranyaka) mentions this Mahidāsa (Mahidasa)- Mahidāsaḥ Aitareyaḥ. Mahidāsa’s (Mahidasa’s) father was fond of his other sons, who were born of his other wives. Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) did not get his father’s love. One day, in a court of scholars, Maharṣi (Maharshi) father ignored Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) and took his other sons in his lap and loved them. But he did not ask Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) to sit in his lap neither did he show any love to him. Being shy, Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) silently suffered. When his mother, Itarā (Itara) came to know about this, she took refuge to their Kuladevatā (Kuladevata or the supreme deity of the clan) Bhūmilakṣmī (Bhumilakshmi). Bhūmidevatā (Bhumidevata) arrived in her own divine incarnation and gave Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) a divine royal chair to sit in that court of scholars. This divine epitome of Bhūmidevatā (Bhumidevata) informed all who were present during all these events- ‘As a scholar, Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) is better than all the other ṛśikumāras [rishikumaras or the sons of the ṛṣis (rishis). He has a talent to write a great Brāhmaṇ (Brahmana) book in the future’. Immediately after this blessings of Bhūmidevatā (Bhumidevata), forty chapters of ‘Agni vair devānāmavamaḥ’ etc. of Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana) book and the Āraṇyaka (Aranyaka) book beginning from ‘Atha mahāvrataṃ’ etc. to ‘Ācāryaḥ’ (Acharyah) dawned in the mind of Mahidāsa (Mahidasa).

It can be assumed from these two narratives- the tale of Mahidāsa (Mahidasa)- Aitareya by Sāyanbhāṣya (Sayanbhashya) and the life story of Aitareya as narrated in the Skandapurāṇa (Skandapurana)- that Maharṣi (Maharshi) had many wives. Still he married a Śudra (Sudra) woman out of his lust. He did not call this wife in her own name. Rather the Maharṣi (Maharshi) father of Mahidāsa (Mahidasa) belittled her by calling her ‘Itara’ or ‘Anyā’ (Anya or other). In the present context, this Śudra (Sudra) woman is actually ‘The Other’. It is seen in the Skandapurāṇa (Skandapurana) that Aitareya was telling- ‘I was Śudra (Sudra) in my earlier birth’-
Purāhaṃ abhabat śūdro bhītaḥ saṁsāradoṣataḥ.

We think that this Śūdratva (Sudratva or the quality of being a Sudra) was not of his earlier birth. This Śūdratva (Sudratva) indicated the earlier state before he attained Bhagavat or the divine blessing. This is represented in the story and in turn refers to the name of Mahidāsa’s (Mahidas’s) mother in the Bhāṣyabhūmikā (Bhashyabhumika or Preface) of Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana). In the name of this ancient Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana) book, Aitareya, the inferiority of the name ‘Itara’ and the greatness of the writer of the Mantrabrāhmaṇa (Mantrabrahmana) were jointly represented. It is similar to the tale of Jāvāla Satyakāma (Javala Satyakama) who became famous by the name of his mother.