Bharadwaja
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Bharadwaja (भरद्वाज / भारद्वाज) was one of the great sages (rishis) whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas.he was the disciple of the feet of Bhagwan Valmik. Bhagwan Valmik ji came down on this earth due to the penance of Rishi Bhardwaj. Rishi Bhardwaj meditated for years and years without opening his eyes as stated in the yoga Vasistha and the Valmiki Dharam sasther written By Satguru Puran nath ji He was one of the Saptarshis (Seven Great Sages Rishi) in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa [1].
The descendants of Bharadwaja use Bhardwaj as their surname in Northern India and identify with him in the gotra 'Bharadvaja' in Brahmin and Kshatriya castes throughout Southern India. Bhardwajs belong to the Brahmin community.
He was the father of Dronacharya, which makes him the grandfather of Ashwatthama, one of the seven Chiranjeevins (immortals).(Sanskrit: अश्वत्थाम, ashvatthāma) or Ashwatthaman (Sanskrit: अश्वत्थमन, ashvatthamana) who was Dronacharya's only son.
It is said that the Marudwaja Devta found him abandoned as a baby. Looking at the plight of the baby and the radiance which shone from his face, they adopted him. Devta is a sankrit word which implies the chosen people of god. These are the not ordinary human beings. Devta are endowed with supernatural powers.
Young Bharadwaja was characterized by an insatiable desire to learn. He is among the seven original saints (rishis), who were responsible for preaching people in the world the teachings of Vedas.
Rishi Bharadwaj spent all his time trying to understand the Vedas. The Marudwaja gods taught him all they knew about the Vedas but Bharadwaja wanted to learn more. So he was asked to meditate upon Indra.
It is said that Bharadwaja performed rigorous penance for years resulting in his body becoming weak, and eventually he found it impossible to even sit. The Marut devta were filled with pity for him. One day as Bharadwaja fell down meditating, Indra devta appeared. Bharadwaja was filled with joy. Indra devta asked Bharadwaja what would he do if he were given a longer life. To this Bharadwaja replied that he would continue to meditate and learn more about the Vedas.
Indra told Bharadwaja that this was his third life and he had already worn out himself in the previous two lives trying to understand the Vedas. Indra then materialized three mountains, took three handfuls of soil from the mountains, and showed it to Bharadwaja. He said that the three Vedas were like the three mountains, and what Bharadwaja had learnt was the equivalent of those three handfuls, but that did not mean it was small; he had already gained more knowledge than the Devtas. Indra told Bharadwaja that Vedic knowledge is endless, and while gaining knowledge is important, spreading it among the people is equally important.
Indra then advised Bharadwaja to pray to the Almighty Shiva (one of the three facets of God) to bless the yagna; the completion of which was deemed equivalent to mastering the Vedas. When Bharadwaja approached Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva, he was busy in the divine natyam (dance) with Goddess Parvati. Parvati noticed the sage and simply smiled. It is said Bhradawaja had to wait for several days for the natyam to complete and by that time the sage who was waiting was struck with paralysis and collapsed. Shiva and Parvati noticed this and immediately revived the sage back to consciousness and showered him with blessings. Then Bhardwaj ji went to Brahm lok where Brahma lives and asked him who the almighty god was.he then told him to go to Vishnu.Bhardwaj then went to ask Vishnu Who the almighty god was Vishnu then told him That it Was Bhagwan valmiki who is the almighty god and to do penance and meditate upon Bhagwan valmiki's name From that day onwards, Bharadwaja decided that spreading the Vedic knowledge among the people and freeing society from poverty, disease, and war were his life's objectives. He traveled far and wide and took many virtuous kings as his disciples. Prominent among them were Abhayavarti and Divodasa. He helped the virtuous kings in times of peril, using his supreme knowledge and the help of the Gods. The Kshatriya disciples of Bharadwaja call themselves with surname varma.
With the help of Bharadwaja, a long period of peace was achieved, where people prospered both physically and spiritually. Bharadwaja was also the adopted son of the Emperor Bharata, the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Though he could have taken over the vast kingdom of Bharata, the great sage Bharadwaja had no interest in worldly affairs. With his advice, Bharata carried out a yagna through which he got a son and so the line which had great warriors before and after that was continued.
Bharadwaja married Susheela and had a son called Garga, who was well versed in the Vedas and the Upanishads. It is said that when Bharadwaja's time in this world came to an end, the celestial Gods showered flowers on the couple and Indra came on his divine chariot, offered his respects to Bharadwaja and took them to heaven.
Bharadwaj's descendant lead the life of Dharma, which includes following and preaching vedas, teaching the art of warfare, teaching the art of administration, teaching the art of life to people of the world.
Many people in India have Bharadwaj Gotra. These people trace their roots to Rishi Bharadwaj. These people of Bharadwaj Gotra use last names like Bharadwaj, Bhat, Sharma, Mishra, Datt and Dutt. There are some Anavil Brahmins in South Gujarat with surname Naik who have Bharadwaj as a Gotra.
Bharadwaja's proclamation spread in several countries. Numerous students came to Bharadwaja for education. For their convenience a hostel was built and a school was started on the banks of the Saraswati river. It was here that Bharadwaja's famous son Garga was born.
As time passed, the number of students in the school increased. The hermitage on the banks of the Saraswati river reverberated to the chanting of the Vedas. In addition to the Vedas, the people of the warrior community were taught the use of arms and the administration of justice[2].
Mention has previously been made of the Vaarashikha demons. Varashikhas children were Varashikhas. Demon Parama was the eldest of them. He had a hundred younger brothers. Their capital was situated on the banks of the river Hariyoopeeya. They were all wicked, avaricious and were constantly harassing people. They possessed a large army. They had learnt to wear protective armors; which would be invisible to others. Arrows shot by the enemies in war would hit the armor and become useless; they could not penetrate the body. Thus no warriors could face them. Consequently, the whole world was in fear of them.
Vaarashikhas invaded the kingdom of Abhyavarti. They interrupted religious ceremonies, destroyed dwellings, cut off the heads of people, even of children and of women, and plundered the property they could lay their hands on.
To assist Abhyavarti's army, Divodasa also arrived. Both faced the Vaarashikhas and fought. But the demon had the upper hand. The armies of the kings sustained losses, and defeat seemed certain. Seeing no way out, Abhyavarti and Divodasa escaped and reached Bharadwaja's hermitage.
"O great soul, having been defeated by the Vaarashikhas, we have come here. They have occupied our kingdom our riches and treasuries have fallen into their hands. In future only the hermitage will be our place of said Abhyavarti and Divodasa.
On hearing these words, Bharadwaja felt as if the sky had fallen from the heavens. Those whom he had considered the pillars of morality had arrived in a hopeless condition! The eyes of Bharadwaja, who never knew of anger, became red. Like an angry serpent he said:
"By your diffidence you are bringing disgrace to the warder race. Like cowards, you fear a war! Get up, Abhyavarti, arm your bow, and chase away the - unrighteous demons. For once, remember your people who are suffering like orphans. For their safety, sacrifice your body!"
"0 godly man, you are our family priest. In addition, you are born to protect the good 'people. You have the power to call gods to appear before you. We are sure to win if we have your help.
Rishi Bharadwaj defeated the Demons and restored peace in the area.
For centuries Bharadwaj's descendants have helped maintained peace and have only raised sword when the sins of the earth have reached the pinnacle.
[edit] References
- ^ Inhabitants of the Worlds Mahanirvana Tantra, translated by Arthur Avalon, (Sir John Woodroffe), 1913, Introduction and Preface. The Rishi are seers who know, and by their knowledge are the makers of shastra and "see" all mantras. The word comes from the root rish Rishati-prapnoti sarvvang mantrang jnanena pashyati sangsaraparangva, etc. The seven great Rishi or saptarshi of the first manvantara are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vashishtha. In other manvantara there are other sapta-rshi. In the present manvantara the seven are Kashyapa, Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Bharadvaja. To the Rishi the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu, and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of Rishi are the Brah-marshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as Jaimini.
- ^ Biography of Sage Bharadwaja - from Rashtrathana Sahitya
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