The Bharadvajas in Ancient India – Hardback (1991)

The Book Comprises two parts: Part I deals with the socio-historical aspects of the family of the Vedic Seer Bharadvaja, and Part II discusses the significant contribution the family has made to the various fields of Indian culture. Part I is divided into five chapters, each comprising more than one section. The first chapter considers the textual evidence of the Vedic Sazhhitãs, the Brahmaas, the Upanishads, and the Ramayana in regard to the Bharadvãjas. The second chapter traces the birth and parentage, of Bharadvaja, the progenitor, and his relation with the gods, seers, kings, and other persons. The third chapter discusses the lives of the descendants of Bharadvaja, namely Suhotra, una otra, Nara, Garga, jivan, Payu, Rãtri (Kaipa), Vasu, Väsa, Sirirhbitha, Ajamidha and Purumidha. The fourth chapter deals with two other seers Samyu, a brother of Bharadvãja and Vitahavya Angirasa, whose hymns are incorporated in the Book of Bharadvaja in the rgveda. The fifth chapter deals with the problem of Divc’dasa, a Bharata Prince, with whom the Uharadvajas were intimately connected as priests.

Part II is divided into two chapters: Chapter six takes the Vedic themes namely, Puan: myth and cult, family hymns of Bharadvajas, Gosukta, the Samans of Bharadvajas and Bharadvaja KalpasUtra. Chapter seven relates to the contribution of the Bharadvãjas to the fields of Politics, Grammar and Phonetics, medicine and philosophy of Pancarãtra. Besides, the two appendices list the Gotras and Pravaras of the Bharadvajas.