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42-Bharat's Sons

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42-Bharat's Sons

Here is what Pargiter has to say in his Ancient Indian Historical Tradition on p. 162-3: Vitath was clearly Bharadwaaj's son as the Brahm and Harivansh say explicitly in line 12. The Vaayu (tatah sa vitatho naam Bharadvaajas tathaa bhavat) and Matysa (tatas tu vitatho naam Bharadwaajo nripo bhavat) readings of this line make out that Bharadwaaj was known as Vitath, but the line 15, which both of them and also the Brahm and Harivansh have, stultifies that, for necessarily Bharadwaaj was born before the adoption, and line 16, which the Matsya Puraan has and the Brahm and Harivansh give more clearly (vitatham cabhishichyatha bharadwaajo vanam yayaau) shows that Vitath and Bharadwaaj were different persons. ...Bharat's successors in the Paurav line were really of Braahmanik origin... the Vaayu, Brahmaand and Bhaagvat confuse the adopted Bharadwaaj with his son Vitath..   It was Vidatin who was adopted.

On p. 159 : Bharat had 3 wives and 9 sons by them; they killed their sons because he was disappointed in them and he was thus bereft of heirs. He made an offering to the Marut; they gave him Brihaspati's son Bharadwaaj as an adopted son. He thus became a Kshatriya. He did not succeed Bharat but begot a son name Vitath; Bharat then died. Bharadwaaj afterwards consecrated Vitath as the successor and then either died or departed to the forest. [See Matsya Puraan 49.27-24 and Vaayu Puraan 99.152-8 also Harivansh 32.1727-31 and Brahma Puraan 13.59-61.

163: Brihaspati was a preceptor among the Marut (Brihad Devtaa Verses 102-3). His son Bharadwaaj was born among them as also his grandson or great grandson Vidatin Bharadwaaj. When Bharat lost his sons, Deerghtamaa might have suggested that his own relative, the young Bharadwaaj, might be adopted. This was mythologized as the Marut gave Bharadwaaj to Bharat. Vidathin had 5 sons Suhotra, Sunahotra, Nar, Garg and Rjisvan who were Bharadwaaj and could claim optionally to be the grandsons of Brihaspati or of Bharat (Rig Ved 6.52) The Vedaarth Deepikaa says that they belonged to the Baarhaspatya Gotra of Sanyu, a son of Brihaspati, and they expanded the family of the Bharadwaaj.

Rijisvan was a son or descendant of Vidathin for he is called Vaidathin in RV 4.16.13 and 5.29.14. He is also called son of Bharadwaaj and son's son of Brihaspati or of Bharat (Vedaarth on Rig Ved, 9.98).

PL Bhaargav in "India in the Vedic Age" p. 125, mostly demolishes Pargiter, EXCEPT regarding the above. He supports the finding about Vedaarth Deepikaa on Rig Ved 6.52 that assigns 5 sons to Bharadwaaj who could claim to be descendants of Brihaspati or of Bharat. Vitath, he says, is a corrupted form of Vidatin and refers to Rijaswaan since one of his descendants is called Vadatin in Rig Ved 4.16.13 and 5.29.14. Brihad Devtaa 5.102 also mentions Vidatin as name of a Bharadwaaj.

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta On 05/27/04
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Modified on 12/07/12