Bharadvaja ( sa, भरद्वाज,

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

sages (

maharishi Maharishi is a Sanskrit word, written as "महर्षि" in Devanagari (formed from the prefix mahā- meaning "great" and r̥ṣi - sage, poet or a singer of sacred hymns), indicating members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, po ...

) in

Ancient India According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by m ...

. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and physician. He is one of the

Saptarishi The Saptarishi () are the seven rishis of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. ...

s (seven great sages or Maharṣis). His contributions to ancient Indian literature, specifically the ''

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...

'', provide significant insight into ancient Indian society. He and his family of students were the authors of the sixth book of the ''Rigveda''. In the epic ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

'', Bharadwaja was the father of the teacher (guru) Droṇācārya, the instructor to

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

and

Kaurava ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his wif ...

princes. Bharadwaja is also mentioned in ''

Charaka Samhita The ''Charaka Samhita'' (, “Compendium of ''Charaka''”) is a Sanskrit text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine). Along with the ''Sushruta Samhita'', it is one of the two foundational texts of this field that have survived from ancien ...

'', an authoritative ancient Indian medical text.

Etymology

The word Bharadvaja is a compound Sanskrit from ''"bhara(d) and vaja(m)"'', which together mean "bringing about nourishment". the name also lends itself to more than one

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

called

Bharadvajasana Bharadvajasana ( sa, भरद्वाजासन; IAST: ''Bharadvājāsana'') or Bharadvaja's twist is a twisting asana in modern yoga as exercise. Etymology and origins The asana is dedicated to the sage Bharadvāja who was one of the Se ...

(“nourishing pose”) named after the sage.

History

His full name in Vedic texts is ''Bharadvaja Barhaspatya'', the last name referring to his father and Vedic deity-sage

Brihaspati Brihaspati ( sa, बृहस्पति, ), also known as Guru, is a Hindu deity. In the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, Brihaspati is a deity associated with fire, and the word also refers to a rishi (sage) who counsels the devas (god ...

. His mother was Mamata, wife of Utathya Rishi who was the elder brother of Barhaspati. In the Bhagavata Purana, he is named as Vitatha https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/21/1/ He is one of the seven rishis mentioned four times in the ''Rigveda'' as well as in the ''

Shatapatha Brahmana The Shatapatha Brahmana ( sa, शतपथब्राह्मणम् , Śatapatha Brāhmaṇam, meaning 'Brāhmaṇa of one hundred paths', abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Śukla (white) Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic ...

'', thereafter revered in the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Puranas''. In some later Puranic legends, he is stated to be the son of Vedic sage

Atri Atri ( sa, अत्रि) or Attri is a Vedic sage, who is credited with composing numerous hymns to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities of Hinduism. Atri is one of the Saptarishi (seven great Vedic sages) in the Hindu tradition, and the on ...

. In Buddhist Pali canonical texts such as ''

Digha Nikaya Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal. Hi ...

'', Tevijja Sutta describes a discussion between the Buddha and Vedic scholars of his time. The

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

names ten

rishi ''Rishi'' () is a term for an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or ...

s, calls them "early sages" and makers of ancient verses that have been collected and chanted in his era, and among those ten rishis is Bharadvaja. The ancient Hindu medical treatise ''

'' attributes Bharadvaja learning medical sciences from god

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

, after pleading that "poor health was disrupting the ability of human beings from pursuing their spiritual journey", and then Indra provides both the method and specifics of medical knowledge. Bharadvaja is considered to be the initiator of the ''Bharadvāja''

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...

of the

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

Khatris Khatri is a caste of the Indian subcontinent that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantilistic professions such as banking and trade, they were the d ...

, Kayastha and Bhumihar caste. ''Bharadvaja'' is the third in the row of the Pravara Rishis (''Aangirasa'', ''Barhaspatya, Bharadvaja)'' and is the first in the ''Bharadvaja Gotris'', with the other two rishis also being initiators of Gotras with their respective names.

Texts

Bharadvaja and his family of students are 55. Bharadvaja and his family of students were the traditional poets of king Marutta of the Vedic era, in the Hindu texts. Bharadvaja is a revered sage in the Hindu traditions, and like other revered sages, numerous treatises composed in the ancient and medieval eras are reverentially named after him. Some treatises named after him or attributed to him include: * ''Dhanur-veda'', credited to Bharadvaja in chapter 12.203 of the ''

'', is an Upaveda treatise on archery. * ''Bharadvaja samhita'', a

Pancharatra ''Pancharatra'' (IAST: ''Pāñcarātra'') was a religious movement in Hinduism that originated in late 3rd-century BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatars of Vishnu as their central deities.Agama text of

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

). * ''Bharadvaja srautasutra and grhyasutra'', a ritual and rites of passage text from first millennium BCE. After the ''Kalpasutra'' by Baudhayana, these Bharadvaja texts are among the oldest ''srauta'' and ''grhya'' sutras known. * Sections in ''

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...

''. Bharadvaja theories on medicine and causal phenomenon is described in ''

''. Bharadvaja states, for example, that an embryo is not caused by wish, prayers, urging of mind or mystical causes, but it is produced from the union of a man's sperm and menstrual blood of a woman at the right time of her menstrual cycle, in her womb. According to

Gerrit Jan Meulenbeld Gerrit Jan Meulenbeld (28 May 1928 - March 26, 2017) was a physician-scholar who taught and published major works of research in Indology. He specialized in the history of Indian medicine (Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine syst ...

, Bharadvaja is credited with many theories and practical ideas in ancient Indian medicine. * ''Niti sastra'', a treatise on ethics and practical conduct. * ''Bharadvaja-siksa'', is one of many ancient Sanskrit treatises on phonetics.

Epics and Puranic scriptures

According to one legend, Bharadvaja married Susheela and had a son named Garga and a daughter named Devavarshini. According to some other legends, Bharadvaja had two daughters named

Ilavida Ilavida or Idavida (also known as Devavarnini) is a character in the Ramayana, as the stepmother of Ravana and the first wife of Vishrava. Vishrava was the son of Pulastya and the grandson of Brahma, the Creator. I ..., the King of Devas, to man ...

and Katyayani, who married

Vishrava Vishrava (), also called Vishravas, is the son of Pulastya, and a powerful rishi (sage), as described in the Hindu epic Ramayana. A scholar par excellence, he earned great powers through the performance of tapasya, which in turn, earned him gr ...

and

Yajnavalkya Yajnavalkya or Yagyavalkya ( sa, याज्ञवल्क्य, ) is a Hindu Vedic sage figuring in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (c. 700 BCE)., Quote: "Yajnavalkya, a Vedic sage, taught..."Ben-Ami Scharfstein (1998), ''A comparative histor ...

respectively. According to ''

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana (IAST:, sa, विष्णुपुराण) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature c ...

'', Bharadwaja had a brief liaison with an

apsara An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literat ...

named Ghritachi, and together they had a child who grew up into a warrior-Brahmin named Droṇācārya. While in Mahabharata, Drona is born when Bharadwaja ejaculated his semen in a pot. Bharadwaja is therefore directly linked to two important characters of the epic

— Dronacharya and Aśvatthāma, the son of Dronacharya. According to the Mahabharata, Bharadvaja trained

Drona Droṇa ( sa, द्रोण, Droṇa), also referred to as Dronacharya ( sa, द्रोणाचार्य, Droṇācārya), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kaurav ...

in the use of weapons. Bharadwaja had two disciples: Agnivesa and

Drupada Drupada (Sanskrit: द्रुपद, lit. ''firm-footed'' or ''pillar''), also known as Yajnasena (Sanskrit: यज्ञसेन, lit. ''he whose army is sacrificial''), is a character in the Mahābhārata. The son of King Prishata, he wa ...

. Agnivesa taught

the mastery of the weapon Agneya, while Drupad became the king of Panchala kingdom. One legend in the

states that King Bharata adopted Bharadvaja as his son when he was delivered to the king by the

Marutas In Hinduism, the Maruts (; sa, मरुत), also known as the Marutagana and sometimes identified with Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Prisni. The number of Maruts varies from 27 to sixty (three times sixty in RV 8.96.8). The ...

. Bharadvaja married a kshatriya woman named Susheela. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Bharadvaja beget a son named Manyu also known as

Bhumanyu Bhumanyu () is a king of the Chandravamsha (Lunar) dynasty in Hindu literature. He is the son of Bharata, and the grandson of Dushyanta. Bhumanyu's lineage is featured in the Mahabharata. Legend The Mahabharata offers two different origins ...

while in the

Bhumanyu is born to him by yagnas.

Rāmāyaṇa

In the epic ''Ramayana'', Rama, Sita and Lakshmana meet Bharadvaja at his ''asrama'' (hermitage) at the start of their fourteen-year exile. The sage asks them to stay with him through the exile, but they insist on going deeper into the forest to Chitrakuta which is three kosa away from the ashram. Bharadvaja gives them directions. Also, Bharatha along with Sumanth received at Ashram by Bharadvaja while Bharath went on to the forest in search of Lord Ram for a re-union and to bring Lord Rama, Sita and Laxmana back to Ayodhya. He reappears at various times in the epic. According to James Lochtefeld, the Bharadvaja in the ''Ramayana'' is different from the Vedic sage mentioned in Panini's ''Ashtadhyayi''.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bharadwaja-Ashram Brahmin gotras Hindu sages Rishis Characters in the Mahabharata Sages in the Ramayana Saptarishi