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Muni Bharadwaaj is a Raamaayan character. We meet him first time when Raam goes to forest for 14 years. Raam, Lakshman and Seetaa crosses Gangaa River and comes to Bharadwaaj Muni's Aashram.

Muni Bharadwaaj was the son of Dev Guru Brihaspati (son of Maharshi Angiraa). A strange story is told about his birth. His mother Mamataa, the wife of Utathya, was pregnant by her husband and and then was impregnated by Brihaspati by force. Then the former child kicked the latter one out of the womb. Then Brihaspati said - "Cherish this son as "Bharadwaaj". Thus Bharadwaaj is Brihaspati's son. But both Brihaspati and Mamataa left their son there only and went away that is why he was named as Bharadwaaj.

He was the Purohit of King Divodaas and he gave his kingdom to Pratardan. (read the Story of Rishi Gaalav in MBH to know about Divodaas and Pratardan).
He was the

He was one of the Saptarshi (Seven Great Sages) in the present Manvantar; with others being Atri, Vashishth, Vishwaamitra, Gautam, Jamadagni, and Kashyap. He is the seer of the 6th Mandal of Rig Ved.

Life of Bharadwaaj Muni
Taittireeya Upanishad says that he lived through three Yug, and he became immortal like Soorya Dev. He was born in Sat Yug, met Raam in Tretaa Yug, he was living in Ilaahaabaad or Prayaag (Sangam) at that time, and was in Mahaabhaarat times, in Dwaapar Yug, he was living in Haridwaar. He had a son named Drone. This Drone was the same who was the teacher of Paandav and Kaurav. Drupad's father and Bharadwaaj were friends so Drupad used to come to Bharadwaaj's Aashram and there Drone and Drupad became friends.

It is believed that Marut Devtaa found Bharadwaaj as an abandoned baby. They brought him up and adopted him. Later he was adopted by King Bharat also. He could have been the King of the whole Bhaarat, but he had a quest for knowledge, so Marut Gan taught him whatever he wanted to learn. They asked him to meditate on Indra. So Bharadwaaj did so much Tap for Indra, that once he fell down while meditating. Then Indra appeared before him and asked him - "What you will do if you were given longer life." Bharadwaaj replied - "I will again go for Tap and learn Ved." Indra told him that it was his third life and in his previous two lives he had already mastered two Ved. Indra then materialized three mountains and took three handfuls of soil from them and said - "You have learned only this much from the mountain, but don't think that you have learnt only a little, you have in fact gained much more knowledge than many other Devtaa." Then he suggested him to meditate on Shiv so that he could do a Yagya which was equivalent to the knowledge of Ved.

Bharadwaaj went to Kailaash Parvat but at that time Shiv was busy dancing with Paarvatee. He had to wait for several days. Paarvatee had seen him but she just smiled at him. Then he was attacked by paralysis. Shiv and Paarvatee noticed this, revived him and blessed him.

He learnt lots of knowledge from several Devtaa - Vyaakaran (grammar) and Aayur Ved from Indra - then he wrote Aayur Ved Sanhitaa, after that Dhanvantari brought it to world. He learnt Dharm Shaastra from Bhrigu and then wrote Bharadwaaj Smriti. He learnt Agni Vidyaa from Indra (Nachiketaa learnt Panchaagni Vidyaa from yam Raaj).

He then started spreading Ved knowledge and many people became his disciples. Kings Abhaya Bhaaratee and Divodaas (a twin child of King Mudgal, the other one was Ahalyaa) were his main disciples.

Once his reference comes in V-Raamaayan, 1/1 also in the beginning that when Vaalmeeki Jee went to Tamasaa River to take bath, he went there with his disciples and among those one name is of Muni Bharadwaaj.

Note
It means that in Tretaa Yug, before Vaalmeeki Jee wrote his Raamaayan, he was the disciple of Vaalmeeki Jee. Then the chronology of the above incidents is difficult to guess.

Children of Bharadwaaj
All his descendents display the warrior characteristics because he married a Kshatriya woman Susheelaa. According to Anulom marriage, the offspring who are born to a Braahman father and a Kshatriya woman take the characteristics of Kshatriya though technically being a Braahman.

Paayu Bharadwaaj
Saam Ved says that he had a son named Paayu Bharadwaaj.

His Son Garg
He had a son named Garg. Bharadwaaj advised King Bharat to do a Yagya by which he got a son who carried his lineage. It is said that when his time came to end, Indra himself came to take him to Swarg in a Divine chariot - see "Death of Bharadwaaj" below.

Note
In V-Raamaayan, 7/2, it is written that Bharadwaaj Muni married his daughter to Vishravaa Muni and Kuber was as her son [though her name is not given here]. Thus it means that Kuber was the grandson of Bharadwaaj Muni. But it is known that Kuber's mother's name was Idvidaa. No reference is found yet of Idvidaa's mother - was it Idvidaa or Shruvavatee? Was she the same woman who is mentioned below under "Children of Bharadwaaj" - Shruvavatee?

Birth of Shruvavatee
A woman named Shruvavatee is mentioned in MBH-Stories-6-38-Balaraam-4. About her, it says that "Once Maharshi Bharadwaaj's semen fell seeing the Apsaraa Ghritaachee. He held it in his hand and kept in a bowl made of leaves. This girl was born in that bowl. He kept the girl in the Aashram and he himself went to forest. That girl was Shruvavatee.

Birth of Drone
MBH, G-0-Prolog/13 and MBH, G-1-Beginning/10 say that Bharadwaaj had a son named Drone (later Dronaachaarya), the Guru of Kaurav and Paandav. Once he was doing severe austerity at the source of Gangaa. One day he thought to do Agnihotra so he went to the banks of the river. There he saw Ghritaachee Apasaraa and his semen fell, but he immediately put it in a Drone. A son was born from that seed kept in that pot (Drone) and that is why he was known as Drone (Kumbhaj or pot-born) also [Agastya Rishi and Vashishth Jee are also called Kumbhaj as they were also born from a pot]

His Son Yavakree
We read one story about Bharadwaaj in Mahaabhaarat, G-4-Van/24, told by Lomash Muni, that he had a son named Yavakree who was killed by his friend Raibhya. It is not known that who was Yavakree's mother.

His Daughters
It is believed that he had two daughters - Raatri and Kashipaa. There is a Raatri Sookt in Durgaa Sapt Shatee, it is said that it has been written by her only.

Bharadwaaj and Raam
Bharadwaaj Muni welcomed Raam, Lakshman, Seetaa and Kevat at his Aashram when Raam was going in exile for 14 years by the order of His father Dasharath.

Later he welcomed Bharat also when he was going to bring Raam back to Ayodhyaa. Bharadwaaj was such a great devotee of Raam that when he saw Bharat coming with Chaturanginee army, he doubted as why he was coming with his army but when he had come there he asked him - "Why this Chaturanginee army?" Bharat Jee said - "Hey Rishi, I am going to bring the King back to Ayodhyaa, that is why I have brought this army. I have brought all the material of His crowning ceremony too." He hosted his whole army and Ayodhyaa people through the effect of his Tap with the help of Riddhi and Siddhi. He wanted to welcome Bharat as a royal guest, but he found that Bharat did not enjoy anything of it. Bharat was very surprised to see all that.

Bharadwaaj and Ved
Bharadwaaj Jee is one of the four singers of Saam Ved - other three are - Gautam Rishi, Kashyap Jee, Vaam Dev. He is the Mantra Drishtaa of Ved Mantra. He has written 765 Mantra of Rig Ved's 6th Mandal, and 23 Mantra of Atharv Ved.

Death of Bharadwaaj
This paragraph, taken from MBH, G-1-Beginning/10, shows that Bharadwaaj Muni (if he was the same Bharadwaaj about whom we have been talking about) died in MBH times, but before MBH War. "There was a king named Prishat also who was a good friend of Bharadwaaj. It so happened that he also had a son named Drupad at the same time. Since Prishat and Bharadwaaj were good friends, Drupad used to come to Bharadwaaj's Aashram to play with Drone. When Prishat was dead Drupad became the king. About the same time Bharadwaaj also ascended to Heaven and Drone continued to live in his father's Aashram."

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