Bharadwaja
Encyclopedia
Bharadwaja was one of the greatest Hindu Arya sages (Maharshis) descendant of rishi Angirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas
. He was one of the Saptarshi
s (Seven Great Sages Rishi
) in the present Manvantara
; with others being Atri
, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama
, Jamadagni
, Kashyapa.
Bhardwaj Rishi was father of Guru Dronacharya and grandfather of Ashwatthama
. Bhardwaj Maharishi, a sage of the Vedic period
, is renowned for his thirst for knowledge. He attained extraordinary scholarship and the power of meditation.
Bharadwaj. Rishi Bharadwaj was the son of Rishi Brihaspati
. Rishi Brihaspati was the son of Rishi Angiras. These 3 Rishis are called the Traya (Three) Rishis of the Bharadwaja Gotra
. Guru Dronacharya, the royal guru
to Kauravas and Pandavas in the epic Mahabharat was the son of sage Bharadwaj. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Thus this clan is also referred as The Warrior Brahmin Clan of North India.
During the early years of Aryan Civilisation, about 3000 years ago, the king was called as "Nayak" . A Nayak's duties were not just to rule the kingdom but also to act as the head priest. During that period the caste classification was not so strict. Anybody could learn, meditate and due to his actions (Karma
) and knowledge (Gyan) attain/be a Rishi. Rishi being only Brahmin
s is a misnomer. Most likely majority of Rishis were initially the rulers of different warrior clans and after finishing their duties as a leader would move towards spirituality (This is in sync with four parts of Human life and 4 parts of life duties as per ancient Indian Tradition). Therefore, it will be incorrect to classify all Rishis as Brahmins. They would come from all walks of life after completing their other duties or by renunciation and take the path of Solo Spirituality and mediation and gain universal knowledge. In earlier days of Indian culture it was more to do with "Karma
" which means action, rather than caste or blood driven lineage.
, Rama
along with Sita
and Lakshmana
went on exile for the words of his father. Rama along with them went through many forest regions starting from crossing yamuna river with help of Guha ,head clanman and a friend of Rama's father Dasaratha. As he travelled he visited many rishi's ashrams. Met many rishis and sages including Agasthiyar, Gauthama and Bhardwaj. Rama and others rested in Bhardwaj's ashram and accepted his offerings as great sages knew that Rama is incarantion of Vishnu, Sita devi is goddess Lakshmi and Lakshmana is none other than Shesha.
People belonging to the Bharadwaja gotra. Bharadwaja who is the great grand son of Lord Brahma
is the root for his clan, Bhardwaj gotra( e.g.: Rajpurohit
, Rajbhar, etc ). One of the sub categories of the gotra is Bhardwaja Shelly. The Bharadwaja Shelly gotra is derived from the Saraswat Brahmin
clan with the families belonging this gotra mostly settled in Punjab and Haryana. This Brahmin lineage is the one that left the usual priestly occupation of Brahmins long ago to serve as soldiers, farmers, administrators in villages (Sarpanch
) and government services.
In earlier days Sages were only Brahmins excepting Sage Vishwamitra. Later, most of the warrior Brahmins became Kshatriyas and all the business minded Kshatriyas became Vaishyas. Hence, there are people of all the three communities having a common gotra, especially Bhardwaj Gotra.
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
. He was one of the Saptarshi
Saptarshi
The Saptarishi are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. They are regarded in the Vedas as the patriarchs of the...
s (Seven Great Sages Rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
) in the present Manvantara
Manvantara
Manvantara or Manuvantara , or age of a Manu , the Hindu progenitor of mankind, is an astronomical period of time measurement. Manvantara is a Sanskrit sandhi, a combination of words manu and antara, manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning the duration of a Manu, or his life span .Each...
; with others being Atri
Atri
This article is about the sage named Attri. See also the gotra named Atri. For the Italian city, see Atri, AbruzzoIn Hinduism, Attri or Atri is a legendary bard and scholar and was one of 9 Prajapatis, and a son of Brahma, said to be ancestor of some Brahmin, Prajapatis, kshatriya and Vaishya...
, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama
Gautama Maharishi
Gautama Maharishi is one of the Saptarishis Gautama Maharishi is one of the Saptarishis Gautama Maharishi is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi of the current Manvantara (seventh). He was one of the Maharishis of Vedic times, known to have been the discoverer of Mantras --...
, Jamadagni
Jamadagni
Jamadagni is one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara. He was a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the God of Creation...
, Kashyapa.
Bhardwaj Rishi was father of Guru Dronacharya and grandfather of Ashwatthama
Ashwatthama
A hero of the Indian epic Mahābhārata, Ashwatthama or Ashwatthaman was the son of guru Drona. He is one of the seven Chiranjeevins. Dronacharya loved him very dearly. The rumours about his death in the Kurukshetra war, led to the death of his father from the hands of Prince Dhrishtadyumna...
. Bhardwaj Maharishi, a sage of the Vedic period
Vedic period
The Vedic period was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was composed roughly between 1700–1100 BCE, also...
, is renowned for his thirst for knowledge. He attained extraordinary scholarship and the power of meditation.
History
Bharadwaj as Gotra means people who are the descendants of RishiRishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
Bharadwaj. Rishi Bharadwaj was the son of Rishi Brihaspati
Brihaspati
Bṛhaspati also known as Brahmanaspati and Deva-guru , is the name of a Vedic deity...
. Rishi Brihaspati was the son of Rishi Angiras. These 3 Rishis are called the Traya (Three) Rishis of the Bharadwaja Gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
. Guru Dronacharya, the royal guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
to Kauravas and Pandavas in the epic Mahabharat was the son of sage Bharadwaj. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Thus this clan is also referred as The Warrior Brahmin Clan of North India.
During the early years of Aryan Civilisation, about 3000 years ago, the king was called as "Nayak" . A Nayak's duties were not just to rule the kingdom but also to act as the head priest. During that period the caste classification was not so strict. Anybody could learn, meditate and due to his actions (Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
) and knowledge (Gyan) attain/be a Rishi. Rishi being only Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s is a misnomer. Most likely majority of Rishis were initially the rulers of different warrior clans and after finishing their duties as a leader would move towards spirituality (This is in sync with four parts of Human life and 4 parts of life duties as per ancient Indian Tradition). Therefore, it will be incorrect to classify all Rishis as Brahmins. They would come from all walks of life after completing their other duties or by renunciation and take the path of Solo Spirituality and mediation and gain universal knowledge. In earlier days of Indian culture it was more to do with "Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
" which means action, rather than caste or blood driven lineage.
Bhardwaj in Ramayana
In RamayanaRamayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
along with Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
and Lakshmana
Lakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
went on exile for the words of his father. Rama along with them went through many forest regions starting from crossing yamuna river with help of Guha ,head clanman and a friend of Rama's father Dasaratha. As he travelled he visited many rishi's ashrams. Met many rishis and sages including Agasthiyar, Gauthama and Bhardwaj. Rama and others rested in Bhardwaj's ashram and accepted his offerings as great sages knew that Rama is incarantion of Vishnu, Sita devi is goddess Lakshmi and Lakshmana is none other than Shesha.
Gotra
In India, Bhardwaj is an ancestor of BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
People belonging to the Bharadwaja gotra. Bharadwaja who is the great grand son of Lord Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
is the root for his clan, Bhardwaj gotra( e.g.: Rajpurohit
Rajpurohit
Rajpurohit is a subgroup of Hindu Brahmins with its roots in Rishikul and later Brahaminical Gupta period in India....
, Rajbhar, etc ). One of the sub categories of the gotra is Bhardwaja Shelly. The Bharadwaja Shelly gotra is derived from the Saraswat Brahmin
Saraswat Brahmin
The Saraswats are a Brahmin caste of India.- History :According to the legend, Saraswat Brahmins are Brahmins who lived on the banks of the former Saraswati River that once flowed in northern India. Although it is said that at Prayag the three rivers meet or met.the fact is that the Saraswati never...
clan with the families belonging this gotra mostly settled in Punjab and Haryana. This Brahmin lineage is the one that left the usual priestly occupation of Brahmins long ago to serve as soldiers, farmers, administrators in villages (Sarpanch
Sarpanch
A sarpanch is a democratically elected head of a village level statutory institution of local self-government called the gram panchayat in India and Pakistan. He, together with other elected Panchas , constitute the Gram Panchayat. The Sarpanch is the focal point of contact between government...
) and government services.
In earlier days Sages were only Brahmins excepting Sage Vishwamitra. Later, most of the warrior Brahmins became Kshatriyas and all the business minded Kshatriyas became Vaishyas. Hence, there are people of all the three communities having a common gotra, especially Bhardwaj Gotra.
Inhabitance
- NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
- Maithil BrahminMaithil BrahminMaithil Brahmins form part of ancient Vedic Brahmins. Maithil s are a part of Panch-gauda , a group of highest-ranking castes among Brahmin, who still strive to follow rites and rituals according to ancient Hindu canons. Maithil Brahmin is a community of highly cohesive, and traditional Brahmins...
s: Brahmins with the last names Jha, Mishra etc. Maithil Brahmins have different Gotras. e.g. People having last name "Jha" may have different Gotras like Bhardwaja, Sandilya, Kasyapa, Parasara, and Vatsa etc. - Kumain Brahmins: Brahmins with the last names of Lohani, Thapaliya and Kandel.
- Maithil Brahmin
- North IndiaNorth IndiaNorth India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
(Pancha Gauda Brahmins)- Jammu and KashmirJammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
: People with the surname Baru have Bhardwaj as their gotra and Sajevatti as their kuldevi. - Himachal PradeshHimachal PradeshHimachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
: around 60% of Brahmins have Bhardwaj as their gotra. - Uttrakhand: People with the surname HatwalHatwalHatwal is a Garhwali Brahmin family name from the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Hatwals were primarily a priestly class who served as pandits at the many Hindu temples in the Himalayan Kingdom of Garhwal, including Badrinath which is part of the auspicious Hindu pilgrimage circuit...
among others. - PunjabPunjab (India)Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
: around 45% of Brahmins have Bharadwaja as their gotra. - HaryanaHaryanaHaryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
: around 40%-45% of Brahmins have Bhardwaj as their gotra. - RajasthanRajasthanRājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
: around 35% of Rajasthani Brahmins have Bhardwaj as their gotra and kuldevta as Shri Lakshmi Narsimha. - Uttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
: People with the surname Upadhyaya belong to Bhardwaj gotra. - BiharBiharBihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
: around 10%-20% of Brahmins have Bhardwaj as their gotra. - West BengalWest BengalWest Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
: People with the surname MukherjeeMukherjeeMukherjee , Mookerjee or Mukerji or Mukherji is a Bengali surname, common among residents of the Indian state of West Bengal. The traditional Bengali version is মুখোপাধ্যায়, which is sometimes written Mukhopadhyay, which is alternately spelled as Mookerjee or Mukerji...
, Palit. - OrissaOrissaOrissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
- AssamAssamAssam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
:
- Jammu and Kashmir
- South IndiaSouth IndiaSouth India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
(Pancha Dravida Brahmins)- Mostly found in the Brahmins who migrated southwards from KannaujKannaujKannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...
. - MaharashtraMaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
- VaidikiVaidiki BrahminsVaidiki Brahmins are a sect of Telugu speaking Smartha Brahmins. They are predominantly followers of Adi Shankaracharya. The term Vaidika derives itself from the term Vedas. Vaidikis are people who mastered Vedas, also called Ghanaapaathi...
: Velanadi brahmans in Coastal Andhra PradeshAndhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. - KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
: Among SmarthaSmartismSmarta Sampradaya is a liberal or nonsectarian denomination of the Vedic Hindu religion which accept all the major Hindu deities as forms of the one Brahman, in contrast to Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism, the other three major Hindu sects, which revere Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti,...
and MadhawaMadhwasThe Madhwa are one community of Brahmins of India, whose members follow the doctrine of Dvaita or Dualism as codified by Madhwa Acharya ....
Brahmins. - Tamil NaduTamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
: Among Iyers and Iyengars. - Namboodiri Brahmins In KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.
- Mostly found in the Brahmins who migrated southwards from Kannauj